Life is colored in shades of gray. Nothing is entirely right or wrong. And the ends often do seem to justify the means.Does the desire to help Haitian children in distress justify 10 Baptist missionaries’ intentional search for non-orphaned children to fill their orphanage? They entered Haiti to help children suffering in the aftermath of a horrific natural disaster. This is a noble cause. But their actions display the arrogance and ignorance for which Americans are so often accused overseas.All 33 “orphans” the missionaries attempted to transport to the Dominican Republic “have close family still alive,” The Associated Press reported Sunday. Many of these children were willingly handed over by their parents or relatives in hopes of securing a better and healthier life. Some of the parents claim they were told the children would receive an education and better care.Such promises are quite persuasive in a distressed and poverty-stricken country. But the resources spent to remove these children were wasted because of the lack of awareness and foresight in an environment rife with violations of children’s human rights. “We can’t talk any more about trafficking of human beings,” the missionaries’ attorney, Aviol Fleurant, told reporters. Apparently no law was broken because the parents testified they gave permission.The 10 missionaries may not have commited a crime. And their intentions may have been true, honest and noble. But to set up an orphanage and recruit children from the slums without following the proper legal channels or doing the research necessary to ensure safe and successful passage is irresponsible and, frankly, stupid.To assert these children were in fact orphans — while fully knowing they had parents or close relatives alive — is reprehensible.Laura Silsby, leader of the missionary group, lied to the AP on Jan. 31, claiming all the children being transported had either been with distant relatives or were actually orphans, indicates even she knew the methods employed were unethical.Maletid Desilien, a mother in the Citron slums in Haiti, is overcome with grief. She is distraught from the belief she will never see her children again. She and her husband, Dieulifanne Desilien, handed over their four children to the missionaries. The youngest is 3 months old.As a Christian, I am ashamed by the arrogance with which we travel the globe without clearly understanding the consequences of our “loving actions.” Did God call these missionaries to convince living parents to relinquish their children?A child told Jeanne Bernard Pierre, director of Haiti’s social welfare agency, that “when they come knocking on our door asking for children, my mom decided to give me away because we are six children and by giving me away she would have only five kids to care for,” according to the AP.Perhaps I don’t fully understand the dynamics of working with children in Haiti, where such devastation defies our comprehension. Pastor Jean Sainvil, a Haitian minister based in Atlanta, Ga., helped gather these children. He explained to the AP that “more than half of the 380,000 children living in Haiti’s orphanages” have living parents who could not care for them.There are many ways to create a meaningful impact in dire situations. Direct intervention and personal involvement often accomplishes the greatest influence when funds are limited. But to operate in such a capacity, it is imperative that any actions are completely planned and their consequences fully considered. It is unfair to the children and parents to hatch a half baked plan which falls apart, leaving everyone in a worse position.To enter a foreign country and attempt to remove children without official permission is arrogant and ignorant — especially when the international community is closely watching for human trafficking and the Haitian government is closely monitoring adoption issues. A crucifix hanging around your neck doesn’t give you a license to rashly attempt to solve humanity’s problems without regard for laws, customs or the repercussions of your failure.
Nathan Shull is a 35-year-old finance junior from Seattle. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_nshull.—-Contact Nathan Shull at [email protected]