The enlarged hearts of the world have found their way to ravaged Haiti. This country has felt the wrath of poverty for its entire existence. Now the earthquake that ravaged this already destitute land on January 12 has put the world’s focus on the minute region with over 212,000 dead estimated.
Philanthropists from all over the United States have poured into Haiti over the last three weeks to bring food, water, and shelter. Laura Silsby from Idaho takes special heed of the shelter charity. Her life’s work has mounted to housing orphaned children. Her plan before the earthquake was to begin an orphanage in the Dominican Republic for all children on the island containing both countries. The New Life Children’s Refuge house was bought in 2008. It is described by Silsby’s nanny, Charisa Coulter, as “dedicated to rescuing, living and caring for orphaned, abandoned and impoverished Haitian and Dominican children, demonstrating God’s love and helping each child find healing, hope, joy and new life in Christ.”
Personally, Silsby has had struggles with her finances back home. Her entrepreneur venture of PersonalShopper.com has been on its way out of business and she is facing creditors who seek hundreds of thousands of dollars as well as payroll lawsuits from former employees. Even with the business failing, Silsby shelled out $358,000 for the New Life house and had even grander plans for an orphanage back in Idaho. Despite these mounting albatrosses, Silsby decided it wise to leave her own young children (sans nanny, as Coulter traveled to Haiti with her) to seize the moment and aid in Haiti after the earthquake.
At this point, the story is not clear. Silsby and nine other Baptist missionaries picked up 33 Haitian children and led them to the Dominican border to take to the New Life orphanage, which is not yet completed at this time. However, it is known that the majority of the children are not orphans. Conflicting stories say Silsby and company rounded them up on their own, or they were given to them by the parents for the opportunity at a better life elsewhere, or the parents expected the children to remain in the Dominican and return to Haiti to visit frequently. The New Life orphanage website actually says its children would be eligible for adoption though U.S. agencies. The group got local Haitians and Dominicans to provide paperwork to comply with local laws; however, all did not go smoothly. The 10 missionaries were sent back from the border and arrested in Port-au-Prince for child abduction and criminal association, which carries a punishment of nine to 15 years in prison. The children never made it across the border.
Let’s recap: 1) mounting debt and lawsuits, 2) no income, 3) buying and planning expensive properties for non-profit, 4) leaving own children at home sans nanny, 5) taking risk of breaking felonious laws in unstable foreign country. Let’s put aside the obvious political position in which Haiti and the U.S. are. Let’s even forgive the fact that Silsby broke Haitian law, assuming she obtained all the children’s parents’ permission and was honest with them. Even if Silsby had all the proper and legal documentation, what was she thinking?!
I possess two core values, community and personal responsibility. One has an obligation to give to one’s community to uplift individuals within the group; likewise, the one receives support from the community and grows to a position in which one can help others. In this dynamic, everyone helps each person grow. However, one cannot help another if one is not on stable footing. One must take the personal responsibility to join the community, participate in it, be open to receiving help, and take care of one’s personal affairs. Only then will one be ready to fully help the community grow. Reciprocally, a healthy community gives one the encouragement needed to take personal responsibility.
In this situation, Silsby is focused on a world community, one in which members of prosperous countries reach out to members of destitute countries. Silsby and her missionaries have hearts of gold. They dedicated themselves to helping children in need. They bring them love, support, and food. The missionaries were seen smiling as they were taken to and from the courthouse. I would venture a guess that Silsby houses orphans in her own home. I’ll be she is a wonderful person. Now the evil Haitian government is putting her on trial. And the horrific U.S. government is sitting by idly!
I do not question the goodness in what Silsby desires to do. The situation in Haiti is subhuman, and the country needs positive. But her results are turning out terribly. She led a group of missionaries into committing a felony in a foreign country. She left her small children at home. They could be orphans for nine to 15 years if she is convicted. She has abandoned reformation her debts at home and taken on new ones elsewhere. It is her unstable foundation that has derailed her well-intended mission. Silsby has not taken personal responsibility.
There is no one that can clean up Silsby’s debts but Silsby. No one can be Silsby’s children’s mother except Silsby. And by not going through the proper channels, she has gotten herself and nine others arrested.
I enter exhibit A showing why one cannot have a healthy community without individuals taking personal responsibility.
2 comments:
Respectfully, I find myself inclined to say that I agree in part and disagree in part. I address my endorsements first.
The ideas and ideals that the author subcribes to are to commended by all means. few men are still given to any principle of any sort. The fact that he has two, sets him a world apart.Further, i endorse his views not only because they align with my own, but the the fact needs to be stated that those vintage principles have been used by people of calibre to do amazing things for the greater whole.
But In respect to my reservations, I state them as thus.I like to imagine of a situation between two patients and a Doctor. One is bleeding almost to death, the other is relatively ill. Both as we can note,may die if not tended to. So the question which has plagued the law and the defense of neccessity,and which am sure sadly will deatin us here, becomes: what is the lesser of the two evils?
On the one hand I concede with much pain that all the facts that the author has presented are appealing. in fact they can be summed up by the saying that " charity begins at home" But i think that the principle is not set in stone. It can be displaced.I invoke Stephen Covey's life changing principle that"first things first" sio to apply it to my hypotheticalsituation. I would confess that America's problems as compelling as there are, at this partcular moment,they are not yet " to the stage of bleeding for dear life". evn the president conceded in this past week that the worst of the recessionis gone. However, as the author conceeds, the situation in haiti is just something else. if ever something ever could be equated to "bleeding for dear life" then I believe I believe that this would be it. Of course I could be wrong.
To put things in perspective, then considering my hypothetical, who should the doctor tend to first? I believe I think it goes without saying. Of course my learned friend might take me to task by pointing to Shelby's children. of course I would say assuming that the matters alleged are true, then it could have been handled better.
In the worst case scenario, in this amazing land of, if her children were to ever get compromised, there are authorities and others who could at least assist. Though i should not be seen as advocating such conduct, the horse is already out of the barn. It adds little to the state of affairs. However, given that Selby and others like her in similar fashion are the hands and hearts sustaining haiti, I finish by askingif they dont go;who will?
That is a valid question, one I ponder myself. I'd like to see the less fortunate children of Haiti have better futures, but not at the expense of their parents' wishes. We do not know if Silsby actually got permission from all the parents, if she misled them, or if she was totally honest; this is because Silsby has lost credibility in the wake of her irresponsible past.
Furthermore, it becomes irrelevant if Silsby and her missionaries go or not because of the results. They were arrested, and the children were returned to Haiti.
However, the big benefit of this situation is that it publicizes a massive problem in Haiti. Perhaps we will look back in 15, 20 years from now thanking the Lord this earthquake provided an opportunity to change things for Haiti and its children.
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