Connecting to Haiti

Here are a few thoughts on what you can do in response to the Haiti earthquake tragedy.
1) Pray - No really, Pray. As followers of Christ our first response to all things of life should be prayer. We pray for safety and health of survivors and rescuers. We pray for avenues of resources to open quickly to provide relief. We pray for the children and the helpless to receive the immediate care they need. The prayers of the people of God are the most powerful activity we can engage.
2) Give - The United Methodist Commission on Relief is a unique and valuable resource. Through your weekly giving (and that of all other United Methodist Churches) UMCOR's administration is financed. In that way, when there is a disaster of this type you can make an offering to that relief effort and know that 100% of those funds will go to relief. Go to the UMCOR Website and click the "give now" button. This assures that what you give will be put into direct relief efforts in Haiti. (No other relief organization makes that claim.)
3) Act - Most of us can't go to Haiti. Honestly, most of us shouldn't. We simply do not have the skill set needed and would pose a greater danger than assistance. So how do we act? Praying is an act of personal faith. Giving is an act of mercy, offering care in the immediacy of the moment. The third component of action of a Christian, especially a Methodist, is the act of justice. Justice is the activity of seeking to remove the systems that oppress the least in our world. Haiti is one of the most impoverished of all countries. It suffers from a lack of natural resources, a history of political power struggles and failures, and an unfortunate placement in the Caribbean that makes it the target of many hurricanes and, apparently, earthquakes. As a child is born into the depths of poverty that children experience every day in Haiti, there is a clear call followers to Jesus Christ to hear him as he says, "Let the children come to me. Don't hinder them. For to such belongs the Kingdom of God." Acts of Justice are activities that assure that children have the same opportunities as we have. Haiti is a mere 700 miles from Miami. It's closer to Florida than I am. But my children and the children of my church have far greater opportunities than any of the children of Haiti. Monday is the national observance of the birth of MLK, Jr. King's activities were justice actions. He sought to remove the barriers of the African American living in the US. Now only 40 years removed from the height of his ministry, we live in a global society. King's dream should be seen as a global dream today. How can we seek justice for all children throughout the world, most especially today for the children of Haiti?