Imagine

There was a devastating earthquake in Haiti.

I want you to think about that for longer than five seconds.

This morning, driving in my car, I still had scenes from the news playing in my mind. Buildings in a heap on the ground. A woman half buried in rubble, slumped over, blood coming from her eyes, nose and ears. People milling about in the street, glazed eyes, covered in a gray dust created from tons of concrete being smashed to bits.

What a contrast to what I was physically seeing with my eyes as I drove. Neat, brick houses lines up along either side of the street. Moms walking down the sidewalk with their babies in strollers. Clean, sparkling cars driving down the road with their drivers comfortably warmed by their vehicle heaters.

Our world is so incredibly different from so many other people's experiences in life. Take a minute to imagine it with me.

Imagine you lose everything - your house, your belongings, your car. There is no insurance to help you recover what was lost. Your cell phone doesn't work, public transportation doesn't work, and the airports are shut down. Everyone around you has also lost everything.

Oh, and you have no bank account. No retirement, no investment portfolio, no savings. So, you have no means to travel to an alternate location where you might find shelter, running water and food. There is no way you can go "wait it out" in another state.

The government? Imagine the government is so corrupt and incapable that there is no way they will be able to pull things together enough to offer any kind of help. No FEMA, for sure.

Let's just imagine your entire family is still alive. Maybe someone has a broken arm. Maybe your child has a huge gash in their head. The hospitals and clinics are in such disrepair that you'll have to wait days to be seen by a doctor. In the meantime, there's no water to clean the wounds and no bandages to cover the cuts.

And now it's a little easier to understand why people are milling about in the streets with glazed looks, no clue what to do next or where to go.

This is what millions of people are experiencing today after a devastating earthquake in Haiti. Now, is there anything you can do to help?

PRAY. There are so many mission organizations in the country trying to do what they can to help. Pray for God's great mercy and grace.

GIVE. There are so many organizations you can donate to. Compassion International is working to provide food, clothes, and basic supplies to the children and families in their programs in Haiti. World Vision is doing the same. Doctors Without Borders needs help to get their emergency medical clinics in Haiti fully-staffed and fully-supplied. Mercy Ships is mobilizing to get medical and non-medical aid to Haiti's shores. Of course, the Red Cross is also working to provide relief to the people in Haiti.

Imagine depending on other nations to come help you after such a disaster. Think about it for longer than five seconds.