Inside the Belly of the Beast

Even as I try to write this post I am struggling to see through a veil of tears. The catastrophic earthquake in Haiti is, first and foremost, a human disaster. We must act now-in whatever capacity that we can and to the fullest of our abilities. Aftershocks continue to traumatize an already paralyzed country resulting in fatal delays of relief personnel and supplies. 

Today Haitian native and Grammy Award winning arist Wyclef Jean (of Yele Haiti) was on Oprah. His testimonial touched me more deeply than any news broadcast coming from Haiti thus far. Wyclef reiterated that the people of Haiti are not strangers to struggle-they are survivors.

Haiti, a former French colony and nucleus of the French slave trade, is the only nation to gain independence through a slave revolt. Since Haiti's inception, the population of Haiti has lived in a perpetual state of poverty and consequent malnutrition that is exacerbated by corrupt politics and revolution. However, through it all, the Hatian people have overcome and continued to survive. The strength and history of the Haitian people is commemorated by the bronze statue in Port-Au-Prince called "The Unknown Escaped Slave." Amidst chaos, this statue still stands as a beacon to the hopeless, reminding the masses that they have survived before and they will continue to survive. They will not be enslaved by their circumstance. They will not remain downtrodden but will rise from the rubble victorious. How? With our help.

Haitians are a people of perseverence and hope and we, as a global community, must help them to maintain their strength of spirit. Haiti needs to be rebuilt-both its spirit and infrastructure. We cannot look at the victims of last week's earthquake as a statistic. Each number represents a life, a face, a voice, a calling, and a destiny. Do what you can to impact your world with your time, your voice, your prayers, and your money. Give and give generously. Let it not read in future history books that we sat idly by as a collective cry for help fell on deaf ears.

To find out how you can help, please follow this link to CNN. They have divided the areas of need by category with links to established, legitimate, and reputable relief organizations.

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." (Romans 8:37)