This Is the Way...
"God Hasn't Told Me to Leave"

by Robin Webber

Right now, the little country of Haiti is on the world's radar screen for at least a couple of weeks. Once again, this one-time financial jewel of the long-ago French Empire has had another change of government, which is about as common as the annual hurricane season.

The most impoverished nation in the western hemisphere is once again experiencing a frightening cycle of violence and destruction.

By the time you read this column, the nation of Haiti and its inhabitants may already be fading into the recesses of our minds as the bigger headlines of the American political season, a potential trade war between the European Union and America, issues over Iraq and the same-sex marriage phenomenon claim the bold type on our news pages. Awareness of Haiti's plight will again dim for perhaps a few more years until the next volcanic eruption of spoil, greed and corruption spews from a would-be dictator.

Values that guide beyond the bullets

But I've got a story to tell you that can't wait. It is a story of courage—of men and women with a calling that moves beyond common sense. This is a sense of duty based on faith toward God and devotion to those less fortunate. As I was thumbing through the front section of my Saturday newspaper, skimming over the headlines, I came upon an article that grabbed my attention. It made me ask, "What would I do?"

The article, which appeared in the Los Angeles Times of Feb. 28, is titled "Standing on Faith, Some U.S. Citizens Stay in Haiti." Times staff writer John-Thor Dahlburg guides us beyond the bullets, fires and throngs of angry people into the rock-solid value system that allows some to stand and not run.

Before I picked up the paper that morning, I was thinking of the fate of the Haitian people. I had heard that the rebel guerrillas were slowly but surely approaching the capital of this nation of 7.5 million people. As is often the case, a state of anarchy was created. A decade ago, in my own city of Los Angeles, when much of the city exploded in riot and anarchy ruled the darkness, violence spilled over into areas thought to be previously untouchable. I remember the next day as the freeways were clogged with cars trying to make it home to safety before darkness would once again unleash lawlessness. No cars were headed into the city—only out! Mr. Dahlburg's article speaks of people who never left the storm, and it spoke volumes to me.

Read the full article at www.wnponline.org/wnp/wnp0403/way0403.htm

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This Is the Way... "God Hasn't Told Me to Leave"

by Robin Webber

Read the full article at www.wnponline.org/wnp/wnp0403/way0403.htm

This Is the Way...
"God Hasn't Told Me to Leave"