Haiti after the earthquake
Speaking by phone with Wilfrid Joachin (the local focolare leader) on Monday, January 18, he gave us an update on how the situation is in his part of the country.
First of all, he says, almost every family has lost one or more of their members in the earthquake. Many people from the villages in the countryside had left for the capital, either for studies or to find work. One family in Carice has lost 7 of their 8 children.
The good news is that two of our members studying in Port-au-Prince survived the devastating quake.
As a consequence of the destruction of Port-au-Prince, everybody now tries to get out of the city, going to the countryside. He tells us that many people from the capital arrived in Ounaminthe, a city in the North-East at the border with the Dominican Republic. They arrive and don’t know where to go; not having eaten for several days, they beg for food and lodging. Also in Mont-Organisé, Savanette, Carice, these people arrive, having lost all they had in Port-au-Prince. Wilfrid tells us that the whole country is devastated, crushed to the ground by this great disaster.
He continues that they came up with the idea of building a center for poor families. Some years back the Focolare movement in Haiti was given a piece of land. Wilfrid, after discussing with other members what they could do to help their fellow Haitians, they decided to go ahead with a building plan which will provide housing for twenty families. Their help would also include clothing, food, and medical help, taken from their own meager resources.
But the Focolare group in Haiti will have to rely on help from the outside to be able to do something at this moment and to bring this building proposal to completion.
You can participate immediately. More information: toronto@focolare.ca
Haiti emergency
We are trying to keep up with breaking news about the devastating earthquake in Haiti, the poorest country in Central America, where much of the capital Port au Prince has been reduced to rubble. As an act of solidarity, throughout the Movement people are responding to this emergency, and to the need for reconstruction. We would like to assure the supporters of “Sostegno a Distanza” (Adoptions at a Distance) that the children involved in this educational project in the north east of Haiti have not been directly affected. “They are all safe, we felt some tremors, but there was no damage. But everyone has relatives in Port au Prince, and it has been impossible to find out anything about them.” This is what we heard from the Focolare community in Haiti, which was established thirty years ago and whose development has been closely followed by the Movement in Canada, through Adoptions at a Distance and other projects. Anyone who would like to help this action of solidarity can send donations to the following accounts: 
Giovani per un Mondo Unito (GMU) Current account “PAMOM – Fondo Mondo Unito” Intesa San Paolo, Filiale di Grottaferrata Via delle Sorgenti, 128 – 00046 Grottaferrata (Roma) Italia IBAN code : IT04 M030 6939 1401 0000 0640 100 BIC code: BCITITMM Ref: Terremoto Haiti Associazione “Azione per un Mondo Unito – Onlus” (AMU) -current postal account n. 81065005 -Banca Etica, Filiale di Roma, Via Parigi, 17 – 00185 Roma, Italia IBAN code : IT16G0501803200000000120434 BIC code : CCRTIT2184D Ref: Solidarietà per Haiti AFN Azione per Famiglie Nuove – Onlus Sostegno a distanza (Adoptions at a Distance) via Isonzo,42 00046 Grottaferrata (Roma) – current postal account n. 48075873 – Current bank account at: BANCA PROSSIMA IBAN code: IT55K0335901600100000001060 Ref: Solidarietà per Haiti
The conductor’s art
On a winding mountain road, I was driving my elderly friend’s car. He knew every part of the route and with little hand signals was telling me when to slow down, accelerate, and when to proceed with caution. I was following these often barely perceptible signs out of the corner of my eye, and was totally absorbed in the effort to understand him, and to drive the way he would have driven. I imagined him to be the conductor of an orchestra, who was very happy when I managed to perform my part perfectly. That evening Massimiliano, a friar from a long established friary, phoned me. For some time he had been having difficulties with his superior, and he told me that he had no more energy to deal with it, and had decided to leave the friary. I told him my story about the conductor and the orchestra, and realised that he was listening in deep silence. Then he said, “Maybe my mistake was to expect something from my superior. But he cannot play my instrument, he cannot take my place. All he can do is help me to be in harmony with the others! I have to take up my instrument again, accept my responsibilities and show my talent as part of the overall harmony.” He then began to cry. At the end of the call, I realised that an idea that came from an act of love had released a ray of light that someone, somewhere, was waiting for. (T.M, Czech Republic)
Having hit rock bottom, I decided to come back and begin again.
I was born and grew up in a family that was always committed to instilling within me the Christian values of respect and love for our neighbor, without discrimination. As a child I dedicated myself to live according to these values: with my soccer team, at school, and with my friends, I always tried to swim against the tide, that is to say, to not allow myself to be dragged down by all that a consumer society offers; in fact, in Europe materialism is predominant, what you have and your appearance count more than what you are. But at a certain moment of my life, the pleasures and the things of this world made me lose my way. In reality, I sold myself to the world. I wanted to know all that, until then, I had considered the easy way and, at the same time, more empty. So I began a new phase of my life, where respect for people and for God no longer had value. I began to experience things that would satisfy me for a moment, and immediately afterwards I would feel a great emptiness of soul, an immense loneliness that left me feeling bad. After being knocked to the ground more than once, I decided to start over and return to my beginnings. To find again for myself those values that were always present within me, even if buried under so many useless things. Now, in this community (the little town of O’Higgins in Argentina) where I live with young people from all over the world, I am having a very beautiful experience. I am discovering many things that I didn’t know, thanks to the people who are around me. I discover in my brother a way to grow, a mirror in which I see my reflection. I am searching and finding pure love, without self-interest. A love that gives life to the soul, without prejudices. This love, that has its roots in the lived Gospel, helps me break free from temporal things and it is a path toward true freedom, a path that carries me to God together with my brothers. (J. – Italia) Testimony given at the “Fiesta de los Jovenes”, O’Higgins, Argentina, September 27, 2009
I could not betray my conscience
After I graduated in dentistry I wanted to start work straight away. I love my job and I see it as an opportunity to build a better society. I soon got offered a job, but I realised that it involved a compromise that went against the ethics of my profession. The salary was really attractive, and I needed the money, but I was even more certain that I could not go against my conscience. I decided to turn down the offer. At the same time, I was invited to start an educational project, and to work as a teacher in a children’s nursery. My decision caused some consternation. My family and friends thought I was wasting time and energy, and could not understand why I had turned down such a good professional opportunity in order to be a “nappy (diaper) changer”. But I was happy, because it gave me a real opportunity for building fraternity. In fact, the experience was beautiful. There were a few of us, and we were trying to set up a project that seemed like a seed of something great, answering the needs of the district that we trying to serve. To my surprise I was then offered a job as a dentist. The experience of the nursery had given me a new vision of things, and my job was no longer simply a way of fulfilling my personal ambitions, it now became an opportunity to “give” and to love. There were plenty of occasions when the fundamental choices of my life were put to the test. For example, I was offered the chance to earn more money, using some unethical methods. In the world I live in, where the needs are great and there is a lot of corruption, those things even appear “normal”. But once again it was clear to me that I ought not to give in to such a proposal. On another occasion, a poor man came to the surgery that none of my colleagues wanted to treat. I knew that Jesus was in that person, and I could not treat him in a lesser way than I would treat Jesus himself. A short time ago an amazing possibility emerged of setting up a dental clinic with a person who shares the same ideals as me. We could set up our own business, and give everyone a good and proper service, while adhering to the Economy of Communion project! I saw this as the “hundredfold” for having looked for the kingdom of God! I am happy with this new project, where I can give of myself completely in the building of a new society. (E. Venezuela)