Helping Haiti

I have never been much of a news reader/watcher and being in Honduras has made me even less aware of the happenings in the world. Allan sent me a email on Wednesday of a news article about Google. I tried to open up the link from nytimes.com, but it was luckily it was unsuccessful…and instead took me to the nytimes homepage revealing the sadness, destruction, chaos that has occurred in Haiti. I was amazed. I honestly do not know if I have ever seen pictures such as the ones I have been seeing since Wednesday. Honduran newspapers are not afraid to publish gory, bloody pictures (and maybe they are publishing these in the USA papers too, I don’t know!) and these pictures have continued to astonish me. I immediately wanted to do something to help these people. I just cannot imagine everything I know being taken from me, my family killed/injured, my home demolished, my city streets un-walkable, the hospital ruined, no power, no water….and the list continues. and I certainly cannot imagine a city/town having to recover from destruction like that, or the disease that is going to follow such a terrible disaster. I tried to imagine if something like that happened in Copan, what would the people do? It breaks my heart to think that the people in Haiti are similar to the people in Copan in terms of wealth, and just the devastation and long, long road that is ahead of them. I have questioned the Lord a lot this week on why this happened to Haiti? One of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. They already had SO little…and why this now? It just doesn’t make sense. But today, I was journaling and the Lord just reminded me that He is exactly that…the Lord. and He is in control. He knows those people. He feels for those people. He loves those people so incredibly much.

I am praying for Haiti. It doesn’t seem like much to do, when so much physical help is needed. I wanted to leave Copan and go and help, but then I realized that I cannot do that. The Lord has me here, but I can help from here. My class and I have talked everyday about Haiti and the earthquake there. My students and I started a “Helping Haiti” fund, and the kids are giving me their left over lunch money so I can donate it to the RedCross or some other organization that has people on the ground helping those people. I have been so proud of my students and their willingness to give.

I also read in the paper this morning about all of the countries that have joined together to help Haiti. It does excite me to see some many countries, so many different cultures, so many different languages coming together to help the poor and needy. I love that people can unite.  I am praying for the doctors, for the doctors families, for the nurses, firemen, people in the government, and the other mounds of people that are there helping. Most of all, I am praying that the Lord shines through this disaster and people come to know Him through it. Pray with me.

Isaiah 61:4     “They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks (people), foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers (doctors and nurses, etc.!)…therefore in their land, they shall possess a double portion, they shall have everlasting joy! For I the Lord love justice…I will faithfully give them their recompense, and will make an everlasting covenant with them".”