Every so often, a bridal company that my friend works with produces a bridal expo that showcases all the best vendors for weddings in Florida. Today, I had the privilege of working with the company and assisting them during one of their craziest days of the year. The Ultimate Bridal Expo, or whatever the heck it was called, was held this afternoon at the Renaissance Hotel in St. Augustine, Florida, and it was beautiful. There were cakes, and dresses, and photographers, and even a portable photobooth that people can rent for their weddings. Guess who’s getting one? That’s right, me. Anyways, today I helped Bridezillas find their way into the ballroom to go check out all the expos, and I helped feed the vendors brunch, and I even was able to watch part of the fashion show that exhibited all the gorgeous wedding dresses, and some really sweet looking tuxes.
Today also I was honored to listen in on two young men tell their first hand experiences of the Haiti earthquake. These guys, Jay and Jeremy, are from the Jacksonville area, I believe, but were speaking tonight at Status. I was a few minutes late, but I was able to listen to Jay and Jeremy go back and forth in telling about the day of the earthquake and the days since then and how they’re handling everything. From what I understand, they’re a couple of Christ-following guys who had moved down to Haiti about four months ago to work in a compound about 30 miles outside of Port au Prince that housed orphan boys and a few families. Again, I was a little late, so I’m not sure exactly who lived in the the compound or why… all I know is that Jay and Jeremy moved to the compound, loved the kids with the love of Christ, and experienced the devastation first hand. They’re story literally brought tears to my eyes, and my stomach churned when Jeremy spoke about having to hold down a little boy named Austin while doctors performed surgery on his head. Since there isn’t enough medicine to knock you out during surgery, or to even stop the pain, Jeremy and Jay had been recruited to work in the ramshackle clinic that had been assembled in a matter of hours. The guys had to translate to the Haitians for the American doctors, and in the case of Austin and I’m sure some others, they had to restrain someone during surgery.
The thing about today was that it was a weird set of emotions… During the expo, I was in professional mode. I had that air of confidence, and I looked like I knew what I was doing, and I was friendly and directed brides and their entourages to the right places, and I took on a few small responsibilities that I probably should have just let one of the more experienced girls handle. During Status, I felt like a scared little girl that was dressed up too much for night church. My high-heeled boots, slick black pants, nice black shirt, and a tightly pulled bun and headband only covered how I was feeling inside. I felt sick to my stomach, hearing about Haiti, and the money that I had been so eager to earn today at the expo sat like a ton of rocks in my pocket. Here Jay and Jeremy were, speaking of how there are dead bodies strewn about the streets in Port au Prince and all throughout the country, and I was working (not even that hard, really) to earn a few extra bucks so I could buy some more clothes. Here Jay and Jeremy were, talking about Mindy Love, the little girl who was dead inside four months ago and before the earthquake she was all laughs and smiles and dances… what is she now, I wonder? Is she still that smiley little girl? I doubt it. I’m sure her “fear of abandonment,” as Jeremy had described it, has crept back to haunt her. Jay and Jeremy had to make a really rough decision: stay in Haiti where there was no water, no food, limited resources, and death all around… or come back to the States in the hopes of raising money to eventually get over to the Dominican Republic to then send over more supplies by helicopter. I am speechless. Those orphans in the compound needed them, and they still do. The best thing to do, I think, is what Jay and Jeremy did. They left, so that they could come back someday real soon to provide even better for those kids. With money for restoration, and a love that had grown deeper and more passionate in the time they were separated and didn’t know how the kids were doing… I am blown away by their courage, and the faith that they have in the Lord.
What was I going to do? I heard the heart-wrenching story about Austin, and I felt the pain of abandonment that probably doesn’t even come close to that of what little Mindy Love feels, and I saw the pain on the face of a Haitian guy who doesn’t know whether his family back home is even alive. Cole, I think, felt the same. As he was closing out Status tonight with a prayer and his final pep talk, he encouraged us to pray about what we could do for the people of Haiti. What was God putting on our hearts? Are we to just keep praying? Are we to donate canned food, or clothes, or hygiene items? Are we to donate that ever important thing… money?
That money I got today from that bridal show? I didn’t need it. Could I use it? Sure. My bank account is pretty sad these days, and I don’t even have milk in my fridge, and my favorite pair of shoes has about seven holes in each shoe…. But the people of Haiti don’t have anything right now. Their houses lie in ruins, their families have been torn apart, in many places they’re isn’t even running water, and death is now something that comes in strides and is unfortunately looking sweeter and sweeter to those who have lost everything. My measly few dollars from today may only buy water for one person. My measly few dollars may only buy enough food for one family for a little while… But it wasn’t just me who gave. The whole Status community joined together, and that table was spilling over with cold hard cash for the people of the compound. Jesus turned a few fish and a few loaves of bread into a butt load of fish and a butt load of bread (Mark 6:30-44). Can’t the good Lord turn a few hundred bucks, gathered by a few hundred 20-somethings, into something greater than that? I know He can.
As the people of Christ, I want us all to think about what we could do for Haiti in this time of desperation and despair. This is not, and can not, be the collapse of an already collapsed people. Jeremy said during his time speaking at Status that Haiti is a country that is about 80% voodoo. This is pretty incredible, seeing as how in the moments after the earthquake stopped Jeremy and Jay heard screams and crying, and shouts coming from people calling the name “Jesus.”
Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind, your lightening lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked. Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen. You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
Psalm 77:18-20
The Lord is faithful, don’t you know? Don’t you know that the Lord takes care of His children? Every knee shall bow, every tongue proclaim that Jesus is the Christ, the risen Son of God. Even when God’s chosen people turned away from Him and made idols to worship in the desert, God always brought His people back to Him. Even when His people faced destruction, God always protected them. The Lord is good, and He loves all His children… even the ones who aren’t so sure about Him. But the people of Haiti have seen His greatness, and as the next few weeks and months and years pass, they will see in time His greatness even more. People of the Lord are going to flood into Haiti to bless the nation. I do believe that God will do great works there through those people. He will make a way through the sea for His people, even though His footprints are not seen.
As human beings, we have a duty to help our brothers and sisters out. As followers of Christ, we should have a desire burning within us to do something. So please pray. Ask God what you can do for Haiti and it’s millions of people who are suffering more and more as the days go bye. Ask the Lord to place something on your heart — are you a nurse or doctor? do you have a few bucks in change lying around? is the most you can offer up for the Haitians prayer? Then do it. Everything helps, but it takes everyone to help. Prayers come first, then the flood of supplies and support.
I mean… prayer works.
the end.
refinement 
I like hearing what you have to say. (: