Lemonade and Cookies Make A Difference!

Recently, I read a story on the Samaritans Purse website about three girls hoping to raise 1,000 dollars by selling cookies.

“Taylor, 9, has been studying natural disasters such as earthquakes and tornadoes at school, and understood what the impact of such a disaster might be.”

What an incredible response!  The other day, I was greeting people as they were coming into the Water Missions office and a group of four girls came in with their mothers.  The girls came up to the front desk and pulled an envelope out of a bag.  They handed it over with smiles on their faces to go to the people of Haiti.

They had set up a lemonade stand on the side of their road, after hearing about the earthquake and all the people hurting in Haiti.  Inspiring stories like this are popping up across the country as people respond to the disaster.

It reminds me of when Jesus fed the 5,000 and it only happened because a boy had some bread and fish.  He was willing to give what he had and God multiplied it beyond belief.  What a testimony!

The response of Churches and people across the country has already been immense.  Let us continue to join in the effort to bring relief and share God’s love!  What if the Church, and Christian relief organizations were the ones that headed the relief effort.  How God’s love would shine!

I would like to hear how people are getting involved to bring relief to Haiti.  What are you or your Church doing in response to this disaster?  We all have the ability to help!  What are you doing?

So send stories about how you or your church are getting involved with the relief effort to kherr@watermissions.org.  Allow them to be used for the encouragement of the body!

In the meantime, here are some pictures of the latest Living Water Treatment Systems being utilized in Haiti.

A Call to Action in Response to the Disaster In Haiti

People in Port-au-Prince search for survivors after the earthquake.

Tuesday afternoon a major earthquake struck miles outside of Port-au-Prince, Haiti leaving tens of thousands dead and millions displaced.  Homes, hospitals, schools, and international relief offices have all been part of the devastation; crumbling to the ground by the strong tremors that shook the country.  Aid agencies are working around the clock to provide immediate relief to the thousands buried under concrete and millions suffering from wounds who unless rescued, treated, or given food and water will not survive much longer.  You can get Live Updates on the situation at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8460771.stm

Through hold-ups at the airport and all the difficulty associated with coordinating the logistics of such a large scale relief effort we must remain unwavering in our support of the Haitian people and pray that God will rein supreme throughout this situation.  God loves the people of Haiti and desires their hearts.  The Gospel Coalition blog has a powerful post up called “Does God hate Haiti?” which addresses this issue.

Thousands are left homeless and spend the nights on the streets.

Oxfam has said that ensuring access to clean water for survivors is “probably the most immediate problem to resolve now”.  By providing clean water we can stop the spread of waterborne diseases that otherwise will reek havoc on the population.

Now is the time for the Church to come together and respond to the disaster in Haiti.  It is time for us to put actions to our words and reach out to the suffering.  In this moment we have a unique opportunity to be direct vessels of that love to the people of Haiti in their time of immediate need. Many of us probably feel helpless in the wake of such disaster.  We desire to help, but simply do not know what to contribute.

Pray:

• Pray for the safety of all relief workers in Haiti, who were stationed in Port-au-Prince when the quake struck. At this time, many are still missing and have worried families at home.

• Pray for the people of Haiti whose lives have been turned upside down by this catastrophic event. It is our hope that through this tragedy, God’s light will shine through.

• Pray for the necessary outpouring of financial assistance needed to respond quickly and provide safe water, medical aid, and food for earthquake survivors.

• Pray that all relief reaches Haiti in a timely manner and is implemented effectively.  Also for safety and blessing to all relief organizations who are working to respond to this disaster.

Donate:  There are many wonderful organizations that are doing work on the ground.  One of those is Water Missions International.  Water Missions has 10 Water Systems being sent that can provide clean water for 50,000 people.  There are full time WMI staff members on the ground in Port-au-Prince and numerous ministry partners that will help operate the systems.  Here is a news report from yesterday.  You can donate to Water Missions International’s disaster relief effort on their website.  http://www.watermissions.org .