One Year

One year ago a violent earthquake shook Haiti leaving hundreds of thousands dead and millions homeless. The tragedy sent shockwaves across the earth as people from many nations were in Haiti at the time of the quake and lost their lives. Lives were changed forever.


On Saturday another violent act took the lives of six people and profoundly affected thirteen others. When a lone gunman opened fire in the Safeway parking lot in Arizona he changed lives forever.

We never expect things like this to happen in our lives, but they do.

An act of nature and an act of man; both brought pain and suffering on many. In our world these things happen. We can be angry and sorrowful. No one can blame us for those feelings. We can cry for vengeance and justice. Again, no one can blame us. But we can’t let ourselves get lost in those feelings.

God knows that life here on earth isn’t easy. He never promised it would be, but life goes on and the living have to go on living. It’s our job to figure out how to go on living. We have to somehow navigate this world that has both good and evil without becoming hardened to the good and distraught by the evil. It’s not easy, but it has to be done.



One Year after the Quake

Last year the world lost an amazing man in that earthquake. A man I never met except through the stories of friends. I grieved with my friends at his death. It makes me sad that I will never get to experience the joy of interacting with someone so full of life as he was.

It still breaks my heart to think of his widow and two young sons. This year of firsts has been hard on them, but they are pushing through. Today they remember the good times and the love they shared. They also remember the pain of losing him. My prayer for them today and this coming year is that the good memories will outweigh the pain. Please keep them in your prayers.

Joyful Journey

Today it has been four months since the earthquake in Haiti. In some ways it seems the time has gone so fast. But, then again I am not in David’s inner circle. I only “know” him through mutual friends. I can only imagine what the four months have been like for David’s family and close friends. Time changes in the months after the death of a loved one. It stretches and distorts and spins in crazy circles.


Today I was reminded once again just how acutely that quake really shook the world. I pray for the Hames family frequently and I am grateful they have people around them who love them; those friends who come in during the tough times and don’t go back out. One of those friends writes a blog called Joyful Journey.

Joy wrote a beautiful blog post called The Price of Friendship today. She has been called to love Renee through this loss. This is something she would have done anyway because of their friendship, but she has found out what it means to lay down her life for a friend.

I admire Joy and this post is just one of the reasons for that admiration. Joy writes from the heart. Her blog isn’t about being fancy or grabbing attention. It is about her living her life, her joyful journey.

At times like this her journey isn’t necessarily joyful, but she is faithful. She will walk this road with Renee until they reach the end. She will continue to listen to the call and do the things that are being asked of her. She will lay down her life for her friend as many times as it takes.

The second post she wrote today included the words of a song she wrote for Renee. It is a testament of Joy’s love for the Lord and her friend. She sang this song for Renee and I can only imagine how it touched Renee’s heart. It touched mine and brought tears to my eyes. I encourage you to visit Joy’s blog and read her post and the words of her song.

Perspective

I read with interest a post today by McNair Wilson today on his blog Tea with McNair. In a great post entitled Volcano vs. Earthquake he puts a little perspective on the volcano eruption in Iceland that is interfering with air travel across Europe.

While the volcano has cost airlines money and stranded many travelers it has not claimed any lives. In contrast the earthquake in Haiti killed at least 150,000 and left an entire city virtually homeless.  It has been three months and the country is still reeling from this devasting occurrence.

Life in Europe will return to normal. Travel will soon again be safe and things will go on. But life returning to normal is still a long way off for Haiti. They continue to need our help and our prayers.

McNair worked at Compassion International for a year and as with everything he does he embraced the company's mission with gusto. So, his support and recommendation for the work Compassion does is enough for me. Please visit his blog and read Volcano vs. Earthquake to find out more about the work Compassion International does in Haiti.

Starfysh

Monday, April 12 marks the 3 month mark from the life changing earthquake in Haiti. Remember the earthquake? Life has gone on for most of us. Life goes on in Haiti, also. But it goes on differently; in some ways, less than before. There are still millions of people who are homeless. There are still orphans who need love and caring. There are still people who are unemployed and unable to put food on the table for their families. Yet as life goes on the people of Port-au-Prince are surrounded by rubble, destruction, death and missing family members. Remember Haiti? Haiti needs us now more than ever.


