God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Psalm 46:1-3
For the past two days my mind and heart has been consumed with the Haiti people. Through our church, we have many connections to Haiti. The Resurrection Dance Theatre was here last year and those boys captured our hearts. The trials they face are unbearable, yet they continue to smile and be content with what has been dealt to them. Our Sunday School children sponsor a 6-year old orphan, Rosine Jsophe, through their offerings. Our Haiti mission team traveled there last year and were planning on going again on Jan 28th- that has obviously been postponed. Our dear Pastor Rhonda has so many connections with Haiti that in her own words she was "a mess" yesterday, and now this morning we tragically found out that one of the former interns from the UNL campus did not make it out alive. His wife and cousin survived and will hopefully be returning to the states today.
I have intentionally not turned on the TV coverage. I have learned from 911 and from other world events (remember the Tsumani and how Adrienne reacted to that) that a constant barrage of death and destruction that literally makes you feel that the situation is impossible, is not good for staying out of the pit of depression. Right now that nation needs us to pray. Only a miracle of God can fix it- there is no other way.
Tonight we will have a prayer vigil at our church. That is only the beginning. As many of you do, I feel that I need to do something- organize a concert, tie some fleece blankets, gather health supplies and soap. In time we will do all those things. Right now they need money. If you feel like you also need to do something to help the Haiti nation, I ask you to please be careful about making sure you give to reputable organizations. Our church has partnered with both the Haitian Timoun Foundation and Lutheran World Relief for a number of years. Both HTF and LWR are active reputable groups working in both short-term disaster response and long-term care of Haiti. Gifts can be given directly at www.lwr.org or www.htflive.org and 100% of donations to either organization are sent directly to Haiti.
Here is a pic of our beautiful orphan, Rosine. Hopefully, we will hear news soon that she is safe.
For the past two days my mind and heart has been consumed with the Haiti people. Through our church, we have many connections to Haiti. The Resurrection Dance Theatre was here last year and those boys captured our hearts. The trials they face are unbearable, yet they continue to smile and be content with what has been dealt to them. Our Sunday School children sponsor a 6-year old orphan, Rosine Jsophe, through their offerings. Our Haiti mission team traveled there last year and were planning on going again on Jan 28th- that has obviously been postponed. Our dear Pastor Rhonda has so many connections with Haiti that in her own words she was "a mess" yesterday, and now this morning we tragically found out that one of the former interns from the UNL campus did not make it out alive. His wife and cousin survived and will hopefully be returning to the states today.
I have intentionally not turned on the TV coverage. I have learned from 911 and from other world events (remember the Tsumani and how Adrienne reacted to that) that a constant barrage of death and destruction that literally makes you feel that the situation is impossible, is not good for staying out of the pit of depression. Right now that nation needs us to pray. Only a miracle of God can fix it- there is no other way.
Tonight we will have a prayer vigil at our church. That is only the beginning. As many of you do, I feel that I need to do something- organize a concert, tie some fleece blankets, gather health supplies and soap. In time we will do all those things. Right now they need money. If you feel like you also need to do something to help the Haiti nation, I ask you to please be careful about making sure you give to reputable organizations. Our church has partnered with both the Haitian Timoun Foundation and Lutheran World Relief for a number of years. Both HTF and LWR are active reputable groups working in both short-term disaster response and long-term care of Haiti. Gifts can be given directly at www.lwr.org or www.htflive.org and 100% of donations to either organization are sent directly to Haiti.
Here is a pic of our beautiful orphan, Rosine. Hopefully, we will hear news soon that she is safe.
No comments:
Post a Comment