Haiti Relief.............Finally

Hi everyone - i'm sure your soul, just as mine, has been impacted by the earthquake and it's devastation in Haiti this week. I can't even begin to think how people keep going forward another minute let alone another day in that place. Haiti, being such an impoverished country to begin with, has truly lost it all. No amount of world economic crisis could come close to matching the horror of what that country is going through. I was in Haiti for 10 days back in 98 on a workteam project. Helping build a school. Even though we stayed right in Port Au Prince and saw, smelled, tasted, and touched the poverty every day we still had no clue what it was like to live there. We knew we were going home. We knew what we were going home to. No matter what the problems were at home - they didn't begin to match those in Haiti. We knew that we were going home to a bed, a roof, running water, and some sort of meal - 3 times a day every day. We had hope. So many of the people in Haiti don't have a bed - they sleep in the dirt. They don't have a roof as we know it - just a piece of corrugated tin maybe with a faded slogan of some company on one side being held up by some sticks, another piece of tin, or rocks. The only constant flow of water that I saw was the stream of waste running down the side of the road that you would have to be careful to step over. For most in Haiti, 1 meal a day is a luxury. ---------------->And now - an earthquake. Just when one thought it couldn't get any worse.................it hits. For thousands it was the end of the world. For many others their world is now ending. For even more they will want their world to end. Nature?? Coincidence?? Terrorists?? Charma?? - No matter what you believe - these people are beyond hurting, beyond shock - words can't describe where they are at ===========>> They just need help!!





Relief................finally! My hat off to the governments of the world who are flooding into Haiti with relief. Finally - this is a glmpse of what it means for the world to come together, to set aside differences for the pursuit of a common goal, a common purpose, the common good. Some "critics" may say that some are pushing the aid to score "brownie points" or to look good, etc. Guess what - I will bet you 10 to 1 that if you were to ask the Haitian which he preferred, the Chinese water, the American water, or the French water? He'd probably reach his hand to the Aid worker standing next to you who wasn't paying attention to labels - just providing the water. Of course this scenario would never happen because we would never see these critics out in the field. Only in their comfy chairs barking orders at things they no nothing about. That's usually the way it goes!





Also - HUGE HUGE HUGE - and I can't believe i'm saying this - HUGE Kudos to the participating cell phone carriers who are taking part in the $10 text fund raiser for Haiti. As far as I have read - ALL of the $10 proceed is going directly to the Red Cross for Haitian Relief. As far as I can tell they aren't taking "administrative costs" out at all. Everything through this campaign is going directly to Relief. Finally finally finally a reason to be proud of my cell phone carrier - I happen to have VERIZON! Thank you Verizon!!





Now, as is the case many times with many good efforts there is a slight dark lining somewhere. Well, this is true in this case as well. There is a dark lining i've come across and its names are LIMBAUGH and ROBERTSON! One at a time I think. First Robertson - Pat, Pat, Pat - it doesn't matter what your belief is, nor does it matter at this point what may or may not have happened in the past to gain freedom from an oppressor. The fact of the matter is that these are people in need. Now, if we look at the New Testament what do we see? Why, we see Jesus not only talking to sinners, but ministering to them as well. How can this be? What is Jesus - the Son of God - doing in amongst those who are doomed to Hell?? He's healing them, He's counseling them, He's providing for their needs. Why is He doing that?? Because they need it!! Yes, many of them became His followers however, many did not yet He still provided for them. The feeding of the 5,000 (which was actually probably more when we count the women and children as well). Do you really think that every single one there became His follower? Probably not. Yet He still provided for them. My point is this Pat - if Jesus gove food to only those who were His people, or who became His people then that account would have had a completely different ending to it. Perhaps it would have been the feeding of the 2,734 and the starvation of 2,266? The point is - in a situation such as this we don't withold aid to someone because of who they are, what they've done, or what their ancestors have done. Besides - think carefully - What Would Jesus Do?





And now Limbaugh. Let's just leave it at this---------->you take your pudgy legs and haul your fat lazy butt onto a plane (coach) filled with aid workers and supplies in the cargo hold and go to Haiti. When you get there, roll yourself off the plane and then walk, yes walk (like most of the others who are VOLUNTEERING their time down there) to the nearest Aid station. Once there, see if you can find it in yourself to actually hand out water to the Haitian boy who's had to drink the dirty water from the street; or give some food to the Haitian girl who hasn't eaten anything for 3 days. Maybe give the Haitian man a pair of used shoes for his feet (doesn't matter if they're a perfect fit - as long as they go on his feet) so he can continue his search through the rubble and devastation without cutting up his feet looking for his family that was lost in the earthquake and he hasn't seen since it hit. Or maybe hold the flashlight for the nurse trying to set a broken arm in the dark because there's not electricity. Or maybe assist the doctor in the out-of-doors (because the hospital has collapsed) when they have to amputate a leg that got crushed. And at night, don't worry about giving up your bed for someone else because there aren't beds - but no worries, i'm sure they will have a mat for you next to the hundreds of others sleeping on the ground as well. You, RUSH LIMBAUGH, spend 24 hours there. NOT at a media camp, NOT at a government outpost - but i'm talking right in the thick of it all. In the middle of Port Au Prince at either a Red Cross aid station or one of the MANY MANY religious, humanitarian, or other aid stations that are face to face with these people day in and day out. JUST 24 hours - that's all - and then you can come home. After that - then let's talk and see how your tax dollars will be best put to use.





I really want to end this particular blog on a positive note. How can there be something positive in a country of devastation?? Well - as I said earlier in this blog - there are many governments really stepping up to the plate, as well as companies, individuals, and organizations. But I would be remiss if I didn't talk for a moment about the organizations that were already in Haiti doing a boatload of work that virtually go unseen. I'm talking about the Missions. There are dozens of different religious organizations who are already established down in Haiti and have experienced the brunt of the devastation for those who are in the Port Au Prince area. I, when I was down in Haiti, went with an organization called Partners With Haiti http://www.partnerswithhaiti.org/ who is still there, does a phenomenal work and has suffered greatly. I also know happen to know a couple who are missionaries with Berean Mission Alliance www.olssonsinhaiti.org who also do incredible work down there and are right in the midst of the devastation. The Red Cross does a great job but if anyone is looking for another venue to support and help then check out either of these websites. There's information there on how to help out. Also, I encourage you to check out your local church, synagogue, or organization you may belong to. They will definitely have information on how you can get involved as well. There is much to do and every little bit helps! I want to finishi tonight's blog with this true event that happened to a friend of the missionaries I know down in Haiti - this is an excerpt from their recent email:

"....emotionally it's a roller coaster. One man lost hisbrother and can't find his mother, one person lost his whole family, and awoman lost her foot and her husband his arm - they were evacuated fortreatment. The pain is real and is hard to deal with. One story has both -on Thursday we saw a friend we've known for a long time who sells paintings,walking up our street very distraught telling us he'd lost both is wife andyoung daughter - we were stunned and it tore our hearts. The earthquake wasTuesday afternoon and on Thursday afternoon he's telling us this. Fridayafternoon he came again saying he was standing in the middle of a street ingrief, and heard a female voice say 'Josue.....Josue,' and as he turned hesaw his wife and daughter. He said he fell on his knees hugging her feetpraising God - can you imagine his emotions?? Wow - praise God."



Yes friends, there is a Light in the darkness!