19 January 2010

Not back to normal

We had dinner at my parent's tonight. I thought about children with no food, incomplete families in mourning, people without shelter. I just do not understand going about business as normal right now. Seriously. If you are someone who has managed to be largely unaffected by this crisis in Haiti, can you please tell me how you've managed that?



In the meantime I want to share some links I've encountered and I'm going to apologize to the Deputy Headmistress for largely plagiarizing her post. Go there if you want to see the links with her eloquent verbage.



First, a blog by a Global Ministries (Disciples of Christ-related) missionaries.



Blog entries from a World Vision employee on the ground.



More info from The Haiti Rescue Center.



A story on Haiti rescues, including the rescue of a three-year old boy.



A missionary family living and serving in Haiti whose home has become a hospital.



A blog by a nutritionist who works with a foundation promoting health in Haiti.

2 comments:

Lil said...

Apey,
I love you. This is not the first major crisis like this and it will not be the last. Do all you can to help, pray hard, grieve, and be OK. I love you - Lil.

Holly said...

April, this IS probably the largest, cataclysmic disaster in our lifetimes. I've been thinking...Sudan, Rwanda, Burma...most of them came on gradually and lasted a long time. They were SEVERE tragedies (and, still are.) But this is an enormous tragedy dog-piled upon centuries of disaster and dictatorships....it is really unfathomable.

I...am at the point of grieving that I haven't been more affected by tragedies in the past. It's been to easy to insulate myself.

This is a game changer. But you know, I really DO think this is what God wants to do in our hearts. I think He wants us to change, to be affected, to hurt, to grieve, to change our lives to give to others. If He changes us, the world feels His love through us and our outpouring - rather than feeling the judgement and heavy hand of God. How we respond as a majority is how they will be inclined to view God.

I think that we are supposed to think of those who are wounded and hungry and alone - every day as we go about our lives. We are supposed to think before we buy, to structure our lives around how we can make their lives better. That doesn't mean we aren't to be thankful, and joyful (even though I am so sad it is hard to be joyful...rather, I am hopeful...)but just that we are not to be self-absorbed.

I am praying that God grips our hearts, presses them alive with love and compassion - and that all of His people who are called by His name would come together and not be divided by silly,petty squabbles. I pray that we would really and truly grasp that WE are His hands and feet and that this is how we serve Him.

Thank you for the links.