Prayer in Devastation

It has been almost a month since the earthquake in Haiti. I keep hearing news on NPR about food and medical supplies still not reaching those who need it. I hear friends talking about how Americans are trying to take children out of Haiti to adopt them before anyone is able to see if the kids still have family alive. Even my students, who usually aren't very talkative about current events, will bring up the misery Haitian people are enduring.

Like the aftermath of Hurrican Katrina, or the civil wars in Liberia and Uganda, the misery of rebuilding in a ruined land will fade from Americans' consiousness. We have given a lot of money to the American Red Cross, to the celebrity telethon, to the banner ads giving text message codes that have run at the bottom ticker lines of ESPN and CNN. But even all the money in the world won't fix all that's wrong in these places, especially those that are in countries that lack the infrastructure to have long-term political stability that rebuilding requires.

Our Sunday bulletins at Trinity include leaflets for Episcopal Life Weekly. You can download current and past issues here. The past month's have all been focused on Haiti. But the one for Jan. 31st noted not just Haiti, but the countries and problems I mentioned above. And at the end  letter, The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church and author of the letter, states, "Dollars are needed, but that need is secondary. There is enormous hunger for, and pride in seeking, self-sufficiency." This can only be achieved through faith, prayer and trust. These are much harder to achieve than shoveling away rubble and putting up new schools and houses. It takes the work of humans who are hurt, poor, unsure, and unstable.

Please pray for all countries that are suffering from both human-made and natural disasters. Pray for the children who will be the ones to inherit their homelands. Pray for their leaders to see the best ways forward. Pray for physical, mental and spiritual healing. Pray for God's all-encompassing love and understanding to guide all people to His heart and soothing touch.