So much needs to be done; where do you start? You start where you are and help who you can. I have come across a blog called Culture and Sensitivity in the days since the earthquake. The blog is written by a man named Steve Edmondson who made trips to Haiti before the earthquake to help out. Since the earthquake he has stepped up his efforts. When he realized the people needed tarps to help cover their camps during the rainy season he put out a request on his blog for help and the response was amazing.

Despite all that Steve does he felt the need to do more. In a recent post he wrote of The Story of the Star Thrower. You may have heard this story.

Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work. One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, so he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out, “Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?”

The young man paused, looked up and replied, “Throwing starfish into the ocean.” “I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?” asked the somewhat startled wise man.

To this the young man replied, “The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them in, they’ll die.”

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, “But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can’t possibly make a difference!”

As if he hadn’t heard, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he turned, smiled and said, “Yes, but I just made a big difference to that one!”

Steve has decided to do something more. He has decided to start picking up starfish and throwing them into the ocean. Steve has been touched by the people of Haiti and he has in the last few months set in motion the creation of an organization to offer “Compassion. Dignity. Hope….one life at a time.” This tag line for his organization says it all. More information will be coming about the organization details and a few of their first projects. I am in awe of Steve’s efforts and am humbled by his story.

I encourage you to visit Steve’s web site and read about his time in Haiti. He brings the stories of the people to light and shows the need as well as the hope that is found in Haiti. He is making changes, one Haitian at a time.

Lucy, You Got Some Splaining To Do

On January 12, 2010 the earth under Haiti shook and changed the city of Port-au-Prince forever. A few days later a shaking began in the foundations of my world and I suspect it has changed my life just the same.


People have asked me why the earthquake in Haiti touched me the way it did. After all, I wasn’t directly affected by having family or friends there. But, just days after the quake I began to see Facebook updates from friends about Dan Woolley and David Hames. Because I am a Christian I began to pray along with their families and friends. When Dan was rescued I rejoiced with his family and continued praying for David.

Over the course of four weeks I prayed fervently for a miracle. My heart was as full of David and his family as it was of my own family. I talked about them by first name. Several people mistakenly thought that his wife and I are friends. Truth is she and I have never met. I have never met David. Yet they are part of my extended Christian family and my life is now tied up in theirs. I wept tears of sorrow for the family when I heard David’s body had been recovered.

During the four weeks David was buried in the rubble in Haiti God worked in my heart. He showed me through this tragedy what Christian community is all about. He opened my eyes to how my love for Him should shape my life. He used the earthquake to break me down and take me out of my comfort zone. He shook the foundations in my life. The shaking brought down some of the unstable structures. Those structures weren’t physical; they were beliefs and habits that needed to be changed. God asked me hard questions. He wasn’t taking my pat catechism answers. He probed until I spoke the truth. It wasn’t pretty, but it freed me and caused me to truly examine my heart. I believe that God will continue to walk me down this path for many more miles. He hasn’t finished with me yet. I am going to take His hand and walk with Him.

I have learned through Facebook that David was an incredible man. He loved his wife and family intensely. He loved God just as immensely. David had a great sense of humor and kept those around him laughing. He was a support for his friends and family. He had a passion for helping orphans. He wanted to show God’s love to the world. He was well loved and will be greatly missed.

One of David’s friends wrote that we prayed for a miracle and it took us a while to realize David was the miracle.


Those close to the Hames family have set up funds to help the family and to continue David’s work for the orphans in Haiti and Swaziland. If you are led to help, please click the picture of David in my sidebar. The link will take you to a site to contribute.

Tears are Falling

Photo courtesy of Friends of David

It has been 27 days since the earthquake and the day we prayed wouldn’t come has arrived. It was our hope and prayer that David Hames would be found alive and come home to his family. Sadly today, his family was notified that his remains have been tentatively identified and will be returned to the US to be officially identified.

There is sorrow today as we mourn the loss of a husband, father, son, brother, and friend. There are no words right now to express my grief for the loss of this man I have never met. I have spent 27 days reading stories about him told by his friends and family. A picture has emerged of someone who loved his wife and boys. The stories I have heard tell of a man who enjoyed life and lived it to the full. Someone friends could laugh with and share their dreams. A man whose mother was proud to call son and his siblings loved. The many, many people who joined his Facebook page and shared him with others are testament to a man who is well loved.

Also apparent in the stories is how he loved and served the Lord. He was in Haiti filming a video to document the plight of orphans to bring attention to this problem. His heart was full of compassion for the orphans in Haiti and Swaziland. It was that compassion that took him to Haiti just days before the earthquake.

