Haiti Earthquake

It shocked me when I saw the severity of the earthquake disaster in Haiti after clicking through the photos on The Age website during my lunch break yesterday (most are a bit too graphic to put on here). At the current count, there are over 100,000 deaths from the disaster and counting. That's more than the capacity crowd at the MCG! What's worse is there are still people trapped under the rubble as we speak!
I was devasted by the amount of damage that the earthquake had caused! To put the severity of the event in perspective, we have to understand the background of Haiti as a nation so here are some facts I found that I thought I'd share.

Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. The following statistics indicate the severity of Haiti’s problem:

• The government is not able to provide the resources to educate the nation's next generation.
• The unemployment rate is over 80%.
• More than half of Haitians live on less than a dollar a day.
• There are few paved roads, an inadequate supply of potable water, minimal utilities, and depleted forests.
• About 60% of the population lives in abject poverty.
• Less than 20% of Haitians age 15 and over can read and write.
• Fewer than 75% of children attend school.
• 40% of the Haitian population does not have access to primary health care.
• The United Nations estimates 6% of Haitians are infected with HIV/AIDS. The highest rate in the Western Hemisphere. An estimated 30,000 people die of AIDS every year.
• One in twenty Haitians is infected with HIV/AIDS and there are over 150,000 AIDS orphans.

Imagine living in a nation described above AND on top of all this, an earthquake measured at 7.0 on the richter scale hits the nation!

I'm not sure about you but none of this makes sense to me. I guess there are times in life where we just have to put events such as this in the "I don't understand" pile and leave it to God. Despite all that's happened, we can still hold onto God that He is still in control of the situation. He is the healer, He is the restorer, He is our refuge in times of trouble, He is faithful, He sees each tear that falls, He hears the cries of every longing heart, He cares and He is love - the answer to a brighter day!

I strongly encourage all of us as a life group to really pray fervantly for the Haitians over the next few weeks. This is the least we can do. Even though we may feel helpless at times not being able to assist on the ground level to bring about aid, our prayers can still bring about supernatural change that translates to miracles in the natural realm. If possible, I'd also strongly encourage you as individuals to prayerfully consider making a financial donation as well. Since the date of the disaster, many charity organisations are now taking donations to provide aid relief and to rebuild Haiti. Here are a few charties for your info:

• World Vision Australia - 13 32 40
• Oxfam Australia - 1800 088 110
• Medecins Sans Frontieres - 1300 13 60 61
• UNICEF Australia - 1300 884 233
• Compassion

Let's do our part and shine our light in this time of need! May our faith in Christ make the world a better place!


God bless