One Month...

Tomorrow marks the date one month from the earthquake that shook the ground violently enough it was heard 'round the world. One month ago Haiti was changed forever. People stood up and took notice of a third world country that needed their support. Their prayers. Their love. I have mixed emotions thinking of what has transpired over the last thirty days.

I still miss my Haitian friends and think of them everyday. Wondering what they are doing, how they are helping others, how they are rebuilding. I want to still be there to help. My heart breaks even for those that I don't know. Yes, it's finally happened. The media coverage has dwindled and most people are getting back to life as usual.

But the tragedy continues everyday.

People are still dying from the lack of medical care. The immediate recovery efforts were rescuing those still alive, burying the dead that were everywhere. Mass graves. Those images will live in my mind always. Not as vividly as some, but they are there.

The tragedy continues everyday....

As the rubble is being cleared away, people are salvaging materials to be recycled such as rebar for construction, bricks and blocks that are still in one piece. These things can be used to rebuild their houses and orphanages.

Along with the rubble that is cleared, more bodies are surfacing. The people who were lost that could not be recovered. Could not be dug out. Their bodies have been crushed or just trapped and they may have slowly died. Some of these bodies aren't even recognizable. Who were they?

It upsets me to even say they are 'bodies'. Because they were somebody. They were important. They were brothers, fathers, sons..... mothers, sisters, daughters. They were important to God.

The tragedy continues everyday....

And it somehow aggravates me that people didn't take notice of Haiti BEFORE the earthquake. Haiti needed love, support and prayers before they were shaken. There were already THOUSANDS of orphans in Haiti. Why did it take a natural disaster and the death of over 200,000 people for nations to stand up and take notice of this country?

This country where children starve to death everyday. Where they are abandoned by their families, abused, sold.

This country where people hope to have a meal....tomorrow. Because today it may not be possible.

Perhaps tomorrow someone will show mercy, someone will sponsor their child to go to school so they can be fed and educated.

Perhaps tomorrow someone will provide them with clean water so they aren't subjected to drinking, bathing and doing their laundry all in the same river

Perhaps tomorrow it won't take a natural disaster to stir our hearts to help our neighbors.

In my daily devotional on the day after the earthquake, January 13th, the title was "If You're Breathing, Praise the Lord!". Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord, Psalm 150:6 The story was of a family marveling at the wonders around them proclaiming, "How can people NOT believe? How can they deny the awesomeness of God's creation?" The amazing part and the joyous part of the whole disaster is knowing that God's people were still praising Him less than 24 hours after they lost everything. They lost their homes, their possessions, their children. Yet they continue to praise the Lord!

My devotional for tomorrow, February 12th, one month after the disaster is "The Openness of a Child". Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein. Luke 18:17 Children who see a Christian in a place of service look up to them and trust them to be what they claim. Children are very impressionable at a young age. We must be careful what we say to children, and our words must match our actions. Father, help me match what I say with what I do, and place my faith in You as would a little child.

Make your actions match your words. If the disaster was what it took to open your eyes to the plight of orphans then so be it. Go, Seek, LOVE. But please remember this is nothing new. There were children (over 147 MILLION of them), and people in need of your love more than 30 days ago. They're still there today, and they'll need you tomorrow. And they don't just live in Haiti.