Haiti Update 3/2/10

From Joe Knittig live in Haiti:

Right now, if you’re like me, at least a part of you is thinking: “What’s the point?”

Hurricanes in ‘08. An earthquake hits in ‘10. Poor! Poor! No, extremely poor! Devastating. We rally with all that we have. The whole world does. Progress. The news fades a bit. Then Chile. And now, an “also ran” – an unusually brutal torrent and flood before Rainy Season in the south of Haiti. A flood that otherwise would have rightly garnered global headlines is a but a blip on the radar screen. We’re all a bit weary.

It’s just Haiti. Pathetic.

Do you speak or think these thoughts, as I sometimes do in the deep recesses of my mind?

Emotion has worn thin, and logic and self-interest invades.

But GO Family, here’s where God really shows-up: when we’re feeling a bit beaten down.

So what, exactly, is the point?

Here is the point. People matter to Jesus. We’re all that matter to Him. No matter what your bent. The people here – orphans here - concern Him a great deal. Ergo, they concern us. They concern us enough to give them what we can out of love. A home. Some food. Some water. Some clothes. Even if these things could get buried beneath rubble or swept away by water, they matter. They represent more than things. They represent our hearts.

And what’s at stake in taking these risks with our hearts? Money. Time. Some thoughts when staring at the back of our eyelids at night. Maybe some embarassment.

It’s so worth it. When love makes no earthly sense – when it brings about a crisis of belief – there we find the real Jesus who ignites a passion that spills over into every area of life.

So, if you’re still tracking this (or just starting), think of it this way: this is just as much about you as about them. Maybe Haiti, Malawi, Uganda, Cambodia have something for you.

Let’s see the river cards. We’re holding pocket aces in Christ.

Faitfully yours,

Joe

P.S. Cayes update coming tomorrow. Mixed bag. But the kids are OK!