Okay. So let’s not talk about how frivolous my last post was detailing my internet woes.
Yesterday morning I went over to my sister’s house to spend a few hours with my sweet little nephew while she went to the doctor’s office to get antibiotics for a sinus infection because being the mother of a newborn is very glamorous.
While she was gone, I watched all the news reports coming in from Haiti. The images and reports of devastation just broke my heart. Those of you who’ve been reading the blog over the last year or so may remember that I took a trip to the Dominican Republic with Compassion in November 2008.
During that trip we visited what’s known as a Batey community. These are communities in the Dominican Republic where Haitian refugees live. It’s a community where my Compassion child, Ana Angelica, lives.
And this sweet girl.
And these precious faces.
And I can’t help but think how the faces of the people suffering the after effects of the devastating earthquake in Haiti right now look just like these faces that I fell in love with that day in the Dominican Republic.
There are so many ways we can help right now. You can text “disaster” to 90999 to give $10 to Compassion’s disaster relief program. They will be working directly with the local churches who know where these families live and will provide immediate relief to them. You can also click HERE to donate.
If you’d prefer to give to the Red Cross, you can text “Haiti” to 90999 to donate $10 or go directly to the Red Cross website to make a donation.
Another option is to donate through Samaritan’s Purse.
The needs are so massive right now and every little bit helps.
“I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40
it’s devastating. just devastating and heartbreaking.
thank you for posting information on where to donate and how to help. let’s truly be the hands and feet…
xoxo,
erika
funfinns.com
Thanks for your post. It hits pretty close to home for you, after your trip to the DR, doesn’t it? Makes it that much more real…
You might also add that people can give to Mission Aviation Fellowship (www.maf.org) MAF has been serving in Haiti for many years and has always worked closely with the other relief organizations and NGOs in the country.
Such sweet little faces. Thank you for providing the links.
Heartbreaking! And yet on the news this morning, I heard Haitian children singing amid the crisis. Our neighbor college boy spent Christmas break working in Haiti…he just got back before this earthquake! This is an opportunity to show God’s love in a PRACTICAL way to so many who need it.
You can also donate to Missionary Flights International (based out of Florida) who is working with Samaritan’s Purse to fly relief supplies to Haiti. Haiti is their normal country of service, so this is just one more way they are helping. You can read more about it at my blog:
http://carriesbusynothings.blogspot.com/2010/01/pray-for-haiti.html
Even if you can’t donate – we all need to be praying hard! Thanks for the reminder.
The news coverage and pictures keep breaking my heart.
My sponsored child (through Compassion) is in Haiti. I can not stop praying for her and her family. She is such a precious girl. The day before the earthquake I had just sent her a letter and had just received an updated photo of her. I still hope to meet her one day.
The devastation there is so massive, it’s shocking. We know a church’s mission group there right now and thankfully got word they are ok, but so many are not.
My prayers and support are with them all.
-FringeGirl
Thank you for the quote, Melanie. Guess Pat Robertson missed that line.
Just a note to readers…be careful texting to donate. I read on twitter last night (from Twitter founder @ev) that there were texting scams popping up as a result of the Haiti tragedies.
Thoughts and prayers to so many who are experiencing something we could never imagine.
This tragedy is staying on my mind in a way that others have not. People can also donate online quickly and easily through Catholic Relief Services, http://www.crs.org, if they are looking for more options.
Thanks so much for posting. Please keep praying for these people. My friends parents are there now on a mission trip. Fortunately they were 200 miles from the earthquake center but the devestation there is great.
Your blogs from the DR trip helped to encourage my family to sponsor a child through Compassion. Our child, Sandrine, lives in the Petit Goave region of Haiti. We have been worried sick about her and her family. But maybe, if we all just combine our prayers and our money, we can make some good out of this terrible tragedy.
Our church is very active in missions with Haiti; I’m sure we’ll be taking up a special offering this weekend to send there and hopefully many other churches will be following suit. It’s devastating to see what’s happened there.
Thanks for this. I’ve given and posted the links on my itty bitty blog and on facebook. I have friends who returned from a mission trip to Haiti three days ago. They are heartbroken. People keep saying they “got out just in time” but they feel like they left too soon…
I wanted to add that the United Methodist Church has three relief workers in Haiti that they can not make contact with. You can also donate to UMCOR which is the relief committee for the United Methodist Church. The web site is: http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor/ 100% of your donation goes to the named project.
Our church’s children’s pastor and his family are there right now, and are safe, thank God. Their youngest son was born there and adopted into their family and they’re serving for 3 months with their 5 kids right now. There is no doubt in my mind that God was planning to have them there at this time to help.
Thanks for posting about ways to donate — so often people want to help but don’t know how.
Check out the Pioneer Woman’s blog….she
is pledging to give away 3 huge gifts to charities involved in Haiti.
Pam, South Bend
I went to Haiti in September 2003. I posted about it today. It was life changing. Thank you so much for posting on ways to help.
Doctors without borders is another great organization to donate money to. These docs & nurses offer their medical knowledge & training for free, but need the money for supplies,medicine, food, water, etc… The Pioneer Woman (Ree Drummond) is also having a giveaway on her site (pioneerwoman .com)in donating 2 $500.00 gift cards to the charity of the winners’ choice. She is also giving .10 cents for every person who enters the giveaway.Help in any way you can in this difficult economic time,even if it is only $1.00.
My mom’s group is going to be donating our monthly change to Haiti and some of the moms are matching the funds. I can’t imagine. Devastating.
Thanks, Big Mama – I will be donating. It the least we can do.
I just pray that the people of Haiti will receive healing relief and that faith and resilience will persist.
Thank you for the donating ideas!
Mindy
http://www.thesuburbanlife.com
we have a sweet girl with compassion in Haiti also.
please be praying for Baberthia and her family.
having faced the hurricane 15 months ago, it’s still fresh to us how life slows down to survival priorities when a disaster occurs.
we have so many blessings, and we thank all of you helping the haitians. just be sure of the organization to whom you donate.