We can’t know this side of heaven why the Lord chose to take David so early in life, but we do know that David was a faithful servant. We do know that while we mourn we can be assured that someday our paths will again cross David’s when we too reach heaven. A friend posted several days ago that when David got to heaven she could see him “laughing, singing, and playing his ukulele as he danced down the streets of gold.” What an awesome picture to keep before us in the days ahead as we learn to live a life with one less ray of sunshine.

My heart goes out to David’s family and friends and they continue to be in my prayers.

A fund to help David’s family has been sent up and they have partnered with Helping Hands Ministries to continue David’s work with orphans. Friends of David Funds



We also heard today that the remains of Walt Ratterman were recovered yesterday.

Big Kenny Making a Difference

If you have been visiting my blog in the last month you know that Port-au-Prince and the earthquake have been constantly on my mind. This tragedy has touched my heart in ways I cannot fully explain. Prior to the quake I knew about Haiti. I had a friend who was a missionary in the Dominican Republic whose heart was set on seeing the island of Hispaniola reunited into one country. I understood some of the politics and history of the area. Still, when the quake hit that was as far as my connection went until I heard of David Hames.

I have never met David or his family, but I have friends who are his friends. My life has been tied up in the search of the Hotel Montana for him and the rest of the people who are still missing there. I am learning about community through this experience and that will be the subject of another blog post. As I have watched this unfold there have been people who have moved onto the stage as heroes in this story. One of those people is Big Kenny Alphin. 

I didn’t know much about Big Kenny prior to this. He is half of the country duo Big and Rich and is now working on his career as a solo artist. When the earthquake occurred a good friend of BK’s was in the Hotel Montana. Walt Ratterman  was there working on a project involving renewable sources of energy for rural hospitals. BK put his life hold and flew down to Haiti.

Over the course of the last few weeks Kenny has been at the site of the Montana and has been involved in many aspects of the rescue including digging alongside the Search and Recovery teams. He did whatever needed to be done. He offered his celebrity if you will to bring attention to the plight of those waiting. When supplies were needed or word needed to get out he was there to trumpet the request. He gave everything he had while there.

Big Kenny has returned home to his family, but he hasn’t given up the fight. From stateside he is still working his magic to keep the attention on the areas that need it. He won’t give up until Walt and the other missing at the Montana are found and brought home to their families. But, as I visited his web site I see that he is also committed to Haiti and helping them rebuild. He will continue to help long into the future.

May God bless Big Kenny in the love he has for his fellow man.

I wrote this post on Saturday, but this morning a Facebook friend posted a link to an article. I wanted to share the article about Walt and Kenny's friendship with you.

Rebuilding Haiti

Haiti Update

It has been 23 days since the earth shook. Life has moved on. The news value seems to have faded as people have to look deep in their papers and surf the channels to find any information on what is happening.

But, for the people who are still waiting for their loved ones to be found the world has stopped. They still wait for any bit of news.

David is still missing and his family is missing him. There are still many people who were in the Hotel Montana at the time of the quake that haven't been found.  The teams from Haiti, Canada, France, Mexico, US, and other countries continue working side by side on the recovery. They often have to dig and move rubble by hand. The areas left to search are unstable and the progress is slow. I imagine it must be excrutiating for them as they are eager to find news for the waiting. They go about their work with the utmost respect and concern.

Elsewhere in Port-au-Prince people from all over the world are working to distribute food and other necessary items. They work everyday to make sure the Haitian people are taken care of so they can start rebuidling their lives, but there is so much to do.

Please remember to keep the missing, their families, and all of the Haitian people in your prayers.

Conscious Change

As the families and friends of the lost at the Hotel Montana prayed and waited for word, information coming out of Haiti was spotty and often old or simply inaccurate. It was a heartbreaking process of trying to figure out what was really happening and what was truth. Then came Gretchen Wallace twittering as Conscious Change. Suddenly there was someone connecting through Twitter and Facebook that was there at the Montana. She was sifting the wheat from the chaff. She was an angel.


Who, you may ask, is Gretchen Wallace? According to the Global Grassroots web site she is one woman who has a dream of helping other women. She formed the non-profit organization in 2004. The mission is to unite, empower and support relief of poor, distressed and underprivileged women worldwide. Over the six years since its inception Global Grassroots has helped over 8,000 individuals per year and touched over 40,000 through the changes they are helping underprivileged women work in their own lives.

