One of my cluster-group colleagues and fellow Arrow Leadership alums is right in the thick of the relief response to the horrible crisis in Haiti. MICHAEL MESSENGER is VP Public Affairs, World Vision Canada. He tells a powerful story. It will direct our prayers. Also included is a story from another Arrow alum, a Salvation Army staffer with an “on the ground” story. It’s compelling reading.
CALL TO PRAYER FROM ARROW LEADERSHIP
Jan 14, 2010 @ 15:30:41
Here are reflections from another in our cluster group at Arrow – Andy Atkins…
One Minute…
One minute is all it takes: actually, one millisecond… My wife and I had just returned from 12 days in Haiti, facilitating a mission trip with 7 young people. A hot shower, a bowl of salad, and our feet in toasty-warm slippers: ahhhh, we’re finally home and chilled out. Dinner dishes in the washer and trip clothing in the laundry, it’s time to begin the memory-building process.
We like to wander through pictures taken, relish the memories while they are fresh, and choose the best shots to enhance and edit. This routine has become as much a home-coming as unpacking our bags: an ending of sorts. Half-way through this routine the phone call came… “Did we see the news about Haiti’s earthquake?”
As quick as that, positive memories rush into the recesses of our minds: horror and catastrophe slam us! A massive earthquake has crushed the country we vacated a few days ago. Are our long-standing and new-found friends dead or alive? Is the store where we made our last purchases still standing? Are the children we played with homeless now? Is the vehicle and driver who carefully and competently navigated us around Haiti still functional?
These are the questions that tumble into our stunned minds, as we surf the news channels and try to phone into Haiti. In some fathomless way, while feeling so blessed to be out of Haiti, we also feel a bit like we abandoned our brothers and sisters in their hour of need. We wish we could rush right back down and join the millions who are on search and rescue missions.
Each day is so fragile, isn’t it… One minute, it’s full of life, light, love, or abundance. The next, we’re on a completely different path, maybe even one of utter loss. In Haiti and around the Emmanuel International world, we live in the reality of such millisecond reversals. I’m glad you’ve joined us to provide small or large gifts of God’s love and light each and every day. I’ve watched these reverse the process described above: turning despair to delight, heartache to joy, and hopelessness to hope.
Andrew Atkins
International Director
Emmanuel International
http://www.e-i.org