Haitian Prayer: An Antidote for "Numbers Fatigue"

When I was in Haiti in 1993, I quickly discovered the grace and strength and resiliency of the Haitian people in a situation that was -- even then -- far, far worse than anything I experienced when I was in Nicaragua during the Contra War. I also learned how much our own history as the United States is linked with the history of our Haitian neighbors.

Today, we are hearing about tens of thousands of people who have died and so many millions of people who are in need. The numbers are overwhelming, and yet each one represents a beloved person.

As an antidote to "numbers fatigue," I want to share one of my favorite prayers from the Haitian prayerbook, God Is No Stranger, and I share it with you for all the people of Haiti:

Father, I have learned
that one strong
in calculation
is called a
"mathematician."
You are the greatest mathematician
because You can
count all the people
yet still see
each one of us.

From God Is No Stranger, published by Baptist Haiti Mission in 1987, ninth printing April 1990