Day Two, or is it Three?

It depends on how you look at things. Sunday and most of Monday was spent traveling, but we had great encounters along the way.

I spent the last leg of our journey to Haiti talking with a man and his daughter, who were returning home after a few days of fundraising in Georgia and the Carolinas. He has a school in Gonaives that he is trying to support. His daughter Ann is in her third year at the National University in Gonaives studying International Relations. So a trip abroad was good for her.

Our conversation then turned to why I was going to Haiti. It made the three hour flight fly by telling the tell of BonZeb and HEAR. But why am I here? It is one thing to relate the tale of being hounded for two years about the leadership needs of a school in Haiti, while being focused on leading a group in building a Catholic Youth Retreat Center. Or the tale of students and faculty of that asked for help after I departed as school president. Or is it the story of bringing a woman into our home for months to protect her and her unborn baby, a beautiful bouncing boy. Or was it the comment from the first MBA graduate through HEAR, who told me that if all I ever did for Haiti was to allow him the opportunity to make a difference in Haiti that would be enough.

It could any or all these reasons. But I think it is summed up better by the conversation that began the moment I stepped out of the van after a night and day of travel and into an immediate conversation with three gentlemen from Iowa, who were just completing their time here with another group. I am here because of a call that I first responded to 50 years ago. "Do something!"

It was a simple call that came to a young boy sitting in the pew awaiting the start of another early morning pre-school mass. Ever since that day I have tried to stay busy doing something.

When we see a need, do something. When we are confronted with an issue, do something. When you are overwhelmed, do something. When you're depressed, do something. When your body aches, do something. When you feel weak or useless, do something. When you are in need, do something. When you are fulfilled, do something. When your lost, do something. When you're found, do something. It is never too late or too early to do something.

As I have done most of my life, I have responded to this call, and I have been blest, and I have been cursed. This path is not easy, but is easier if you are just trying to do something. This path is ripe with frustration, but it is made easier if you are just trying to do something.

If you are willing to put away your watch, your calendar, and unplug your phone, you will be able to hear the call and see more clearly what it means to "do something."

More ramblings about today's adventure a bit later. Please keep the prayers coming.