It's me again, Abby. There's something on my heart that I have to tell you about. I have now seen too many photos and heard too many stories of people stranded on roofs, among bodies of dead and drowned babies, to not spread the word and maintain good conscience.
As some of you may know, I am fortunate enough to work at Feed My Starving Children, a Christian non-profit dedicated to "Feeding God's children, hungry in body and spirit". Basically, volunteers pack food specifically engineered for severely malnourished children and our mission partners send it around the world. My job is to build a relationship with each person or organization who sends us a food request, and then make it a reality by facilitating the shipping logistics and outbound processes. Whew! So, as you might imagine, the stuff I mentioned above is in front of my face everyday. But, that doesn't mean that this message is any less important for you. God has called all of us to look after the poor in some shape or form.Jeremiah 22:16 explains, "He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?" declares the LORD, and
Proverbs 29:7 says, "The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern." It was at the heart of His ministry while on earth to care for the poor. You've all heard it before...BUT FOR REAL...WE are now His hands and feet.
Hopefully by now, amidst all the political media and attention on our upcoming elections, you have heard about the recent hurricane devastation in the Caribbean. In less than one month, Hurricane Gustav, Hanna, and Ike have all made their mark on Haiti and now Cuba. Now for months ahead, they will try to rebuild the little they had in the first place. Those who were living to survive now remain waiting for death as they are without crops for food and cannot even by reached as roads and bridges have washed away.
Feed My Starving Children has now received food requests totaling over 4 million meals to help with emergency relief. Our capable mission partners have the ability to reach people. One story I heard today from our partner, Missionary Flights International, brought hope:
They were notified of a village very near Gonaives, where mudslides have swept away many villages in their entirety. The only bridge that connects this village to any source of help was destroyed-their crops and livestock gone-and all UN teams committed elsewhere. The whole village, elders, men, women, and children had not eaten anything since Monday (4 days ago). MFI immediately prepared their plane to transport one pallet (7,128 meals) of FMSC food, and noted, "By 1 o'clock today, that village will have had their first meal in four days."
Check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iD1wbm5yvMQ for the video of this delivery!
Amen! From hunger to hope.
I pray that it is not only sadness that grips you, but even more, I hope that you are encouraged by the possibilities of restoration in this devastated country. Mostly, this is a call for all of us to acknowledge the existence of those outside of our realm, a.k.a. "bubble"; to feel things we are not comfortable feeling. I'm asking you to give them more than a thought, but a genuine prayer. Beyond that, to find out what YOU can do with your set of strengths and resources. I would love for us all to experience God's heart for his Haitian children. Oh, how He loves them!
First and foremost, PRAY. Only God can truly restore Haiti from the inside out. Not only will there always be the poor, but also long suffering. Beyond the physical needs of any human being, our spirit must connect with the one and only Holy Spirit who lives inside of us in order to find hope in this life. The majority of Haiti is spiritually dark. Let us pray that the mighty hand of God will move in an undeniable way, that they might come to know Him! Let us also pray for His mercy as He is an all-powerful God.
Also, GIVE. Spread the word. Tithe. Share your wealth. Live as though you see the poor.
Thanks for listening. I know the burden is not the same for everyone and we're all "serving" the Lord in different ways. If nothing else, you know more of my heart for God's children. If something more, then glory to God.
Resources/Opportunities:
As many of you know, David and I got a chance to go to Haiti through Love A Child this past spring. Because they live and do ministry in Haiti, if you are interested in a closer look at the hurricane devastation, Sherry writes a daily journal that can be found on the Love A Child website, http://www.blogger.com/www.loveachild.com. I will warn that some of the pictures within her entries from September 8, 9, and 10th are really difficult to see. It will give you plenty of warning before you scroll down the page if you would choose to not look at them.
Lastly, if you would like to donate to FMSC to help us respond to emergency food requests, there are two ways to do so. First, donate money. The funds to pay for the raw ingredients must come alongside the number of volunteers needed to pack the food for us to pull it off. The second way to help is to volunteer your time. You can donate online and sign up to pack at http://www.blogger.com/www.fmsc.org.
Much Love,
Abby
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