So much to say, so little time..

I'm exhausted - must get to bed. Eventually. But my heart is heavy with the havoc that the rains from the hurricanes/tropical storms have wreaked on Haiti. I'm thankful that Gustav and Hanna have moved on (despite their paths beyond Haiti and the devastation elsewhere). But the loss left behind is weighing heavy on me. Our children's orphanage is doing fine -- as far as I know. They lost some of their supplies when the storage shed had water in it from Gustav. I pray that was the extent of their losses.

Many others were not as fortunate. Rice fields in the fertile region of the Haiti's countryside are flooded - leaving Haiti with an even shorter food supply that was already very lean - to put things nicely. People have lost their homes and all they had - which wasn't much to begin with by our American standards, swallowed up by previously-non-existent rivers, mud/rock slides, or heavy winds. People are stranded on their rooftops, hollering for help. People want to help, to rescue them, but they cannot be reached - whole cities being surrounded by vast seas of flood waters, leaving no way in or out. I can't even imagine the struggles that are occurring right now in Haiti. And this is not the end. More storms (Ike, Josephine, others?) could be taking the same path. They need our help. They need our prayers.

I was floored at an outpouring of support going on right now - this week - in our own community. I'm planning to go help. It's a small offer of support, but something I can easily give up just a couple of hours of my weekend. To help others. It's called "Meals from the Heartland", and follows the "Kids Against Hunger" campaign. It's been done in the past in our area, but I don't think to this caliber. Jock's busy Saturday, but I'm going to sign up for Kaylen and I to go help. They're taking hundreds of volunteers ages 5 and up to help package meals for two hours. Check it out here (and today's news story about it here), or search for a similar event in your area.

I know that these meal packets do get delivered to people in need. When I was in Haiti in Feb/Mar, I saw that our children's orphanage had received some of these meals. They had a few boxes remaining in their food storage area. It's awesome to see, first-hand, how these things make a difference in people's lives. Something that seems so small and inconsequential to us can make such a difference in someone else's life. Search out opportunities for you to use your time, talents, & resources for others. Maybe your only time, talent, or resource is to pray. That is very much in need too!