Pa bliye ...

This past week has been a whirlwind of emotions for me. News of the massive earthquake in Haiti, personal family drama (that I won't even get into on here because of it's sheer idiocy), news of the aftermath of the Haitian earthquake and its affect on Haitian adoptions, and the start to a new school year/career path for me... my heart and mind are just overwhelmed right now. It's hard to sleep most nights as the different thoughts soar in and out of my head. However at the end of each night, my mind travels to Haiti and tears quickly form in my eyes.

During times of turmoil, we are often quick to ask why... why did this happen to an already poor and dilapidated country. This is the question I grappled with all week long. Why? Why do they continuously have to suffer? Where is our Lord in all of this? Haiti is rich in culture, spirit and traditions yet by US standards (which aren't perfect in and of themselves), their lives are far from rich. They don't have the "niceites" of our lives, the "riches" and freedoms we tend to indulge in, obsess over (sometimes) and sometimes to which we obliviously partake. And yet they suffer and continue to suffer even when the cameras are not rolling. This Sunday, as I sat in church half paying attention to the sermon (which was a good topic by the way), God spoke softly and ever so gently to me: "Pa bliye" (Don't forget).

As I sat there looking around at brightly and nicely clothed people in the crowded gymnasium, I thought about the massive tornado and the whirlwind of emotions and new media attention that Haiti received during that time. So many news reports and stories on the plight of the Haitian people. Americans were moved beyond words, tormented by the photographs of many people left without food, shelter and water. Yet, months later, those thoughts and images slide to the back of our mind as we continue with the comforts of our daily lives until the next big story (collapsing school building) and the next (massive earthquake). And we are again tormented and moved, offering "spur of the moment" assistance and after a period of time (maybe weeks or months), we push those images into the back of our mind. As I sat in church, I began to wonder if somehow God's trying to get our attention with each disaster, if there is a message behind all these dark, dark clouds. In the darkest times, His message should still reign clear: Pa bliye... don't forget...

To be his Hands and Feet, his body, his eyes, is a tremendous responsibility. If you are a believer of Christ and read his word, you know that we are called to look upon/care for the widows and the orphans. We are called to feed and shelter the hungry and homeless. We are called to pray for them, yes, but we are called to be the ANSWERS to those prayers (as my pastor stated on Sunday... see I told you I was half paying attention). The plight of the poor should always be at the forefront of our minds and in our hearts; it should not take a natural disaster to get people, countries, nations scrambling to help those in need. We should always look to help someone else, everyday. We should always work to improve the lives of other people (regardless of where they live) because it's as a united people that this world can survive. There are some of us, who take this command quite seriously and have taken great strides to perform such feats (RHFH, Angels Mission, Food for the Hungry, The Livesays just to name a few but there are quite a few others). Yet, there are those of us who continually seek the riches of the world for selfish purposes than Godly purposes. We have to "get ours" when in fact it really isn't ours to "get." Although I understand the premise behind that statement, I wonder if this is really what life should be about.

As I lay down each night, I try to tuck the images and the stories of Haiti into the back of my mind. I want to go back to my lil boring life where I wonder how I will make it through the week, where I wonder if my son got enough to eat that night, where I wonder if I will ever find a job before I finish school (3 yrs from now as I just started, lol). Yet I can't seem to push the images and stories back. My heart is always with the poor (side note here: To God, it doesn't matter if those people are in Haiti or right here in America... there is still a need and the need is so very great), but particularly with Haiti. I long to be his hands and feet, to give much more of myself that I have been. The need is too great and the pain of not doing something is so hard to bear. What can I give? What can I do? I have financial problems of my own; we can barely take care of our own family. I am well aware of my own problems and I keep reminding God of this fact. Yet, God is softly speaking: Pa bliye ... there is still a great need; there are still people to feed, children to love, shelter to provide, healthcare to give... be my Hands and Feet. Stretch out your arms and love my people, your sisters and brothers.

Are we listening? Do we hear him calling us? Individually? As a people? As a country? As a Nation? Lord, M pa bliye... I didn't forget...but the load is so great. My heart is so heavy with grief (and sometimes guilt). Help me always to remember; help me not to forget...