24 Months Later...10 things to remember

January 12th marks 2 years since the devestating earthquake that struck Haiti.  We all remember those harrowing hours and days right after the devestation.  Our friends in Haiti, both Haitian and American, were on all of our minds and in all of our hearts as we yearned for information that we couldn't get.  We couldn't get phones to connect to our loved ones in Haiti.  Even though Anderson Cooper did great reporting, he couldn't report on everybody.  We scoured the news and watched the broadcasts for a glimpse of one person that we were dying to see alive and well.  Those first 48 hours, though nothing in comparison to those in Haiti of course, were dreadful and terrifying for all of us who could only watch the news unfold on our TV screens.

For weeks Haiti was on  the front page of all of the major newspapers and was the lead story on almost every newscast on television.  People sent money to the Red Cross, World Vision and dozens of non-profits that did heroic work all throughout the country.  Rappers, rock stars, country singers and teen pop stars came together and sang songs to raise awareness and money for the survivors of the devestation.  Governments around the world sent money, troops and supplies that saved countless lives.  For a few weeks Haiti was the center of it all and a bright light was shining on the needs of the people.  The world came together, at least for a short time, and united around the common goal of saving the lives of the Haitian people.  

It has been 24 months since the earth shook and breath was snatched from so many.  For most people Haiti is now a distant memory, surpassed in their counciousness by other stories that have come and gone, other diasasters, other needs.  I am not going to complain about that.  This is the reality of the world that we live in.  People move on.  It is what it is.  Do I wish that the world was still enagaged with Haiti and committed to working together to lift its people out of the harrowing life that so many of them are entrenched in?  Of course I do, but I also understand how this works.  If you are not personally connected, you move on.  I was touched and moved by those who suffered in Japan last year, but I don't think about them now.  I don't have a connection there, so my mind moves on to where my heart is. 

As this anniversary comes and goes, I have 10 things that I would ask that all of our friends and family remember on this day when Haiti will be back in the news...

1.  Remember my friends Jeff and Deb Denlinger (AWAKEN Haiti), Gerritt and Julie VanWagenen (Haiti Under God) and all of the other missionaries from across the world serving the needs of the Haitian people full-time on the ground in Haiti.

2.  Remember Freedom House Grace girls Edna and Nailovy and the other kids across Haiti who became orphans 24 months ago.

3.  Remember that for all of the bad things that happen in the world, it is still a good enough place that when confronted with suffering and pain, we can still come together and reach out to those in need.

3.  Remember that God is really big and that no matter how scared and frustrated we are sometimes, He can take even the worst circumstances and find ways to make something good come out of them.

4.  Remember how you felt when the first pictures came out of the devestation that happend that late afternoon.  For a few minutes remember the how you felt, what you thought and the prayers that you said.

5.  Remember how it made you think about who is important in your life.  Remember how you squeezed your kids a little tighter that night or rememebered to tell your spouse how much you loved them.  Whatever extra you did that night, when you thought about how devestated you would be if this happened to your family, do it again today in honor of those that lost children, parents and spouses in the wreckage.

6.  Remember the 2 million or more in Haiti who are still living in a temporary tent or shelter.

7.   Remember all of those who are suffering from the after effects of the earthquake, like the cholera epedemic that has struck hundreds of thousands who were already living in the worst kinds of conditions.

8.  Remember that each person who died, along with each broken heart that they left behind, isn't just a number in a news report or a statistic to look at, but that they were each created in God's image and loved by Him.

9.  Remember how you wanted to just fly over to Haiti and snatch one of those cute kids up and take care of them.  You know you can't do that, but you can still take care of them in other ways.  Remember how you felt and ask yourself if you still want to help those kids.

10.  Finally, remember that though we live in a world full of tragedy and pain, there is light at the end of the tunnel, and that light is Jesus, who will walk with us through both the good times and the tragedies in each of our lives. 

Matt