Ohhh my heavy heart

For days now all I have been able to do is watch the news channels about Haiti. I have wanted to write a blog but each time I sat down to type I would just cry. My heart is so heavy for those people, that country and the relief workers. Maybe it's because I'm a mom and if I had lost all 5 of my children in an instant I too would be wailing in the streets. Or maybe it's because I'm human and this natural disaster touches a cord in each of us that only the Lord can do.

Why? Was of course my first question. But really there isn't an answer to this question. What I do know is this, it's not because that country was inherently evil as one very popular Religious speaker recently said.

During my many hours of TV viewing & web surfing I stumbled upon some staggering statistics about Haiti that just boggle my mind.

- population is almost 10 million
- 200,000 families are in need of shelter
- 80-90% of all buildings were destroyed during the quake, due to their concrete construction and the fact that there are no construction standards set up
- 80% of the population is Roman Catholic and 16% Protestant
- It is estimated that roughly half the population practice voodoo on a regular basis
- Most Haitians live on just $2.00 a day, which means 80% of the population lives below the poverty line.
- Haiti has no military forces IE...ARMY, NAVY etc. They do have a small Coast Guard
- They do have roughly 10,000 police officers, whom have also lost families and homes And now must try to keep peace when many criminals are now roaming the streets again.
- Before the earthquake there were an estimated 400,000 orphans living in Haiti - who knows what that number will rise to now
- 38% of the population is comprised of children under the age of 14

These stats are overwhelming to me. Some of them, especially when it comes to the children are almost too much to even type. When I watched a story about these orphans the other night I just cried & cried. Bill held me and we prayed for those little ones.

Some of us will never face a disaster like that and for that I am thankful. But that doesn't mean we are exempt from it. These people, this country, the aid workers/volunteers need our prayers more than ever.

Please join with me in praying for this country & if possible making a donation to Red Cross, World Concern, Compassion International or any other relief network of your choice.

Pray for:

The people left homeless & without food
That food & shelter supplies arrive swiftly & are handed out smoothly
The orphans who are left to fend for themselves
That the volunteers/relief workers would have strength and not become weary
That disease & sickness do not spread as the conditions there worsen
Civil UN-rest does not rise up & take over
Most importantly that these people come to know the one and true God who loves them. When disasters come it is often when people come to know the Lord, their hearts are open, please pray the Haitian peoples hearts would be open to the gospel.