The news has reported the killing of six Haitian policemen by gang members, which has caused an even larger flurry of Haitians trying desperately to get to the U.S. I can’t help but think that they have a far too rosy view of their chances in the U.S., in a week which saw ten middle-aged ballroom dancers shot to death; seven agricultural workers shot to death; a six-year-old bringing a gun to school for the express purpose of shooting his teacher, showing others his gun, and then shooting her in front of his classmates; a policeman in the next county here shot to death while responding to a 911 call; four people shot to death in one of the most upscale neighborhoods in Southern California, and a man kicked to death by five policemen. When people wonder why Haiti can’t get its act together, I’m now going to respond that we can’t expect Haitians to behave better than we do.

Here’s an op-ed from the editor of Haitian Times. His views are often provocative or highly original, but he does have a lot of context.

https://haitiantimes.com/2023/01/18/haiti-is-wounded-but-not-slain-opinion/

How to balance all this misery, at home and abroad? Here’s one way: I remind you that for people with partnerships in the Mirebalais area, the rural schools are open and David Marcelus is available to visit the school and send photos. The attached photos are from my own church’s partner school, St. Andre in Trianon, taken by David Thursday, January 26, a few days ago. I e-mailed David in the morning, and by early afternoon I had more than 100 pictures of children working in their classrooms, playing at break time, and eating lunch (!) For those moments when they are in school, their life is safe and normal. I am hanging on to that.