During our trip, we had the chance to sit down with a group of Americans living in Haiti, along with a group of local leaders in the community we worked in. This was an awesome experience to get a better view of the current state of the village and the vision for where it is heading.

One question we asked while speaking with them was “What is the most important thing that must change to turn Haiti around?” Considering what we saw this week, the answer could have easily referenced:

·        Education: Only half of Haitian kids go to school and less than 2% pass national exams (at end of high school)

·        Health: 90% of Haitian kids suffer from waterborne diseases or intestinal parasites

·        Jobs: It is estimated that 2/3rds of people don’t have formal jobs

·        Government: Filled with corruption

·        Roads: One section we drove on main thoroughfare of the country took over 2 hours to travel less than 15 miles. This effectively eliminates commerce between towns.

Despite all of these problems, their answer to the question was that the key to change was to “change hearts”. While the local leadership and missionaries we met were focusing on helping address many of these physical needs, their true focus was on changing the hearts of the people. The country has a history of being apart from God, and this focus of changing hearts was the clear path they saw to make a difference in the country.

As we spoke with them on this and many other subjects, it hit me that while Haiti’s problems manifest themselves in very different ways than we experience in the US, the HEART of the problem is the same. To effect change, we need to change someone’s heart.

                                                                                           -Steve Bittle