Giving Hope to Haiti

There are no doubts about it. What Jesus said is true. "The poor will always be among you." I'm not sure why, either. I've always wondered why there can be those that are so rich and those that are so poor. It's never made logical sense to me and a part of me wants desperately to change the world. But the next thought that follows is so predictable:

I'm only one person. I can't change the world.

Perhaps. But I know of One who did change the world. I know One who's still changing the world. He does it in the most peculiar way, too... with us. It doesn't take much to change a life. The thought that you have to take on the world to make a difference is a lie. It comes from a liar who would have people sit comfortably, thanklessly in their "self-made" lives, believing they can do nothing and that that excuses them from responsibility.

Why is it that the heart cries out in compassion on behalf of these people, before we have a chance to silence it with our "logic?" With the logic of disconnection. We live in the world of instant news, instant conversation, instant information and yet, we pretend not to see pain and hurt. We're desensitized to it.

If you've been watching the news at all, anywhere, you know of the situation in Haiti. I can tell you as a civil engineer what a terrible situation it is. It actually does seem hopeless. My physical mind reels at the thought of how much time, work and money it will take to make that area livable again.

And yet, do you know where I see Jesus most often? Dealing in the business of the hopeless. Reaching out to those with no one else and nothing else to support them any longer. My God is in the business of taking a hopeless situation (sin) and turning it into something beautiful (a death that paid the price). It may not seem beautiful on the outside, but to those who would take a closer look, from death comes life. From the hopeless, comes hope. From destruction, comes restoration.

You may not have much, and neither do I, but you know that tug on your heart. It's there for a purpose. And I can assure you, when you give sacrificially, with a joyful heart, the joy that comes back to you is tenfold. I often think that giving is so much more rewarding than receiving. So now, I challenge you. Will you hush that tug on your heart with logic? Will you reason away your desire to change the world? You may not change THE world, but I bet you can change A world.

So here's the challenge. Money Saving Mom is doing something:

For every person who blogs about what you specifically did to help those in Haiti and leaves your link below by January 21, 2010, my husband and I will personally donate $10 to Compassion's outreach in Haiti.

If you don't have a blog, you can leave a comment on this post or email me with details on what you specifically did to help. For every person who comments or emails telling me what they did to help, my husband and I will donate $0.30 to Numana to provide one meal for a starving person.

Will you join in? Will you be one more drop in the bucket, filled with the water of life? If so, head over to Money Saving Mom and link up what you plan to do/are doing to be the water of life. While you're at it, link up here on this blog too, because I pledge to donate $0.25 for every person that links up here or leaves a comment as well.

Here are three safe ways to give, if you can:

https://www.compassion.com/contribution/giving/disasterrelief.htm?referer=105120SocialSponsorshipBlitz

http://www.numanainc.com/donate.cfm

https://american.redcross.org/site/Donation2?4306.donation=form1&idb=428732091&df_id=4306&JServSessionIdr004=yxa9a0v901.app194a&NoJSReload=1

So tell us, and link up below, what you plan to do to change A life!