How Gretchen ended up at the Hotel Montana is not clear to me, but she clearly has been a God send to thousands. Over the last two weeks Gretchen and her brother Brian have been onsite and around the area doing whatever needs to be done. They have helped with the physical work. They have tracked down resources. Gretchen has worked to build a database of information on the missing to assist with locating these people. Sadly, much of her information will also be used to identify the dead as they are recovered from the rubble.

These last two weeks Gretchen has put her money where her mouth is so to speak. She has given up the comforts of home to sleep on the ground in the parking lot of the destroyed hotel. She has forgone showers and other conveniences of daily life just to be there for others. She is truly a person who is making a difference for others.

Thanks to Gretchen those of us following the work around the world have reliable information. She posts only that which she can verify and she is very cognizant of how one small incorrect post can devastate a loved one. Her heart is obviously full of compassion and caring. Gretchen has been a gift to many.

Thank you, Gretchen, for all you are doing!

Mighty Tree

In the middle of the beautiful grounds of the Hotel Montana has stood a mighty mahogany tree for the last 100 years. As the hotel complex grew and changed over the years the building went on around that beautiful tree. On January 12 when the earth shook and buildings came crashing down that mahogany remained standing. There it stands in the midst of piles of concrete and steel that used to be buildings.

That tree has seen much tumult in its history. Haiti has weathered many storms over the last century and the earthquake just poured salt on an open wound. Still, that tree is very much like the Haitian people. They have been shaken, but they remain standing amidst the destruction. They are beautiful and have the will to keep going. One person on site at the Hotel Montana tweeted that she heard singing just over the hills one evening. It was for me a sign that the people will carry on. Life has shaken them, yet they sing.

Tonight I ponder the hardship Haiti has seen and will continue to see while they rebuild. I am somber with thoughts of how many have been lost and how many are still missing including our brother, David Hames. But, just as that tree still stands, our God also stands. I know that He is still in control, that He still loves us, and that He hears our cries. In all the devastation, this much I know is true.


Psalms 40:1-2 "I waited patiently for the Lord, He inclined his ear and heard my cry, And lifted me from the pit, Out of the mud and mire, He set me on a rock and put a new song in my heart."

To view pictures of the hotel and the tree visit the CNN web site

Roller Coaster Emotions

Generally, I like roller coasters. I love the chug-chug-chug to get up the hills and then swooshing down with the wind in my hair and my heart in my throat. Generally is about 98% of the time. I didn’t like the time the coaster stopped half way up the first hill and we hung in mid air for 45 minutes while the maintenance folks fixed the track ahead.

The emotional roller coaster of the last two weeks has ranked in the 2% that I don’t like. It has been a tough ride and I can only imagine if it is this hard for me, how incredibly, virtually impossible it must be for David’s wife and family. Thoughts swing between vibrant hope and knowing that God can bring him home and the devastating thoughts of it’s been so long and is our hope running out.

Today brought the chugging up the slope of continuing to search. It was broken by an incomplete report that stated a man had been rescued alive at the Montana. As I whooshed down the track my ride ground quickly to a crawl when it was revealed that a survivor was found, but not at the Montana. I am grateful Renee has people around her to protect her from this reports. She has a hard enough ride right now already.

All I can say at this point is that my heart weeps for his family. I pray fervently that God will answer the prayers to bring David home to his family. His life on earth should not be completed yet. He is only 40, his boys are young, and the love of his life hasn’t had time to fully love him. Please God, the prayers continue, let tomorrow be our miracle.

On Monday I wrote about revival in my life. I struggled with that post and have for the last two days. Was it the right thing to write? It is true, but I shudder to think that anyone would believe that I am happy over the tragedy that brought it. I also wonder about the people who will read what I wrote and misunderstand my words to say that God created this situation just to bring revival to me. Please, please know that neither of these statements is true. Oftentimes our lessons come during times of great despair and problems. But this isn’t because God wills this; it is because with God there is beauty in the worst of circumstances.

I have more thoughts about lessons in the muddle of this, but I have already focused too much on me and not enough on the true nature of my need to post here. Right now David and his family need to be the focus. They need our prayers and support. They need our love. Please join me in lifting our voices to the Lord in supplication for our brother David! Please ask the Lord to bring him home!

Photo courtesy of Teressia Ward Zack

321,120 Minutes

That's how long it has been since the earthquake struck Haiti. Nine long days; 223 hours. Still the search goes on, prayers go up, and people hold on.

