Rob's Thoughts

Okay, the spring semester is underway and I’m almost caught up on all my school assignments thanks to a beautiful snow day where they Canceled class.  Thank you Lord!  So I thought I would use this fortunate turn of events to break my blogging silence.  Hello Everyone.  The subject of this blog is the Haitian Missionaries.  If your interested read below.

Almost a month ago now a group of 10 now famous (or infamous – depending on your perspective) missionaries went to haiti to expedite the establishment of an orphanage that had been in the planning phase for some time.  Under the leadership of Laura Silsby this group gathered orphans and children who’s parents were too poor to feed them.  The plan was to take the children – 33 in all – to a hotel that had been rented in the Dominican Republic, feed them, care for them, educate them, etc.  Eventually, the orphanage would build or buy a compound that would house these children, and more, permanently.  As the world now knows, this plan never came to fruition.

Sometimes when we hear things like this via the media we forget that the media covers real people, with real families, real jobs, real churches, and real lives.  For example, One of the girls that went on this mission trip was an 18 year old homeschooled student who was excited to go play with children less fortunate than herself.  Many of the team members are mothers, fathers, husbands, etc.  Who’s families sent them on what they thought was a short term mission to fulfill a biblical obligation to help those in need.

As I mentioned earlier this plan never came to fruition.  Depending on the news organization you tune into these missionaries are either Christian Zealots who rushed headlong into a situation they had no business being in (CNN, MSNBC).  Or they are the victims of a corrupt government seeking to put on a show trial for the world to see (Fox News).  I think the truth is probably somewhere in between.

The reality is that Laura Silsby probably didn’t have all her ducks in a row and was trying to gather the necessary documents on the fly.   Probably not the best idea – and consequences that nobody could have foreseen occurred.   But hind sight is 20/2o isn’t it?  The reaction both in the media and the government is staggering.  The Media has used this circumstance to criminalize the word missionary, and has painted the group, especially Laura Silsby to be an evil person.  And the government has allowed these 10 american citizens to face the most corrupt legal system in the western hemisphere on charges of kidnapping!  If you follow the blogs these missionaries have been called every name in the book, and most people would just assume that book be thrown at them.

So here is the question.  Is it right to imprison 10 missionaries who desire to help homeless and impoverished children get on their feet, for not having the right paperwork?  Seriously?

Reality Check #1: 4000 hardened criminals escaped the main prison on the island when the earthquake happened and the haitian government is focusing their legal system on holding 10 american missionaries captive for not having the correct documents to move homeless and impoverished children to an orphanage.

Reality Check #2:  It’s easy to sit in judgement from our living room couches when we haven’t lifted a finger to help (save those who have supported Haitian relief through their checkbooks).  Perhaps the only people who have the right to judge in this case are those who patiently and diligently went through the proper channels in order to accomplish the same thing.

Reality Check #3:  Sweden just appealed to NORTH KOREA to free an american missionary who went into the land to tell Kim Jong Ill to resign.  How is it that our own government wont intervene to help 10 american citizens who were trying to rescue children in Haiti?

Reality Check #4: Have you ever gone to the DMV to get your license plates renewed?  Did you have your proof of insurance?  If not did you get thrown in Jail?  Probably not.  Yet it’s probably stated on every DMV website as well as on the front door of every DMV office that you must have your proof of insurance.  The penalty for not having insurance is up to two years in prison.  But your DMV isn’t going to call an officer and have him take you away because you failed to bring your proof of insurance.  Yet that iss effectively what happened to these 10 Americans.  They were turned back at the boarder because they didn’t have a document.  When they went to get the document (IN ORDER TO CONFORM TO THE LAW) they were arrested.  Let me say that again, they were arrested while trying to procure the proper paper work!

What can you do to help.  Probably the best and maybe the only thing you can do to help, is stop judging and then after you’ve gotten all your nastiness taken care of email the state department (you can go to whitehouse.gov).  And ask for Hillary to do something about this unfortunate situation.

p.s. I’m not saying that the group shouldn’t have been more careful, or had the proper paperwork, I’m just asking for reasonable response by the media, government, and average american citizen.