Prayers for Haiti

The devastating news from Haiti of calamitous damage from a 7.0 earthquake hits especially hard because Norm and I have been following the adventures of two young Americans who are missionaries there, supported in part by Disciples and UCC Churches in the St. Louis area through Global Ministries. We met them in the fall of 2008 shortly before they departed for their new ministry. Just yesterday I was reading their blog, as Kim rejoiced in returning "home" to her husband and son after a restful visit with her relatives in the U.S. Kim is a doctor; Patrick teaches in the seminary there. They have adopted a Haitian boy who is 14 months old. At this early point, no one knows if their 2nd story apartment is rubble, if they are injured or not, if they have survived. If they are OK, then Kim faces huge obstacles as a physician trying to help the people she has been serving, and Patrick will be trying to help students and colleagues at the school, and someone will be trying to care for Solomon while his parents work. The suffering in this small country--the poorest in the Western Hemisphere-- was enormous before; now it is unimaginable. Help is on the way from many countries that are sending medical aid, rescue teams, etc. Both the Week of Compassion (which supports Kim's medical clinic) and Church World Service are accepting donations at their web sites for aid. Many other worthwhile charities are as well. We pray for everyone who struggles with the aftermath of this disaster, for those injured and homeless, for those who did not survive and the families that grieve for them. And we pray for practical ways to help. Here is a link to the blog I mentioned above; it is also listed on my blogroll.
http://kimandpatrick.blogspot.com/