my heart is with haiti right now
article by world news:
"Distraught, covered in dust and desperate, the people of Haiti appear barely able to comprehend the tragedy that has overtaken them. Many spent the desolate hours after the earthquake milling around in the streets or constructing the most rudimentary of shelters where they could cower for the night. The quake itself measured 7.0 on the Richter scale- but some of the 30 aftershocks were almost as strong, leaving the shanty-towns of Port-au-Prince echoing with the heartrending sound of screams and sobs. Some clustered together for comfort. Others lay prostrate in the street, unable to pick themselves up. It is still difficult to assess the sheer scale of the devastation. When the earthquake came, buildings crumpled like paper and whole towns were swept down hillsides. The wretchedly poor country of Haiti simply cannot afford to construct robust buildings to withstand such natural disasters - which is why the death toll is likely to number tens of thousands."
Since this article was written, death tolls have actually reached 150,000 within the capital alone.
I've watched videos and read articles, but I really cannot even begin to fully understand the devastation this has caused.
Because this nation is so poor, the damage is so much worse; as medical care, infrastructure and proper resources are lacking.
In a small way, this event takes my mind back to a time when I was teaching school in Tonga.
Days after I had arrived on the island, we experienced an earthquake and then a tsunami warning.
Luckily, the tsunami never came and the earthquake did not result in major damage, but I will never forget the way I felt at the time. I had no way of reaching my parents or family, and really, we had no where to go. The island is flat and tiny, and basically everything would have been quickly demolished had an actual tsunami hit. Furthermore, had the earthquake caused injury, there would not have been proper medical relief or resources to deal with the effects.
I remember many prayers by many people on that island taking place at the time. It was scary and Tonga was blessed to not have experienced anything near the Haiti devastation.
Our church leaders recently issued a statement pleading for increased donations to our Church Humanitarian Services as well as prayers for a spirit of calm and peace over a people who are "frightened, bewildered and wholly uncertain about their future."
I'm sure a lot of us wish we could hop on a plane and help with relief efforts, but at least we know we can donate to an organization whose efforts are in-tune and effective. So far, the church has already delivered hundreds of thousands of pounds of relief supplies including food, medical supplies, tents, water filtration systems and more. Multiple teams of doctors have also been sent by the church and are working as we speak. Additional flights are set to leave this weekend and plans are being made for even more supplies to be sent. If you can, I would encourage you to donate as well as pray for these people.
To read more on the statement click here
To read more on our church's current relief efforts in Haiti click here
To donate directly to the church's Humanitarian Services Emergency Response click here
I have been lucky enough to visit multiple countries and in some cases work directly with the church's humanitarian efforts in those countries. Simply put, each time I have done this, I have been amazed and humbled by the far-reaching efforts of our church and its people.
