Thoughts on Haiti and the Church

Whenever a serious world-shaking event occurs, everyone remembers what they were doing and/or thinking about when they first heard the news.

When I heard about the disastrous earthquake in Haiti, I was walking through Wal-Mart, thumbing through some Twitter updates on my iPhone. I was thinking about how 22,000 college students managed to raise over 1.4 million dollars to support various causes around the world (you can find out more information about that here), when I noticed a tweet from someone about an earthquake in Haiti. The wonders that are iPhones and the internet allowed to immediately look up some information on the earthquake, and I quickly discovered the horrific nature of the situation. Thousands were thought to be dead. Destruction everywhere.

I froze where I was. In the middle of Wal-Mart, I stopped and prayed. I prayed that God would be glorified even through such times as this.

Its times like this where the church can do its duty and the whole world sees it impact. One of the most touching things about the aftermath of the earthquake is the reports coming out of Haiti that talk about people in churches all over Haiti lifting up the name of Jesus and singing to Him all of the praise, despite everything that they are going through.

Wow. Isn't that awesome? Isn't that an awesome example of the Church? Of the Body of Christ?

One of the things that God calls us to do as members of the Body is to serve the needy and poor. Haiti is a country that was already in desperate need before this disaster, and now that need has been amplified by many orders of magnitude.

As you read this post, or as you read and hear the news reports flooding in from Haiti, you may be thinking "How could I, one person, have any kind of impact on what's going on out there?"

The answer is quite simple actually. Someone once scoffed at Mother Theresa's charity and service to the needy, calling her help just a "drop in the bucket" compared to the needs of billions of people around the world. Her response was simple, but powerful: "An ocean is made of many drops".

If many people give a little, then our combined effort is great. Just 2 weeks ago, 22,000 students raised 1.4 million (784,000 donated by students, 668,000 was donated by a family as a response to the giving of the students). That's roughly only $60 per person. Wow.

Many people raised over $5 million for the Red Cross by texting "Haiti" to 90999, donating $10 per text. Again, these are small ways in which you, a single person, can help in a big way.

Never underestimate the power of a single individual. Just remember: an ocean is made of many drops.

I am proud to be a drop in the bucket.

Ways in which you can help:
Texting "Haiti" (without quotes) to 90999 to donate $10 to the Red Cross.
Clicking here (iTunes link) to donate to the Red Cross through iTunes.
Donating to various other ministries and assistance organizations such as HOPE International, World Vision, and Compassion International.
Last, but certainly not least: Pray (1 Thes 5:16-18)

“All this said David: the LORD made me understand in writing by His hand upon me, all the details of this pattern. Then David said to his son Solomon, Be strong and courageous, and act; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you until all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is finished.” 1 Chronicles 28:19-20"