Whether they are thankful to be home.
Whether they’re thankful to arrive safe back on the ground.
Or whether they’re glad that they can shake off the restraints of domesticated society.
I know I sound cynical here, but well, I am. My interactions with this culture have left me all out frustrated at times, so I figure cynical is a step back from there at least. Lineups don’t really mean -line-up-, it really means try to get to the front however you can. A baggage carrasel is best used when everyone is crowded up against it with their wheely cart beside them. Traffic works wonderfully when you disregard lanes and regulations, and just drive however you feel best serves you. For those of you who know me, probably know I would love to drive however I want, push to the front of the line and not have anyone in my way when I’m trying to pick up my luggage. But I know that I can’t. Because if everyone were to do such, it would lead to...Haiti.
Okay, well I should real this back in for a moment. As we exit the airport of mayhem, I spotted Durand in the crowd and we met up around the barricade. I don’t hug much, but really, there was no better way to greet this man. Durand has been our contact to this church family here for three years now. Dan and I receive text messages all the time from him; pictures, cheesy memes, Happy Christmas and Merry New Year messages, prayers, sympathies and encouragement. Durand has taken time off work yet again to look after us. He will have us in his home yet again and feed us our lunches every work day. He bends over backwards to show us hospitality and works hard to keep us safe. Durand has shown us true Christian fellowship. I respect that. I appreciate what he does to make our stay here smooth and I marvel at what he is & wants to do for his community. I would consider Durand a friend and would not want him to feel I don’t like his country or his people, I’m just struggling once again to adapt to the culture I’m facing.
Haiti has a resiliency to it. There is a statute that we drove by today, called “The Standing Man”. It symbolizes back to when Haiti gained it’s freedom. Many in Haitian culture say it shows their ability; to overcome, to persevere, to adapt. I mean where else could we use a Rav 4 to fit 6 grown men and 5 sets of lunguge to the hotel from the airport (no there was no roof rack). I’ve sat in the middle of many of trucks, but I’ve never sat on the middle console hovering over the shift lever before. Haitians are very proud of their country, their people and even their culture. And maybe a simple redneck hick from Alberta shouldn’t be evaluated them on what he thinks he knows. But maybe we should all learn something here. All of us are fallen. All have come short. God does not look at any of us and say: Wow, they got things together. Maybe as believers we should symbolize a different statue, the kneeling man. Our submission to God needs to be at the forefront of our lives, not how a line should properly flow. Christ Jesus redeemed us so that we could live different, to live set apart, Holy. That means we don’t live lives wrapped up in ourselves, our projects, our ambitions, these things are of the world. A good example of this is what Haitians are celebrating this week. Once again we have come here during Carnaval, and I joked with Durand that we were just coming for the party. And just as seriously as he did last time, he scolded me that this was not “Our” party. God has transformed us to a new creation, for the Party yet to come. So let’s consider how we can get ready for the party, how then should we live?
Traffic from the airport was bad today, which made that consol feel great after it took roughly 90 minutes to travel 16 km. I thought I was getting good at knowing some level of direction here, however Durand weaved and bobbed his way all over the place. I don’t know if I’ve traveled the same route to and from the airport. It always seems to be different. And just like the roads, their way of life here always seems different. But they are aloud to be different as we all are different and broken. Thankfully there is a right way to live, and it’s not “my” way or “your”way, the “Canadian” or “Haitian” way, it’s God’s way. And it is found in relationship with God, through His Son Jesus Christ, that is the only way to understand true culture and join the party.
