Africa Gives to Haiti

From Paul Shepherd of the Black Voices blog:

"When it comes to giving on the global scale, African nations are usually on the receiving end of international largess, but the harrowing images from earthquake-ravaged Haiti have several African nations pledging financial support for the relief effort.

While the pledge offers of $2.5 million from the Democratic Republic of Congo and $3 million from Ghana are a drop in the bucket compared to pledges made by the United States and most European nations, the pledges represent the first time in recent memory that African countries have pooled their meager financial resources to help a country outside of their continent.

Aside from the individual country pledges, a campaign called "Africa for Haiti" has been started online.

Other African countries that have pledged support, include Equatorial Guinea ($2 million), Namibia and Gabon ($1 million each), Sierra Leone ($100,000), and Senegal, which has pledged $1 million and land to any Haitian emigre.

To my thinking, the size of the pledge isn't as important as the notion among African leaders that they can help bring positive change to those who are worse off than they are."

How Disaster Brings Out the Best...and Worst in People

In the aftermath of the devastation caused by last week's earthquake in Haiti, there has been an outpouring of support and aid provided to those affected by this disaster. Unfortunately, there has also been disturbing reports of violence and individuals looking to profit financially by preying on the most vulnerable -- children.

Seattle pastor Mark Driscoll was on the ground in Haiti earlier this week and reported on an unnerving encounter that he had while serving those in need of help. Driscoll said this:

"We were downtown loading up our film crew. There were no police, no medics, to be seen by a huge park with hundreds of people camping out with no where else to go. There was a little cart with a red umbrella and a man selling cell phones and cigarettes -- and a few young girls.

"You want to buy loving?" the guy asked me. I said, "What in the world are you talking about?"

But there was another guy there, who claimed to be a translator for a relief agency, who was negotiating a price for a girl. I asked him what he was trying to do. He said, "Oh, she's a friend of mine. We're just trying to connect."

That's ridiculous. A young girl. A man 20 or 30 years older. I told him this was unacceptable. MacDonald confronted him, too. But there were no police and you could argue all you wanted but the girl took his money and they walked away."

Even though we see the goodness brought out in humanity after tragedies like this, we also see greedy people who seek to profit from the misery of others. If Driscoll's report is true (and I have no reason to doubt it), there was a man that was supposedly there with an agency that was supposed to be helping the people of Haiti, but he was instead pimping young girls so he could make a buck.

Please continue to pray for all those that have been affected in Haiti. If you would like to give a financial gift to help efforts there, I encourage you to consider giving to Global Aid Network (GAiN). GAin, the humanitarian aid arm of Campus Crusade for Christ, is a multi-national network of ministries serving to demonstrate the love of God, through word and deed, to hurting and needy people around the world through relief and development projects.

Pat Robertson & A Christian Response to Haiti

If you've been following the news then you've undoubtedly heard about the devastating earthquake that hit Haiti yesterday. Estimates indicate that as many as 100,000 people have died in this most recent natural disaster as rescue worker frantically seek to save those still clinging to life.

Numerous religious organizations, charities and individuals immediately responded in helping to provide aid and assist in recovery efforts. Many Christians have moved forward with the compassion of Jesus and are already making plans on how to care for those that have been affected by this tragedy.

Unfortunately, Christian television personality Pat Robertson has once again chosen to assume that a natural disaster is a sign of God's judgment. Robertson had the following to say on his show "The 700 Club":

"The Haitians "were under the heel of the French. You know, Napoleon III and whatever," Robertson said on his broadcast Wednesday. "And they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, 'We will serve you if you will get us free from the French.' True story. And so, the devil said, 'OK, it's a deal.'"

Instead of choosing to respond in compassion to the millions of people that have been affected by this, Robertson has used this opportunity to proclaim who he sees as evil. I rarely criticize other Christian leaders publicly, but I am tired of individuals like Robertson who, in attempting to speak for God, bring more pain to the already hurting. As an evangelical Christian, Pat Robertson does not speak for me nor do I think he often speaks for God.

As I read the Holy Scriptures, I get a different perspective from Jesus. He was the one who said "I have not come to condemn the world but to save the world" (John 3:17) and "when he saw the crowds he had compassion on them because they were like a sheep without a shepherd" (Matthew 9:36).

I do not know any of the Haitians that were killed in this earthquake. Nor do I know why God allowed this to happen. But what I do know is that my heart is just as sinful as anyone else's and I will not attempt to speak to why tragedy befalls some and not others. God causes the sun and rain to fall on both the righteous and unrighteous (Matt. 5:45). Yes, even earthquakes befall the good and the bad. What Haiti needs now is God's love shown through his people not condemnation.

For some good thoughts from Donald Miller on this, check out his blog.