Haiti Earthquake: Compassion International Responds

I know you’ve heard about the earthquake in Haiti. I have to admit that when I hear about devastation far far away, I tend to think of it as FAR FAR away. It’s hard for me to imagine horrible things happening to real people. It’s hard for me to imagine normal stuff happening to normal people all over the world. I mean, really, people LIVE in Iceland? It’s just hard to fathom because I’ve never been there.

Anywhoo, I got an email today from Shuan Groves (well, it wasn’t to me personally, just to all the Compassion bloggers). In it he encouraged us to give money to Compassion for Haiti—and to encourage you to do the same. Even though the email was an informative email full of directions about widgets, links and money, you could hear the pain in his voice. He doesn’t have a hard time imagining the devastation in Haiti. I could hear the horror in his voice–he was thinking about real kids and real moms and real dads that are dying, that are without food, water and basic living supplies.

And my heart just squeezed. Or expanded. Or whatever. It just hurt. It makes me think about my sweet Alizeta in Burkina Faso and my little Lydia here at home. What if something happened to them? What would I do? Move a mountain. Or at least to the best of my ability.

Today I’m letting you know that I’m giving money to Compassion. So Compassion can help people affected by the Haiti earthquake. And I’m asking you to do the same. You can update your facebook/twitter/blog with info from Compassion. And you can give. Look at the breakdown of what a little money can do:

•$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.

Yall. $35 is nothing. I just spent $22 at the Disney Store today because they had Minnie Mouse pajamas on sale 2 for $20. Like Lydia needs more pajamas.

The devastation in Haiti is huge. And it is still being assessed. Now I’m imagining the kids being orphaned, hospitals being destroyed, churches and schools wiped out of every resource and tool, babies without proper care. And if you can’t imagine these kids or these families, please watch this. See their faces. Imagine it.

Now give. Give what you can. God will multiply it.

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More Compassion links:

• Give specifically to the victims of the Haiti earthquake.
• Compassion’s Crisis Update Page.
• Compassion’s blog, twitter and facebook.
• Banners for YOUR blog or facebook.
• Sponsor a child.
• Shuan’s email to Compassion bloggers. You can be one, too!

Compassion asked me to share this with you. I am receiving nothing in return. Except opened eyes and a more tender heart. Here is more information about Compassion and their financial integrity.