White Christmas

I barely knew this family in Haiti, but the dad was nicknamed "Swanee" I guess b/c his last name was Schwanz. He made everyone laugh and their family was known for being fun and passionate about serving God. Another friend posted this recent video of him describing some sobering experiences in Haiti at Christmas time.



I took the time to watch this because I expected something interesting, knowing Swanee's reputation among the missionaries in Haiti in the 1980s. But I didn't expect to be so moved. If you didn't watch it, he describes going down into the city of Port au Prince around Christmas time, and watched a woman take a bath in a pothole filled with filthy water, and then brush her teeth with it. All the while, Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" was playing in the background on a loudspeaker somewhere. He said it was a very popular song in Haiti, and even the woman bathing was singing along. Later, he heard a Haitian man singing it, and asked him if he knew what he was singing about. He said he surely did. He was asked if he knew what snow was then. The man replied, "I don't know snow, but I know what a white Christmas is. Everyone wants a white Christmas, one like white people have with presents and a house filled with food and a bed and friends!"

Things we take for granted. A beautiful house. Any house. Presents. Food. Love. Family. Plenty of clothes. A nice place to worship. Transportation. Education. Health. A future. Plans.

It still just gets to me that a place like Haiti is in America's backyard. Going there and delivering a little bit of aid seems like a drop in the bucket. But I'm just doing what is before me. It might not be much in the world's eyes (I'm no Greg Mortensen or Mother Theresa) but it's what I know to do.

May God multiply our efforts and gifts like he did with the loaves and fish, and make a supernatural difference through us.