Compassion in Catastrophe

The needs resulting from the recent catastrophic earthquake in Haiti are staggering. As we watch from the comfort of our homes, we do not have to feel helpless. If you would like to give and be assured your money is well spent, here is what your dollars can do through Compassion:

*$35 helps provide a relief pack filled with enough food and water to sustain a family for one week.
* $70 gift helps care for their needs for two weeks.
* $105 helps provide relief packs filled with enough food and water to sustain two families for two weeks.
* $210 gift helps care for two families' needs.
* $525 helps provide relief packs filled with enough food and water to sustain 10 families for two weeks.
* $1,050 gift helps care for 10 families' needs.
* $1,500 helps rebuild a home.
* $2,100 helps supply 20 families with the basics for three weeks.

Thirty five dollars? That is less than it costs for my family to eat one meal out at a restaurant. That's a pretty small sacrifice...even taking into account my poor cooking skills.

Thinking about the impact that we as Christians could have during this crisis, this song by David Crowder came to mind:

Surely We Can Change

...Where there is pain, let there be grace
Where there is suffering, bring serenity
For those afraid, help them be brave
Where there is misery, bring expectancy
And surely we can change
Surely we can change
Something

And the problem it seems
Is with you and me
Not the Love who came
To repair everything

Where there is pain, let us bring grace
Where there is suffering, bring serenity
For those afraid, let us be brave
Where there is misery, let us bring them relief
And surely we can change
Surely we can change
Oh surely we can change
Something

Oh, the world's about to change
The whole world's about to change

Think about it...that's change we can all live with.

Compassion in the Dominican Republic

Last week, Compassion International took a group of bloggers to the Dominican Republic to get their thoughts and perspectives and to increase awareness among those in the blogging community. What an amazing experience they had! I highly recommend taking the time to read their stories.




One post that stood out to me personally was from Mary. The last time we were in Peru, I remember one evening, being overcome by the great need of the people. To most of us, the solution would have been something simple: $30 a month for eye drops so that a bivocational pastor can prevent his eyesight from deteriorating any further or maybe just a bit more to buy hearing aids so that a child could attend school and not be thought of as the "village idiot". Mary talks about that overwhelming sense that no matter what we are able to do, its never enough. Yet God calls us to accountability. (1 John 3:16-20) I cannot save the world, but I can share the love of the One who did. I cannot meet all their physical needs, but I can partner with Compassion to help one child at a time. And I can trust God to be sovereign through it all.

Wednesday Words of Wisdom

Love is...meeting needs.
Dr. Bobby Renfro

Bro. Bobby was my pastor during my teenage years. He once said, "Love is meeting needs." Joel has used this definition in almost every wedding he's officiated because it had such an impact on the both of us as youth.

Today is Blog Action Day. Compassion International has asked its bloggers to speak to the issue of poverty and give people tangible ways to make a difference. The irony is that recent events in the stock market has money on everyone's minds. We are all so very concerned with how much money we are losing and how bad the economy is that we lose perspective. Yet the real poverty that plagues our world is not the absence of monetary wealth. It is our failure to meet the needs of our brothers and sisters. It is our lack of love toward our fellow man. It is our disobedience to Christ's command to "love your neighbor as yourself". Through reputable organizations like Compassion, we can demonstrate love by meeting not only the physical needs, but also the spiritual needs of children who live in poverty conditions that most of us could not begin to imagine.

So while there are millions participating in Blog Action Day, very few will see my humble little post. And of those few, even less will be moved to take action. But it reminds me of the illustration of the man who happened upon a little boy on the beach. A storm had churned the ocean waters and left the sand covered with hundreds and hundreds of starfish. The man watched as the little boy carefully picked up a starfish and threw it back into the water. Then another and another and another. Even though he worked diligently, he hardly made any visible progress because there were so many stranded starfish. The man finally said, "Why do you bother? Look at all of these. There is no way you can ever make a difference." The little boy launched another starfish into the sea, stopped, looked at the man, and said, "I made a difference to THAT one."

Our family has a starfish. Her name is Doreen and she lives in Uganda. All around her is poverty, AIDS, and hunger. We can't possibly save all of the children on our own, but we can help THAT one. By meeting her needs. By loving her.

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Love is...meeting needs.