Why am I going to Haiti?

I wrote this for the What Madness website, so people will know why it's not being updated.

I’m moving to Haiti. Yes, that Haiti. I’m going to teach English and Bible and help manage an orphanage. I’ll be living in Port-au-Prince and working with AHBZ.

Needless to say, this means What Madness Productions is in flux. I hope to shoot video in Haiti. Maybe cut together a few short documentaries. And I’m continuing to work on my screenwriting. But as far as a true What Madness Production it remains unclear. As Yoda says, "Always in motion is the future."

So, why am I doing this? The main reason is because when I was 13 I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal savior. The Bible tells me that I must be like him so...

A couple of years ago I had the chance to go on a work team to Haiti. I didn’t want to go. I was scared of what the Lord would show me. But I went anyway. I saw first hand the great need in that country and I was very moved by the orphans. I thought of making a documentary (I mean, I’m a filmmaker after all). My heart was racing. People need to know! People need to help! I wanted other people to know about the suffering in Haiti. I wanted other people to help. But I realized the Lord had shown someone the need. He had shown me.

Now, I had a choice to make. I could obey or disobey.

Also, around that time I was reading The Journals of Jim Elliot, The Cost of Discipleship and the book of Jeremiah. If you are happy with your spiritual life. If you are following God to the utmost. If you have this life mastered. Do. Not. Read. These. Books. But if you want to serve God. If you want to know how serious our commitment to the Lord should be. Read. Them. Now. They will push you. They will break you. But you will be better in the end.

During this same time I picked up another book (I’ll not mention the title). It was written recently by a Christian, who is very well intentioned. It deals with cinema, being an artist and being a Christian. It taught me a lot. It taught me how pathetic, bloodless, empty and self-centered a modern “artistic life” can be. It taught me that I have done nothing in my life except seek pleasure for myself.

I had set up my own comfort as a god and fitted it with a mask. A mask so convincing that it even fooled me. I read the Bible all the time. I studied it. I taught it. I believed that it was true. But that was as far as it went. "Love your neighbor as yourself." "Spend yourself in behalf of the hungry." All this stayed on the page.

The Lord tore off the mask and my god of comfort crumbled. I had a choice to make...