A Prayer For Haiti

Haiti is small country that occupies the island of Hispanolia. It's an impoverished place, with an estimated 80% of the population living in poverty. This poverty has forced nearly a quarter of a million Haitian children into slavery. It's a country that lacks proper education for its people, orphanages are full of children needing a permanent home, and diseases are rampant. Haiti has definitely seen its fair share of heartache.

Needless to say, even though they've seen sickness, disease, hunger and poverty, nothing could've prepared them for what happened to their country a few short weeks ago. After a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit, nearly 200,000 lives were lost within a few short days. And nearly 1 million people were left homeless, living on the streets with just the clothes on their back. Some, if not all, lost family members in the massive amounts of rubble. Mothers lost children, children lost parents, sisters lost brothers. Many were without food and water or medical attention. The wounded used makeshift bandages while they waited for doctors to arrive. And because the morgues were either too full, or reduced to nothing but rubble, countless bodies were piled, unidentified, in the streets. Bodies literally stacked upon bodies.

It's horrific. I think of the poor children that are now orphans, and the poor parents that lost their children, I can't even imagine the pain and suffering. People are waiting in long, long lines just to get food and decent water to drink. The stench is unbearable due to the massive amounts of bodies.

Stop, put yourself in their shoes. I saw a picture of a little child just laying in the midst of rubble, lifeless. It broke my heart and brought tears to my eyes. And I know there are many more sights and stories just like this.

Sometimes it's easy for us, sitting in our nice comfortable homes, to numb our minds to the pain and suffering that's going on even as I type this. We feel as if it's almost unreal...it's so far away. But think about those poor people, poor children that are in desperate need. Think about them, and after you're done reading this, say a prayer for them. You may  not be able to go there and help physically, but we can do our part in saying a prayer for Haiti.