When the earth shakes….

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way Ps 46:2

When tragedy strikes the first thought of caring people is; “How can I help?” The first act of help is often a prayer: “Lord help them, be not far from them, Lord help me to help them somehow someway.”

The world has responded in remarkable fashion, despite the challenges we all face, when trouble strikes others, our woes, and our problems take a back seat to their critical needs. We gladly set self aside to support those struggling with such travesty.

When the earth shakes, we take note. When people are killed, injured or in trouble we take action.

Haiti has suffered untold challenges and sorrows:

·        2008 four separate hurricanes Fay, Gustav, Hanna and Ike, claimed more than 800 lives.
·        In 2007 the deadliest maritime accident in Haiti's history took place. 160 people packed on a 25-foot sloop in stormy weather were tossed into shark infested waters off the Turks and Caicos.
·        In 2004 Tropical storm Jeanne deluged the tiny Caribbean country with flooding and landslides.  When the skies had cleared, the bodies of 2,500 people lay beneath the rubble. Thousands more were homeless.
·        1998 Hurricane George and  Hurricane Gordon 1994 killed 1400 Haitians,
·        1963 Flora was the 6th most deadly hurricane ever and took the lives of 8,000 Haitian countrymen and women.

It seems so wrong that they should suffer so much, being so poor and in need, having suffered so much in the past at the hand of nature and man alike. Life is not fair but hope and trust in God helps us make it through.

Haitians are still a people of courage and hope. As Canada's Haitian-born Governor-General Michaëlle Jean said last week: “Now more than ever, it is time for us to show our solidarity with the most vulnerable people in the Americas, our brothers and sisters in Haiti, whose courage is once again being so harshly tested."

There are many aid/development agencies capable of responding. Here are three web sites for you to consider in addition to others you may already be supporting:

Adventist Development and Relief Agency: http://www.adra.org/site/PageServer
Catholic Relief Services: http://crs.org/
Doctor’s without Boarders: http://doctorswithoutborders.org/
 
SMMC has made available payroll deduction and contributions through the SMMC Foundation and has also offered a $5,000 matching gift to ADRA, The Adventist Development and Relief Agency which has been working in Haiti for the past 30 years. The ADRA Adventist hospital is one of the few still standing in Port-au-Prince.
 
Let us join our hearts together in prayer for our brothers and sisters of Haiti.
 
Much more than medicine indeed!

Peter

Peter Bath, D.Min.
V.P Spiritual Wellness & Human Development
Shawnee Mission Medical Center