“It’s Friday…but Sunday’s comin’.”

That’s the refrain from a famous sermon that is especially appropriate for the Easter season.

The Friday in this sermon is Good Friday, the day of Jesus’ execution, when hatred seemed to have triumphed over love.

The Sunday that is coming is Easter Sunday, when churches celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and the victory life and love have over death and hatred.

When people I meet for the first time learn about my long connection with Haiti, they usually get a distressed look on their faces and ask how I don’t lose hope.

I understand the reaction. What evidence would they get from the headlines that anything has changed there that is worth celebrating?

It’s the same depressing story — hunger, violence, political turmoil, natural disaster.

I think of it as ‘Good Friday news’.

I can get discouraged by this reaction — until I imagine the morning news from that very first Easter.

If it were happening today, I could imagine CNN — still running Friday’s footage of Pilate, Herod, and the religious hard-liners grinning for the cameras. Fox might report that the stone has been rolled away, but there’d be no mention of the resurrection.

Those who put their hope in Jesus are all still hiding and heartbroken.

There are no reports about the three courageous women, who venture back to Jesus’ tomb, discover it empty, and are told that Jesus has risen.

These women try to get that story out — but no one dares believe them.

The world is still captive to Friday’s news of death and despair. Then and now, the forces of darkness have the better PR team.

Jesus’ torture and execution were designed to be spectacular front-page stories.

By contrast the Good News of the following Sunday spread quietly through just a few personal encounters and by word of mouth.

The story made no headlines that first Easter Sunday.

Even those who knew Jesus well only recognized him with difficulty.

So it is with the everyday miracles we encounter in Haiti.

Beautiful, noble, life giving things are springing forth around and among us, even (perhaps especially) in the most desperate places.

These Easter Sunday stories remain unreported by the media, but there is good news from Haiti!

• More and more children are being freed from slavery and more and more parents are learning how to stop their children from ever becoming enslaved.

• More and more communities are now equipped to prevent sexual and domestic violence and balance power between women and men.

• More and more of the most destitute families are now getting help to escape poverty and hunger and lead lives full of dignity and promise.

• More and more rural schools are using an approach to education that is proven to nearly triple student reading scores.

Of course, these stories will never show up in the headlines.

Neither will the news outlets tell how the generosity of people like you helps foster Haiti’s good news.

Hatred and death got the headlines that first Easter and they often still do.

But new life continues to spring up among us, and is springing up in Haiti.

Thank you so much for helping Beyond Borders spread life, hope, and freedom throughout Haiti.

With deep gratitude,