Haiti

Like many, Haiti has been on my mind. I hear about it everywhere. The events, as they unfold, slice through me. I can’t completely wrap my mind about what has happened. It is almost like after 9/11. And I want to help but the only way I know how is to pray and pray and pray.
My heart bleeds for a country I honestly know little about. I remember learning about Haiti in school. My thought was it was always a poor place. That was confirmed last year when our church did a Reaching Farther emphasis, with a focus on the countries like Haiti. Our church has many out-reach efforts there and we helped raise money for a storage container full or dried beans and rice. It was an impactful time. The church has more missions planned, including one next month. And just last Sunday, a couple days before this deadly earthquake, we heard from a local doctor who has been to the country on medical missions time and time again.
Through all these stories in the last few days, I find I am just in awe and inspired and amazed by those who leave their homes and lives to go to Haiti, to reach out with love and compassion for the people there. It is truly amazing! I praise God for those loving people and their courage and bravery and love and desire to go time and time again.
We have members, a family, from our church there right now. They are spending three-months in Haiti, where their adopted son is from. They are about four hours away from Port-Au-Prince but they will likely feel the affects and will have more need to minister to a people suffering.
I can imagine too that those who have been to Haiti, who have seen first-hand the poverty and suffering that was there before this disaster, are chomping at the bit and making any and all efforts to get there. I am sure they feel helpless here in the states while people, families, children they know are suffering or worse.
So many people have connections to Haiti….the stories continue to amaze me.
I pray for the missionaries and aid people already there. I pray for their safety as they minister and serve while they are likely hurting as well.
I pray for those trying to get to the country and for their safety as they get in the midst of it all.
I pray for those here in the states. Maybe, like me, they feel a little helpless and wonder how to help. We are witnessing a world, broken and on its knees. We need to help them stand again.