I know we’ve spoken about Haiti a lot. And I know I already used the “Love your neighbor” part. But I wanted us to take one more look at a different part of the story.
“He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.'”
– Luke 10:34-35
God has been pursuing my heart with this passage for quite a while now and here is what I have learned. We don’t just need to give while the disaster is on the news. Haiti is going to be in desperate need for a long time. A tragedy like this can cripple this country and its people. There will be people hungry and without homes long after this has faded back to its regular place in the news behind the celebrity watching and sports highlights. Rebuilding lives takes time. But most of us will text in our donation to the Red Cross and go on about our lives. That is not a condemnation of you. It’s just how our society works. It’s how I work. My heart is stirred for a moment and on my good days, I act in that moment. But then I am re-consumed with my own life, my own needs, my own problems.
The Samaritan in the story provides for the future. He took the man somewhere he could be cared for. And then provided enough money to ensure that care. With a promise he would return with more if needed.
I hope these are the kind of investments we can make in Haiti. An investment that says, “I see your hurt on the TV and I am giving to help. But my heart is now connected to yours. I will continue to provide for you. I will invest in your hope and your future. You are a child of my Father and I will not abandon my brother to hopelessness.”
As always, World Vision is one way you can do this. You can make a commitment to give and to keep giving to the relief effort. You can sponsor a child in Haiti and invest in their future that way. Some of us who gave in the moment may need to commit that $10 every month for the next year, or two years. Give wherever you are comfortable: World Vision, Compassion, the Red Cross, Unicef. Just give. We need to place things in our lives like alarm clocks that will remind us days and weeks down the road that the people in Haiti still need us. There are many ways God will call us to love our neighbor and keep loving them. I look forward to hearing your stories of how He loves through you.
Todd
I’m not sure people can truly understand the desperation of this country even before the earthquake. I’ve been there a few times, and I still couldn’t quite grasp it. This is a country where they stave off hunger by eating cakes made from oil and dirt. Children were sleeping in the streets long before the earthquake. I could not imagine things could possibly be worse there, but now, the devastation is just beyond my comprehension. My heart breaks for Haiti. But I know that God is moving there, so I am also hopeful.
I know times are hard now and people find it difficult to give any more than they already do. When faced with such disaster we can feel so small and helpless. But yes, sponsoring a child really can change a life, and it costs so little. I sponsor a little Haitian boy named TiPaul. I think he changed my life more than I changed his. Sponsoring a child is a way to continue to help the country, when it is no longer the big news of the day.
You make a good point Todd; we mustn’t forget Haiti once the media moves elsewhere. Yeah Mo, we feel like the little bit we’re able to do could never possibly make a dent in the need. The wonderful thing about sponsoring a child (I don’t have one in Haiti, not yet anyway) is that it’s relational along with being financial.
Something I’ve thought about since the earthquake hit Haiti, and the destruction it wrought, is that the book of Revelation speaks of an earthquake that’s coming, the likes of which the earth has not seen; “the cities of the nations collapsed”. Not just one region, but world wide. Haiti gives us a tiny picture of what that might look like. Yes, let’s remember Haiti, and let’s hold onto our great God.
Is it possible that MicroLoans through World Vision are in Haiti as well? Those can be a way to give that perpetuates itself and continues to help as the receiver pays back into the funds and the money goes out into another microloan. Just a thought.
Lord, break my heart with the things that break the heart of God.
I have been sharing this message with many people lately. I am so concerned with the apathy I am seeing concerning Haiti with the people I know to be giving members of the church. My heart is hurting for these people!! I tried to sponsor a child from Haiti/ World Vision, but I was directed to other children. The child I sponsored in Zambia moved out of the area and I was notified that I could choose where I wanted to sponsor another. I was hoping Haiti, but I am wondering if World Vision just does not know where all the children are at this time?? Thank you for continuing to be a voice to spread the word that we all need to hear! Volunteering Feb 12th at a World Vision event in Birmingham.. my first time to volunteer in this capacity and I can’t wait!!
I still haven’t heard about the child I sponsor in Haiti. But she lives on the other side of Haiti so I’m hoping she’s ok. But I wonder if the devastation there will still affect the other regions. I for one will not forget and will support them monetarily and whatever way I can. It just breaks my heart. But it is so like us here in the US to forget all those that are suffering around us, after the newness wears off. We have to remember to remember.