What a week.
I started out by talking about the meaning of being needy, about the kind heart of my friend Matthew who is on his way to Uganda for a mission trip as we speak. I talked about how a tweet from a friend in Australia kept nagging at me: “The poor aren’t on earth for us to think, ‘Phew, how blessed am I that it’s not me.’”
And then I wrote this:
Ugh. Instead of making that statement, I should be asking a question. What am I doing about all those who aren’t me? Those who don’t have family and friends and disability payments. It’s not enough to be grateful and go about my business…
And then an earthquake hit Haiti. And reports are saying 100,000 people are most likely dead. That 3 million people are wounded and homeless. I watched CNN as they tried to free an 11 year old girl from the wreckage, debating whether or not they could get her out or if they had to cut off her leg. The people deciding this were not rescue workers… they were her neighbors, her family, her friends. They were strangers who were in the same desperate situation.
I listened to the President say in a press conference Thursday morning, “For the sake of our citizens who are in Haiti, for the sake of the Haitian people who have suffered so much, and for the sake of our common humanity, we stand in solidarity with our neighbors to the south, knowing that but for the grace of God, there we go.”
And again I found myself saying, “What am I doing about those who aren’t me?” Some are able to go and assist, some are able to give money, all of us are able to pray. Whatever you want to do, I just wanted to make sure you have the resources that will directly help those in need…
Texting “Haiti” to 90999 will allow you to donate $10 to the Red Cross.
Texting “Yele” to 501501 will donate $5 to the Yele Haiti Campaign.
Both text options will put the charge on your next phone bill.