Haiti on my mind

Yesterday some professional sports team in the area lost some important game or something. And some big movie continued to dominate at the box office. And there was an awards show, too, I think.

But the information sources that had my closest attention were my Twitter and Facebook feeds, displayed on my phone. That's where I'd learned of Sam Dixon's death the day before. I have a hard time wrapping my mind around the tens of thousands of casualties in Haiti, but Sam was someone I knew -- not personally, but by name and reputation. The same goes for Clint Rabb; we have a number of friends in common, though we didn't know each other. Sure enough, my little phone screen brought me the sad news of his passing yesterday.

There was plenty of need in Haiti before the earthquake; that's why Sam, Clint, Jean Arnwine and so many others were already there when the ground began to shake. But the need is much more prominent in my mind now. It's already starting to fall lower on the page in some print news (widespread interest in the performance of a certain area sports team helped with that).

In the near future, the youth of the church where I'm a member will assemble health kits for UMCOR (much like the ones pictured here, at the church where Questing Parson serves). Later this month, I'm part of a special event that features an offering to support the relief work. But I'm thinking longer-term, too. The destruction won't go away in a few weeks or months, even if most news coverage does. UMCOR won't leave, which means we as United Methodists won't leave. I pray I won't get caught up in my own little life and forget about us being there.

It's been a long time since I've been on a mission trip. Maybe it shouldn't be much longer.

Comments

[Cynthia Kepler-Karrer]

Thanks, Amy. I felt a little weird when someone came up to me in worship yesterday and reminded me about that team's start time. I had spent the entire weekend preparing for a special service on Sunday night, and I knew far more about Haiti and was so overwhelmed by the news from there that it felt like I was out of sync. But your thoughts make me think that maybe I was in a place where I need to be...and to encourage others to be. When our thoughts rest less on the ephemeral and more on the eternal--and how we can participate in God's kingdom now and in the future. I think that's not a bad way to go into worship or the work week.

[Spencer]

Amy, I agree with the thought that if it's been a while since one has been on a mission trip, maybe it shouldn't be too much longer, but wanted to strengthen that - Caitlin, the high school senior you meet a couple of months back, and I were in Matamoros over Christmas break, and Caitlin said the reason she had returned for her third mission trip was that it had been too long since she had been on a mission trip ... and she was dying inside because it had been so long since her last mission trip.

It had been just about as long since I'd been on a mission trip, and I know what she meant.

Out of the mouths of high school students...

Christ lives in you,

Spencer the wonder hamster