... this was posted:
The Morning After - Earthquake Haiti 2010
The sun is about to come up. The aftershocks continue. Some more noticeable than others. There is no way to even begin to share the things we’ve heard and seen since 5pm yesterday. To do so would take hours that we don’t have to give right now. Some of them feel wrong to share - Like only God should know these personal horrible tragedies.
The few things we can confirm – yes the four story Caribbean Market building is completely demolished. Yes it was open. Yes the National Palace collapsed. Yes government buildings nearby the Palace collapsed. Yes St. Josephs Boys home is completely collapsed. Yes countless countless - countless other houses, churches, hospitals, schools, and businesses have collapsed. There are buildings that suffered almost no damage. Right next door will be a pile of rubble.
Thousands of people are currently trapped. To guess at a number would be like guessing at raindrops in the ocean. Precious lives hang in the balance. When pulled from the rubble there is no place to take them for care Haiti has an almost non existent medical care system for her people.
I cannot imagine what the next few weeks and months will be like. I am afraid for everyone. Never in my life have I seen people stronger than Haitian people. But I am afraid for them. For us.
When the quake hit it took many seconds to even process what was happening. The house was rocking back and forth in a way that I cannot even begin to describe. It felt fake. It felt like a movie. Things were crashing down all over the house. It felt like the world was ending. I do not know why my house stands and my children all lie sleeping in their beds right now. It defies logic that my babies were spared while thousands of others were not.
There are friends and co-workers that are missing. People whom no-one can account for. People we work with and love. There are more than I can name, but in particular we wait on one single friend who lived near the Hotel Montana – which has reportedly collapsed.
The horror has only just begun and I beg you to get on your knees – I truly mean ON YOUR KNEES and pray for the people of this country. The news might forget in a few days - but people will still be trapped alive and people will still be suffering. Pray. Pray. Pray. After that - PLEASE PRAY.
Tara for all of us
~~~~~~~~~~~
The request for prayers for the Haitian people is still urgent - five months later.
![Livesay [Haiti] Weblog](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WImkelA85fQ/T774B_tbjMI/AAAAAAAANjM/Zup5rYTxdWs/s810/blog%2Bheader%2BTRL2011-07-07_%2B%25281%2529.jpeg)
Better to love God and die unknown than to love the world and be a hero; better to be content with poverty than to die a slave to wealth; better to have taken some risks and lost than to have done nothing and succeeded at it. -erwin lutzer
5 comments:
Know that our family is still praying for your family and for the Haitian people. My heart is still broken for them. Every day. And I still thank you for sharing your lives with us. Thank you. Thank you!
Lindsay Rossetti
And we are still praying. Thank you though for the reminder.
Thank you for continuing to remind us to keep Haitian families in our prayers and for opening a window on their world and yours.
I have a question for you: I've been contemplating for some time now the possibility of taking a short-term (at this point in my life, I'd be limited to a week) mission with a group (but traveling by myself) to Haiti. However, I have some apprehension given that I have two children under the age of 6 at home. As I've begun to broach the subject with family, the reaction has been supportive, but usually followed by the recommendation to wait until my children are older. After all, "there will always be opportunities," they say. My heart says "go soon," but I'm struggling anyway. What words of advice or insight could you provide me, given your own family's experience in Haiti? L)
Hi Courtney -
I understand your apprehension. I really do. I fight with fear often.
I guess the bottom line is this question -- Do you feel a strong pull to go now? Do you feel it so strongly that you would call it a Holy Spirit prompting - if so -- I think you've got to ignore people who prefer you stay safe and put it off. If you have prayed about it and have the support of your husband and feel the pull to go now - I don't think waiting for approval from others is required. Truthfully, there is risk in stepping out your front door each morning and while going to Haiti might be a bit riskier it does not discount the fact that God could be asking you to go now.
Thank you for your honesty, Tara, and for taking the time to respond to me.
I was feeling good about all of this ... and then I read an essay today that discouraged visitors from coming to Haiti for such short-term assignments. While she acknowledged that the intentions were noble in these short trips, the author (who shall remain nameless) said we should examine our motivations first -- that these "mini missions" needed to be about the Haitian people, not us. And she questioned whether a visitor for a week or two weeks was really going to make an impact (or whether a short-termer would just deplete already strained resources for the sake of curiosity or our need to feel as if we've done something).
I get it. This is not the time to tour a country only to satisfy some inner need. This is not the time for voyeurism. Whether it's possible to make some tiny difference in seven days, I don't know. The essay made me think ... would I be a help or a hindrance in a week's time? Is a long-term mission the only way to show commitment and compassion? Or are those who can't dedicate the time better off just sending money? It seems like a cynical view, but I know she raises some valid points here ...
Post a Comment