Why Haiti? And What You Can Do

by Rhett SmithFebruary 18, 2010

This last week of my life has been an unbelievable whirlwind of emotions and it’s going to take a long time for me to process everything that I have witnessed.
It was only two and half weeks ago that I received a phone call giving me 12 hours to see if I would be interested in [...]

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Haiti Day #4: Displaced People-Displaced God-Displaced Disciples

by Rhett SmithFebruary 15, 2010

[image by Anne Jackson of tent city of 5000 in Marassa]
Displaced People
About one month ago one of the most horrific disasters in human history struck the small island of Haiti. In the wake of that destruction thousands upon thousands of lives were lost, and thousands upon thousands of people were displaced. We have [...]

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Haiti Day #3: Stripped of Everything But God

by Rhett SmithFebruary 14, 2010

I have always been pretty good about being self-reliant. It’s an inheritenly deep American, Westernized trait that we forge our own paths, and pick ourselves up by our own bootstraps. And if you don’t, then often you are left behind, or looked down upon as if you have some sort of deficiency. [...]

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(Re)Birth in the Chaos of Haiti

by Rhett SmithFebruary 13, 2010

Today has been almost indescribable. After each experience I found myself trying to process what was taking place, and just when I thought I had a good enough grasp on how to try and convey it into words — the scene switched and a completely new experience — a completely new paradigm had been [...]

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Redemption in Haiti

by Rhett SmithFebruary 12, 2010

Rudy was a Haitian man that we met today in a field hospital in Jiminia, Dominican Republic. He was recovering from injuries he sustained in Port-au-prince, Haiti during the January 12th earthquake. Sitting next to him is his girlfriend.
Just blew my mind…there wasn’t a dry eye around.

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Naked and Vulnerable: First Day in Haiti

by Rhett SmithFebruary 12, 2010

“Prayer requires that we stand in God’s presence with open hands, naked and vulnerable, proclaiming to ourselves and to others that without God we can do nothing. This is difficult in a climate where the predominant counsel is, ‘Do your best and God will do the rest.’” (Compassion: A Relfection on the Christian Life [...]

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Travel Day: Hands Open

by Rhett SmithFebruary 11, 2010

Today was a long but amazing day so far. It started at 4:00am as I drove down the North Dallas Tollway as fresh snow was covering the road. A beautiful, but unexpected surprise. I picked up Lars Rood and we took a flight to Miami where we met the rest of our [...]

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Limits On Our Knowledge of the Other Person

by Rhett SmithFebruary 9, 2010

I think we live in a culture that likes mystery, but we don’t want to go too long without that mystery being solved and unraveled so that it answers all of our questions. I can’t imagine too many viewers of LOST being satisfied after this last season if the mysteries aren’t made completely known [...]

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Upcoming Trip to Haiti: Nothing to Offer But Our Vulnerable Selves

by Rhett SmithFebruary 4, 2010

Last week I wrote about some of my initial thoughts on my upcoming trip to Haiti, and with each passing day I’m getting more and more excited, and a bit more nervous as well. One of the really exciting things is the coming together and completion of the team I will be serving with. [...]

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Can Social Media Use Be a Hindrance to Effectively Transitioning to Next Stages of Life?

by Rhett SmithFebruary 1, 2010

[image by Hawthorne Ave]

Can social media use be a hindrance to effectively transitioning to next stages of life?
I don’t know, but it’s something I’m exploring.
This question was rooted in a conversation I was having a few weeks back with Lars Rood and the parents of seniors who will be heading off to college next year. [...]

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