Nobody give a damn

I've been brushing my teeth in the shower ever since winter came. It's been too cold to just stand there for a few minutes without any warm running water. But today at church during our prayer time for Haiti, I learned that there is a shortage of water in many areas of that country while much of it could also be contaminated. I also remembered that the documentary I saw a few years ago, "Ghosts of Cite Soleil," was about a very impoverished and dangerous slum in Haiti. According to Wikipedia, "The area is generally regarded as one of the poorest, roughest, and most dangerous areas of the Western Hemisphere's poorest country; it is one of the biggest slums in the Northern Hemisphere. There is little police presence, no sewers, no stores, and little to no electricity."

And to think that this place that was already so broken has experienced so much more damage recently really helped me to beat off some of the numbness of my uncompassionate heart. Even reading CNN.com everyday didn't do it for me; neither did reading Jae's recent blogs. As one humanitarian put it, "Nobody give a damn because these people are so poor...this is the last place they would ever think of coming." It took me just over five days AFTER the earthquake to even utter my first prayer for this country.

Amidst all the chaos and disorder, the Lord is still perfectly sovereign and good. Only He can bring about true restoration and relief that many are seeking for this country. Our God can surely recreate the broken things of this world. Haiti, find the real hope that no earthquake could ever destroy! Not that this will make up for anything, but I will no longer brush my teeth during my warm showers just as a personal reminder that there are so many who have no access to such a thing.

Thought of the Day: Saturday Coffee
Song of the Day: Hillsong-Better Than Life