Who Cares?

Thursday, January 28, 2010

The medical team from my church has been working hard since arriving in Haiti on Sunday night. Monday was a day of logistics issues and confusion, but once things got settled they were able to get to work. They have performed many surgeries and ministered to a lot of hurting people. You can read more from our team here.

There’s also an update from the school where our team is based on the school’s website. The information from the school is very interesting to read.

As the church update says, there’s another team being prepared for departure on February 8. The prayer need for them is a return flight - I think all other logistics are arranged.

Pray for our team. The Facebook updates tell of harrowing encounters with deeply grieving people. The team will come home with much to process when they are back in their real lives.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

My church is amazing. Because of our area we have a very connected congregation. We have media people, government people (from the lowest echelon (like me) to more high-falutin’ types, doctors, lawyers, etc. You name the industry and it is probably represented in our church. And we are generous - there are a lot of local missions to which our church supports, not just financially but with volunteers as well. And then there are the global missions that we support, including an orphanage in Haiti.

Since we have a long-standing relationship with them as well as our denomination having missions in Haiti, this is one disaster where we felt we could have both an immediate and long-reaching impact. It has been cool to read the Facebook updates of our global missions pastor in the past couple of weeks as he worked to find out the needs in Haiti and then to put together a response team. That team left today and you can read about it here.

The team is composed of 7 people. Our global missions pastor is leading this team of medical personnel that includes the Chief of Orthopedics from a local hospital, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon, the former Chief of Surgery at Walter Reed (he’s in private practice now), a physician’s assistant, an anesthesiologist, and the local hospital’s Disaster Response specialist. From what I’ve heard on the news, medical care is the most urgent need (aside from food/water/shelter, of course). There are people with open compound fractures and other wounds that have not received any treatment because there aren’t enough doctors, not enough equipment/supplies, not enough medicines. I know that these few people will be greatly used, not just to provide the practical care, but also to minister, to share God’s love and grace and mercy. I am excited for how the Lord will use them.

Updates from a couple of the people while they traveled today included:

1. US Airlines waiving fees for extra and heavy bags. Seven people took 16 bags that were overfull with medical and other supplies. Thank you, USAir.

2. A cab driver in Ft. Lauderdale (where they flew to today before leaving for Port-au-Prince on a chartered flight) was Haitian and had family in Port-au-Prince. He wouldn’t let them pay the fare and took them wherever they needed to go (I think they were getting more supplies).

They have already taken off and should land in Port-au-Prince sometime around 10pm. Will you join me in praying for them? Pray for the logistics of the rest of their travels tonight. Pray that they are able to get some good rest tonight so that when they hit the ground running in the morning they are rested and ready for the things they will face. Pray that they won’t lose any of their equipment and supplies and that they will have enough for the week that they will be there.

And pray for the teams even now being assembled for future trips. Our church is committed for the long haul in Haiti. I know there are already plans to send more medical teams as long as they are needed and then we will send teams to help rebuild.

I will post updates as I get them, if you’re interested…

Friday, January 22, 2010

*** This post will remain at the top of my blog through the end of February. Scroll down for the latest updates. Thanks for your help! ***

From now through the end of February, I am donating 30% of my sales revenue from Bead on a Wire to Feed the Children and Samaritan’s Purse for their efforts to bring aid to the people of Haiti.

Your purchase can help, so buy now! There’s a handy scrolling link in the sidebar that shows the items currently for sale and the prices.

I sell both online and in person. All sales are included, but not all will be visible in my Etsy shop. I will post here periodic updates on the amount donated thus far:

1/22/10 - $13 to Samaritan’s Purse
1/26/10 - $19 to Feed the Children
2/7/10 - $17 to Samaritan’s Purse
2/13/10 - $17 to Feed the Children
2/16/10 - $23 to Samaritan’s Purse
2/17/10 - $21 to Feed the Children
2/23/10 - $19 to Samaritan’s Purse
2/27/10 - $15 to Feed the Children

Thursday, January 14, 2010

I have links to charities who are currently working on getting much needed cash and supplies to their staff people in Haiti. Scroll down to the Doing Good section of my sidebar to check them out.

