Haiti in need

These are Joel's and my most precious gifts. I have been reminded this morning that God has given our family abundantly more than we actually need. We have a warm home, comfortable beds for everyone to sleep in, food to fill our bellies and a strong family unit full of love and hope as we follow hard after Christ. I saw this picture of Haitian orphans on Derek and Meredith's blog and was struck by the contrast.

My heart is pierced by this image compared to the one of my sleeping babies. The aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti is proving to be disastrous. God is all about the poor, the widowed and the orphaned. His Word clearly calls us as believers to be all about them as well:

• "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27
• "Sing to God, sing praise to His name, extol him who rides on the clouds- his name is the Lord- and rejoice before him. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling." Psalm 68:4-5
• "Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow." Isaiah 1:17

I pray for those precious babies and the vast numbers of people who are injured and/or have experienced the devastation of seeing their home/world destroyed. Check out Jeremy and Christina's blog for some firsthand experiences with the sick and injured around Port Au Prince.

So I am left to ask...what can our family do? At this point I only have these answers. I am praying God would present more as we continue to ask Him for wisdom:

• Pray- "to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair." Isaiah 61:3
• Give financially- "Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share." 1 Timothy 6:17-18
• Pray some more- "Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up." Luke 18:1