When Little Things=Big Things

An encouraging bit of news (\in-ˈkər-ij-ing—literally, having to do with making the heart bigger) came in the Science page of the NY Times this week. Elizabeth Sheehan, founder of Containers to Clinics was preparing to take their first clinic to the Dominican Republic. Their ‘clinics’ are made of two old shipping containers which together house two examining rooms, a laboratory and a pharmacy. Very portable. Easy to redirect. They will be on their way to Haiti now if they can get a medical team assembled.

Elizabeth Hausler, who is an engineer and founder of Build Change went to India to learn more about earthquakes following the devastating quake of 2001. She learned that earthquakes rarely kill people: poorly constructed buildings kill people. She also learned that post-quake rebuilding has usually been done by governments and big nonprofits and has usually been done ‘top-down.' She reports “Contractors would swoop in and build a bunch of houses for people and leave.” Homeowners are often not involved. Houses are too often wrong for the country, the climate, the culture. The main door might open to the street in a place where people are more private and prefer the main door to open onto a courtyard. “If a door is in the wrong place, then the homeowner is going to knock a hole in the wall — and that’s not good for the structure.” Dr Hausler was able to help rebuild in Indonesia after the tsunami and in China after the Sichuan quake. In both places she helped aid officials work with local governments and local homeowners. Dr Hausler now plans to help in Haiti, to which I quietly say, Thank you, God.

The Gospel this Sunday pulses with amazing phrases. “Bring good news to the poor.” “Proclaim release to the captives.” “Let the oppressed go free.” We don’t all do this in the same way, or in the name of Jesus or of any other religion. Nevertheless for whoever does it, and does it well...Thank you, God