A survivor was pulled yesterday from what used to be the nicest hotel in Port-au-Prince. We are still waiting for word from David Hames. The page set up on Facebook to provide information has over 900 people now. It is apparent from reading the notes and stories that David is well liked, but many of the followers like myself have never met him. This tragedy is bringing people together. It is bringing people to their knees. It is bringing people back to what is important in life.

We have not given up hope. With God all things are possible and we still believe that David will return to his family. We believe God is working mightily in this situation. We are all planning to celebrate mightily with David, hopefully very soon.

Hope for David

We are still praying for a miracle at the Hotel Montana in Haiti. Today there was another 6.1 magnitude quake. Still rescue teams are continuing to dig. There are still signs of life and we continue to pour out prayers for David's safety and peace for his wife and family.

These are some post from the "Friends of David" page on Facebook.

Kelly Williams (pastor of Vanguard Church) just spoke with Wess Stafford of Compassion. Wess said there is still a high level of optimism at the Hotel Montana tonight. The area is teeming with rescue teams (per Tim Glenn) and sounds of life continue coming from the rubble. Posted at approximately 6:30pm MST by Melanie Dobson who has been communicating with the Compassion team helping at the site.

Thanks to Dan Woolley's pictures and description, the rescue workers on the ground know exactly where David was last seen. We were told this morning that workers hear tapping in the location of Dan’s photos. The workers are finding large pockets of open area within the rubble, and we continue to pray that David is in o...ne of these pockets. We do not know how long it will take to remove the walls where David was last seen, but we are praying for silence at the Hotel this afternoon, that workers can clearly hear the location of the person tapping. And we pray that David is there along with multiple other people waiting to be rescued Posted at approximately 1pmMST by Melanie Dobson who has been communicating with the Compassion team helping at the

Waiting and Still Holding Out Hope

A week ago today a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti. The city of Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas have been devasted by the damage. People are homeless, food and water are scarce, tens of thousands are dead, and people are still missing.

Over the course of the last week I have come to "know" two men that were in the Hotel Montana at the time of the quake. I have never met Dan Woolley or David Hames, but I have friends who are their friends. Both men were buried in the rubble. Dan was rescued last Thursday after 65 hours. We all praised God when he was found. We are all rejoicing with his family!

Today, though, David is still missing. It has been seven days. His family is desperate for word of him. He was with Dan at the time of the quake and Dan has helped rescuers to try to pinpoint where he might be. He was carrying a backpack with water and granola bars so he has sustenance to have held him through the last week. And, from what I have heard, he has a faith that sustains him.

There is still hope. Reports have come across today of people still being found alive. As of yesterday rescuers were still hearing signs of life in the rubble of the hotel. God is bigger than this situation and He can still bring life out of this situation.

I have been awed by the depth of emotion I feel at this situation. I am always moved when disaster strikes and people are hurting, but this feels personal. I don't totally understand it. All I know is that I must pray for David and his family.

The people waiting for word of David have not given up hope. Today at 10:53am MST people around the world who have been touched by the story joined their prayers and lifted their voices to the Lord. We are still praising God and still asking for David to come home. We won't give up hope.

Photo of David from Friends of David Facebook site.

Hope for Haiti

By now I am sure you have heard about the earthquake in Haiti. An earthquake of this magnitude would wreak havoc anywhere. Haiti, though, is not just anywhere. It is one of the poorest countries in the world; it is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.

Haiti shares its island home of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic. At one time the two countries were united as one nation. Today they have an uneasy relationship. Political unrest over shadows the country. The infrastructure is poor and could not stand up to the quake. Poverty is a way of life in Haiti. People struggle to stay alive and feed their families on good days. Days that bring devastation the size of this earthquake are so far from good they don’t even appear to exist in the same spectrum.

Now Port-au-Prince is buried under rubble. Thousands, possibly more, are dead or missing. People cannot return to their homes because of the instability. Rescue workers can’t keep up. Good Samaritans and family members are digging, often with bare hands, through the remains of houses to help find survivors. Hospitals and other medical facilities were quickly overwhelmed. Fresh water is becoming a problem. Life has spiraled down for the Haitian people. They need our prayers and our help.

Prayer is always the best first step. Please join me in praying mightily for Haiti. Relief agencies are seeking financial help and other donations. If you don’t know where to start, the American Red Cross is a good place to turn. Every little bit helps; won’t you?

Photo courtesy of stock.xchng