But what can I do? I have heard that question a lot in the last few days. People know I am part of an organization that has already been working in Haiti. So they ask…

Whether your emphasis is on the word “do” or “I” it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you are asking the question. Below is a news story about a few Medics i work with at Snohomish County Fire District #1 who self deployed and did what they could to help.

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Local-Medics-Return-82561932.html
You may not be able to help in the way they did, but you can help. You can do something. You can serve, you can give and you can pray. You can volunteer here at home with an organization that is supporting workers who are currently in Haiti. You can serve by being part of the support network that empowers those same workers. By helping process donations and preparing them for shipment to Haiti, or by just asking what the needs are and filling one or more. That is something that you can do.

You can give. Right now the biggest need is funding; funding for the medical supplies that are so desperately needed, funding for fresh water and food and funding for the rebuilding projects that are beginning. There are also needs for funds to help with travel expenses. If you can’t go, if you can’t serve, you can give. A lot of people believe that it takes a large donation to make a difference but that is not true. Yes the larger donations are helpful and much appreciated, but it is the many many small donations that create the foundational support for so many organizations like Hope in Haiti. Hope in Haiti sends 100% of the donations given to the people we work with; missionaries, pastors, and schools.

If you can’t serve, if you can’t give, you can pray. In our broken humanness we oftentimes attach a higher value to the physical “doing” or giving and forget or just don’t believe that prayer makes a difference. I am often guilty of this. Giving is something I love to do; it is a strength of mine. But I have in the past been guilty of poorly using that strength. God has blessed me with a wife whose strength is found in very strong stewardship skills and I have learned to give better, more effectively. But oftentimes throwing money at a need is not the path God has chosen for me. That was a hard one for me to swallow. God has challenged me at times to work on the skills in my life that are not my strengths. There was a time when I struggled with believing my prayers made a difference. There was a time when I couldn’t get myself to pray for a need, believing that I had to “do” or “give” to make a difference. What I have come to know, to deep in my soul KNOW, is that prayer is needed and does make a difference. You can read this and not believe or brush it off but all I can say is try it, really try it. It is easy to spend a day loading boxes or cut a check for $150, but the hard work is in the trenches and it is done in the Spirit by those who pray often and humbly. The prayer warriors are the ones who make a difference for eternity; they are the ones who store up their treasures in Heaven while “doing” their work here on Earth. And who knows, as you pray more and kneel at the feet of the Creator you may be guided down a path to serve or give. Or someday go. So I will ask you,” What can you do?”

Tony

Here is a great link for some of the latest news:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35086799/ns/world_news-haiti_earthquake