My church supports an orphanage in Port-au-Prince. The director is a former resident, which is pretty cool. She is safe, but her husband is missing. All of the children and staff at the orphanage are safe, too. Please pray for her husband. Pray for them all as they deal with the destruction of their facility and the needs of the children in their care as well as the destruction of their own homes and families.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

I’ve signed up.

Friday, April 25, 2008

More here.

Saturday, July 28, 2007

I thought about participating in this year’s Blogathon, but then I thought that trying to blog for 24 hours with a 6 month old might be tough on Daddy. Then the move happened. So no Blogathon for me this year. However, there are a lot of fine folks who are participating so check out the list of bloggers and go give them your support.

Jaynee is blogging for two charities this year - Modest Needs at Cootiehog and Junction Victory Gang Camp at Something Simple Art.

Blog on!

Thursday, September 01, 2005

The reality is that we all will be greatly impacted by Katrina in the gas prices alone. Others of us will be impacted in other ways.

We need to do what we can to help the folks in the Gulf. I just watched video on FNC of desperate people looting a grocery store in New Orleans. I have a feeling it’s going to continue to get worse before it starts to get better.

How we can help:

1. American Red Cross
2. Salvation Army USA
3. Operation Blessing
4. Feed the Children
5. Samaritan’s Purse

From the Salvation Army website I see that Wal-Mart is donating $1M to them for Katrina disaster relief.

I love Feed the Children because they do so much to make sure that poor American children get fed. They step it up in moments like this and were instrumental in getting food to Indonesia after December’s tsunami.

I’m sure there are other ways we can help, but I thought I’d provide a few easy links. Mostly what they need is cash - money to buy what they know that they need; money to pay their staff; money to pay for the travel of the folks who need to get down to the region; money to give to the victims to help them get through.

We need to help. We can help.

LATER: Paul of Wizbang posts the grim details as outlined by New Orleans’ mayor.

And don’t forget the coastal areas of Mississippi, Alabama, and the panhandle of Florida.

It’s not good.

MORE: Via Eric, comes the Slidell Hurricane Damage Blog. It’s a good resource for information in the New Orleans area since Slidell is a little town just outside NO. Actually, Slidell took the brunt of Katrina and is in terrible shape today. If you have information from the area and want to let people know, this may be the place to go. If you’re seeking information, ditto.

Please Note: I am not in the Gulf region and therefore, I cannot help anyone directly. I merely present the link as a resource. Please don’t leave questions in the comments - go to this blog instead. Thanks.

Aug 31: From Paul at Wizbang, someone who has been displaced by Katrina, some suggestions for how to help in a tangible way beyond a financial donation.

LINK CLEARINGHOUSE FOR SURVIVORS:

For info on how to get help from FEMA.

For info on how to file for flood insurance claims. My understanding is that you have to have signed up for this prior to the flood event. You will not benefit from this after the fact.

There is a way to suspend your phone service with Bell South for a reduced fee and your phone number will be reserved.

Katrina Wiki - offers of housing and other assistance by people from all over the country can be found here.

Aug 31, 8:45pm: Following up Paul’s post linked above, Kevin at Wizbang has set up HurricAid.com - “a group authored blog where we’ll address rasing money for the victims of Hurricane Katrina and (more importantly) address where those affected can turn for help, and how to go about getting help once you know where to turn.” There’s already a bunch of excellent and informative posts.

Sept 1, 7:00am: Chuck Simmins lists the ways that Americans are aiding their fellow Americans in the Gulf region. He covers private giving, government assistance, and other forms of aid.

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

I wasn’t going to post anything about the Focus on the Family article, but then I read Internet Monk’s response to it and I had to chime in.

My 2 cents were said so nicely by IMonk - go read, please.

Comments are welcome, but I don’t have the time or inclination for a debate on the larger topic so I may not engage. ‘Kay?

