Saturday, January 16, 2010

Haiti

I wish I could say that I know that everyone is heartbroken over what has happened in Haiti.
I wish I could say that everyone wants to be able to fix it, help, ease the pain.
I wish I could say that everyone is willing to go to any lengths to assist, to aid, to help, to heal.
But I've found out over the past couple of days that not everyone actually feels that way. That's a hard pill to swallow.
Some think the Haitians somehow brought this on themselves.
Some think our tax dollars shouldn't be spent on aiding the country, the people.
I'm thankful that there are people who see beyond the politics. I am thankful that there are organizations who are aided by government dollars and by private donations who are stepping up. I am thankful that there are individuals who have economic resources that are donating far more generously than I can.
I plan to donate things- I have sacks of little girl's clothing in Teagan's closet. A time will come when donations are needed as lives start to rebuild. I have excess in my home that someone else is now without. I'm content with waiting until my donation can be most helpful.
I pray. Often.
I've added a short list of bloggers I found that are in Haiti. Primarily US citizens who have given their lives to work in Haiti through ministry groups. I encourage you to visit their blogs and read their stories and to share words of encouragement with them. I've also added information about donating to an organization that I know gives all of your donation directly to those in need (donations don't go to administrative costs)- UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief)- and that offers donation opportunities (non-financial).
What breaks my heart... when I think of Haiti, I think of orphanages already caring for children beyond their capacity... I think of poverty beyond anything I can imagine... I think of the slum villages built onto mountainsides... and when I think of the earthquake... and I see the pictures of crumbled orphanages, a children's hospital that is just a pile of rubble, the bodies layering the streets... and I hear about front end loaders and dump trucks being used to move bodies... and I think of the families who can't find loved ones, haven't heard from children, husbands, mothers...
Politics and Image suddenly don't seem so important, suddenly aren't part of the equation.

13 comments:

Garret said...

It's very sad. Experts predicted it and say that the same will happen in LA within 30 years.

Momza said...

Thank you Liz. I've been reading some of the posted Haiti blogs and filled with compassion. Your efforts are much appreciated!!!

michelle said...

Thanks for the links. When I feel like I'm not doing enough, I remind myself that prayer truly counts as something...

babybeezymom said...

This situation is so scary. This could happen anywhere on earth. We all must find someway to help, and anyone can pray.

Alison said...

Thanks for posting this. I've been wanting to post something myself, but...I just don't even know what to say. The tragedy is truly unimaginable.

Deborah Stewart said...

It is just an overwhelming thing to view from such a distance. I think people can get complacent because they have seen so many pictures over the years of the hardships that are ever present in countries like Haiti. Then when a tragedy like this strikes, it doesn't really hit home as to how devastating this all is.

Unknown said...

I was just talking about this in Moms Group at church Friday. It saddens me to the core that some people just really don't care about this disaster because it didn't happen here. I too have heard most of the things you have, and it's sad. It's something I will never understand.

Claudya Martinez said...

This breaks my heart because it is about people, not politics.

Mellodee said...

Liz, I have posted today too about Haiti, inspired by your posting. Thank you!

Karen M. Peterson said...

I know what you mean, Liz. I have been shocked by some of the remarks this week that suggest that, somehow, the Haitians deserved this. Or, at the least, that they don't deserve our help. It's heartbreaking to know that anyone feels that way. If there was any way I could and anything I could do, I would be down there now. And it kills me to know that there are so many out there who don't feel that way.

I truly believe a time will come when a crisis happens here in our borders that we can't take care of ourselves. And I hope that when it happens, the world will remember that many of us have been generous and that they will reach out and help us when we need it.

Nancy C said...

Thank you for writing this. People forget that pain is pain. That is our call...to help when people are hurting. Period.

Seth M. Ward said...

Believe me when I say this. I wish that none of this or these things would or had happen to anyone anywhere....

I am just so tired of all the bad things happening.....

I am tired of God allowing so much pain to occur in our world.....

MK said...

Thank you for your touching post of the tragedy in Haiti and for putting our site on your list. We have been working in Haiti over 15 years and grieve that the injustices of this country were not being heard.

Today the cries are thunderous.

I just pray we don’t forget.

Again, thank you.
marcia erickson
providence ministries