Here is a powerful example (stream audio) of God’s Kingdom breaking out…this time in the midst of incredible suffering from the Haiti earthquake.

Here’s the description from the Miami NPR station’s website:

This piece reconstructs an inspiring moment amid tragedy and pain, at a makeshift hospital tent in Port-au-Prince.  In it, four medical professionals from South Florida recount their experience landing in Haiti after the Jan. 12 earthquake, and struggling to meet a desperate need for medical help.

One describes the situation as “a war zone.” Another describes a feeling of worthlessness, given the scale of the catastrophe.

But then something happens that surprises them: a man begins to play a guitar in the corner of the tent, and patients begin to sing.  Soon every Haitian in the tent is singing or clapping or dancing.  The song: “Jesus, thank you for loving us.”

Stay with the story to get the full impact.

Project Medishare is one of the efforts Cross International assist post-earthquake, but all the glory goes to God here.

Island Time is one of the best radio pieces to illustrate what is going on in Haiti and worth 60 minutes of your time (especially if you like good radio).

Here’s the promo blurb:

Unprecedented amounts of money have been pledged to Haitian relief in the last few months. American households have given over $1 billion and in March, 120 countries pledged over $9 billion(!) to rebuild. The only problem is that – historically – blanketing a country in aid and money has never really worked so well. Is there a chance this time things could be different?

By John Piper of Desiring God

Do you consider safety, or your health,
A sign from me?
I am not awed by might, nor struck by wealth,
Or poverty.

O, I am struck! And crushed. Buried, I wince,
And dying, pray,
A sympathetic Priest in Port-au-Prince,
Even today.

But there, in those United States the boot
Is on my face.
“Saul, Saul,” I ask, “Why do you persecute
And not embrace?”

Your King, I lift my arms to you in peace
And patient grief;
And summon now to Haiti enemies
For my relief.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy provides this short video (also below) on what is being done by several charities to ready Haiti for the annual rainy season this year.

To see what Cross International has done in Haiti, go to: www.crossinternational.org/relief.

Prayer point:  Hurricane season is June-November.

Below is video of Haiti relief supplies being unloaded and now being distributed to earthquake victims in Les Cayes.

Because the southern seaside town has only a small harbor with a wharf that cannot accommodate large vessels, small boats were used to transport the relief supplies to shore.

Loading the 20-foot containers on the little boats was quite a feat!

Your worship team can make a difference for the poor in Haiti and around the world with free Harmony of Hearts materials.

Click here to find out how.

(courtesy of the Cross International Field blog)

From the WSJ:

Acts of homespun ingenuity characterize much of the Haiti fund raising. Jeff Winton, a seventh-generation North Harmony, N.Y., dairy farmer, says he sold four cows and two bull calves and donated the proceeds, $4,000, to the Coalition for Haitian-American Empowerment, a New Jersey nonprofit.

“The more we sat in front of the TV, the more we realized we needed to do something,” he says.

Below is a photo of Sister Jane Meyer making a 14,000-foot skydive, capping an $88,000 fundraising for St. Agnes Academy in Houston.

If you would like to do something less risky but effective, please consider presenting a song with your church worship team on behalf of the poor.

Photo cred:  Wall Street Journal

Michael W. Smith gets it.

So do a lot of other Christian artists.

Click above or here to view video.

Lyrics:

There is hurt there is trouble – there are tears on the ground
from the ash and the rubble – there’s a cry ringing out
you’ve been shaken by loss; you’ve been by shattered by fear
Give me eyes that can see it – Give me ears that can hear

When you hurt I’m hurting – when you’re bleeding I bleed
When you cry I’m crying; I am down on my knees.
When there’s nothing left standing, and there’s no reason why
Lets go walking on the water to reach the other side

Stretch your arms and help the brokenhearted
Say a pray that change will come
We will fight for the children who were hurting
Lets stand as one and come together now.

Be the light in the darkness – be the peace in the storm

Be a shelter for someone when the rain starts to pour.

Be the hands that bring healing and the hands that provide

Let’s go walking on the water to reach the other side.

Stretch your arm and help the broken hearted
Say a pray that change will come
We will fight for the children who were hurting
Lets stand as one and come together now.

It won’t be long – keep holding on
Hold your head high; hold your head high
Keep standing strong – you’re not alone now
Hold your head high; hold your head high

~~~~~~

Download the song here ($1.29 via itTunes) or click on banner below.

Good overview below and here by Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church/Seattle on the damage done by the Haitian earthquake.

He and pastor James McDonald from Chicago spent 32 hours after the quake on-the-ground.

This provides a good, broad historical background on Haiti for those not familiar with Haiti.  He describes not only how devastating this earthquake was to the people, but also how and why the work of churches is essential to the recovery and rebuilding of Haiti.

If you’re looking for a fairly short (about an hour) overview of the Haiti earthquake and how the church is responding and why this response is essential, this is excellent.

Please share broadly.

View on YouTube here.

Here’s a follow-up from an earlier post, illustrating that compassion and good intentions are not sufficient elements in helping the poor:

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – A group of 10 American Baptists were being held in the Haitian capital Sunday after trying to take 33 children out of Haiti.

The church group, most of them from Idaho, allegedly lacked the proper documents when they were arrested Friday night in a bus along with children from 2 months to 12 years old who had survived the catastrophic earthquake.

The group say they were setting up an orphanage across the border in the Dominican Republic.

Full AP story (via OneNewsNow) here.

Cross International has many years of ministry experience in Haiti, and works with churches and missions (and orphanages) already on-the-ground.

For more about our efforts, go here.

Contrast with these photos immediately following the January 12 earthquake.

Click here to learn more & support relief to Haiti.