Tuesday, July 26, 2005

Laura Ingraham just played sound clips of BBC and CBC reporters using the term “bomber” as opposed to “terrorist” in their reporting of the London 7/7 aftermath. My 2 cents? It’s basically the same identifier - the terrorists are also bombers (in this case) so I don’t see the big deal. It’s like the outcry about the 9/11 “hijackers” vs “terrorists” argument. Technically those guys did hijack the airplanes. What’s different is that they used the planes as missiles for death and destruction instead of the more classic demand for prisoner releases and such.

I guess my point is that I don’t get my knickers in a twist over the difference in terminology between bombers and terrorists. In this day it’s all the same, imho.

Monday, June 13, 2005

Via Eric, I see that there will be a Blogathon for 2005 - scheduled for Friday, August 6.

For those who don’t know, it’s a fundraising tool for bloggers. Blog for 24 hours straight for charity. I was all set to do the Blogathon last year after Jaynee did it in 2003. I’m looking at my calendar, which has quickly filled up for the summer, but seriously considering giving it a whirl anyway.

I would like to raise money for one of a couple ministries:

1. Young Life - I would earmark funds to urban campership.

2. International Justice Mission - a ministry that “focuse[s] on rescuing girls from commercial sexual exploitation, releasing children from bonded slavery, freeing men and women from illegal detention and torture, protecting street children from abusive authorities and assisting victims of illegal seizures of land and property.”

If I do this will you sponsor me?

Friday, May 20, 2005

He doesn’t post often enough for his faithful readers, but when he does it’s well worth the wait (and the long read).

Go read Sanctuary (part 1). And part 2.

Wednesday, May 04, 2005

People over medicate themselves. In a lot of cases, where they think they’re helping themselves, they may actually be harming themselves.

Take headache pain, for instance. Your head is splitting. You take four of those nice Tylenol or Excedrin or Aleve, thinking that a double dose of the pain killer will kill the pain faster. But think about it - whether you took two pills (the normal dosage, as recommended on the bottle) or four pills, it’s going to take the same length of time for those pills to dissolve and assimilate into your body. And you’ve essentially wasted those other two pills, not to mention the potential long term (if not short term) health risk of the overdose.

There is a reason why pharmaceutical companies post meticulous instructions on their OTC medication bottles. Those instructions are not just something they print for fun or to clutter up the pretty labels. They are INSTRUCTIONS.

And they include warnings - for people who have congenital, complex, contradictory health concerns. Maybe you, the hypertensive, should not take Excedrin because of the inclusion of caffeine in its ingredients. Maybe you, the diabetic, should not take that cough syrup because of its sugar content. Maybe you, the depressive, should not take that allergy tablet because of the ingredient that can cause psychosis if mixed with an ingredient in the allergy med.

It’s not that hard to read the labels. If it says take one pill, not to exceed four in a 24-hour period, then take one pill at a time, please. Sometimes more medicine doesn’t mean faster or better healing. Sometimes more medicine is merely an overdose, not healthy, and sometimes harmful.

It’s common sense.

Tuesday, March 22, 2005

I’m deeply grieved at the progression of the Schiavo case. We’re talking about legally sanctioned murder here and I’m sick about the misinformation that the media is putting forth about Terri. At this point, with the new ruling from the federal judge in Tampa, there’s not much hope for her and I pray that her death will be swift. And I pray peace and comfort for her family. May God have mercy on them all.

Joe Carter has two interesting posts that cover some of the thoughts that I’ve had about Terri, the brain damaged in America in a historical context, and so called “death with dignity.”

I encourage you to read both posts.

Monday, March 21, 2005

LMC, filling in over at the Butcher shop, sums the Schiavo case concisely:

It used to be that we erred on the side of not ending someone’s life, as in death penalty cases. Now, they only need to qualify as inconvenient because they are profoundly handicapped, or brain-impaired, or it was a one-night stand with someone who won’t return calls . . . So much for the promise “in sickness and in health”

Right.