Doing More for Haiti
I’ve had a lot on my mind today in regards to the devastation caused by the horrific earthquake on Tuesday. Like many, I have been following the news since it happened and praying for the millions who have seen their entire country dissolve in chaos around them. All of this was still abstract to me until earlier today when I was reading an excerpt from a blog written by missionaries in Haiti. The horror was made much more real to me after reading this:
When the girl was out, I took my hammer and moved over to find the next trapped girl. All I could see was her face and left arm, and she frantically called out to me. I asked her to calm down because it would help me to work and asked her to pray for both of us. She calmed down and became very brave. I was having trouble seeing her where she was jammed under the slab. I pulled out a very large piece of rubble that didn’t really help Jacqueline at all (her name was Jacqueline). There was some sort of object behind that rubble and when I went to move it it turned out to be another girl’s bottom. The girl cried out but I could barely hear her – her whole head was underneath rubble.
At this point I began to realize that I was in over my head. All I had was a hammer, and it was quickly becoming pitch dark with twilight fading and no electricity anywhere. I tried to borrow a flashlight, but it was impossible. I had a moment of feeling intense helplessness. After thinking and praying for a minute, I told Jacqueline that I had to leave her and find more help. I couldn’t do anything without a flashlight, and she needed to keep praying and remember that her parents were coming to look for her.
I walked 4 or 5 miles to a place where I could get a bus, then got on one eventually made it home just after 9pm. On my way home, I resolved to return to Port au Prince the next day with 2 trucks full of tools and workers to do whatever we could. I met a guy on the bus who was holding a sandwich. He had left his house to go buy a sandwich when the earthquake hit. He returned to his home to find it flattened, then went to the school that he teaches at to find it flattened. With nothing left but a sandwich in his hand, and $7 in his sock, he set out for Cap Haitien to be with the rest of his family.
I slept a little bit last night even though I kept thinking of Jacqueline and her classmate stuck in the rubble, in the dark. This morning all of the workers enthusiastically loaded all the tools we could use into the trucks along with food and water and set off for Port au Prince. I took them to the school and quickly made my way to the place Jacqueline and the other student were but both of them were dead.
For those who don’t know, my mother’s name is Jacqueline. Reading the story of a woman who shares a name with my own mother made this much more real to me. These are someone’s children. These are mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, teachers, pastors. These are real people who have literally seen their world fall apart around them. I realized this and my heart truly broke for the people of Haiti.
I have been thinking about what I can do to make some small impact on the lives of those impacted. I want to do more than just donate some money and pat myself on the back for doing my good deed for the week.
But what can I do?
I have decided to do a bread and water fast for all of next week for the people of Haiti. Beginning on Monday, I will eat nothing but three pieces of plain wheat bread three times a day and drink nothing but tap water for an entire week. I do this for all of those in Haiti who do not even have bread to eat or access to clean drinking water.
What I am looking for now are people who are willing to partner with me to raise money in support of the people of Haiti. I would love to raise $1,000 for Haiti during next week’s fast. What I am looking for are people who are willing to partner with me and support the people of Haiti financially. You can pledge an amount per day, or you can donate a flat amount for the whole week. It doesn’t matter if you can only afford $1 per day, any amount will make a difference.
I also need help in getting the word out. Post a link to philhull.com as your Facebook status or share a link on Twitter. Tell your church congregations and co-workers.
Donations will go to aid the Salvation Army in Haiti. If you are interested in partnering with me, please email me at philhull@gmail.com for more information. If you’ve already donated to one of the many worthy organizations working in Haiti, please help me spread the word and pray for me as I fast throughout next week.
I’ll be posting updates on philhull.com during the week if you want to know how things are going. Thanks for taking the time to read this.
