Haiti

Dear Madelyn,
Today you are 16 weeks old. You are as bright eyed and playful as ever. When you woke up this morning, from sleeping in your nice, cozy nap nanny, we snuggled close. I rocked you and sang to you from the comforts of our living room, and you smiled back at me. Your smile lights up the room. Now you are back to sleep, warm and peaceful, within the safe walls of our home. When you wake, I am sure you will be hungry. I feel so capable that I am able to provide all of your nourishment for you. After you eat, I will give you a warm bath and dress you in clean clothes for the day. Today I have held you close. Kept you warm. Fed you. While you have been sleeping, I have folded many of your clean clothes, sterilized your pacifiers, put your blankets in the wash, and watched out the windows as the rain falls.

Over the last 48 hours, my heart has been broken. There was a terrible earthquake in a small neighboring country, already riddled with poverty and false beliefs. It has brought devastation to many. Death to more than we want to know. Pain and suffering to millions. This is not the first time in my life that I have witnessed, via TV and newspaper, a tragedy of this proportion. Yet it is the first time in my life that I have felt a strong bond to many of those affected. A bond closer than any I have ever felt before. As a mom, I can't imagine not being able to provide for you. As I busy myself around the house, protected from the rain, putting away your things, I cannot help but think of the hundreds of thousands of mothers waking up this morning in Haiti after a night of sleeping on the ground in the midst of rubble, unprotected from the natural elements, huddling around their babies. Wondering how they will feed them. If they will be able to feed them? Where they will find water? A doctor to tend to their injuries? Then I think of those moms who were not with their children when the very earth beneath them began to shake. Will they be reunited? Did they survive?

As I have gone about my morning, sweet Madelyn, my heart has been in Haiti. Desperately wanting to help. Reunite families. Give them water. A bite to eat. I know that is not possible right now, so instead I have decided to hold you close...whispering prayers to a loving God to comfort the mothers of Haiti as they wake up this morning to so many uncertainties.

Over the last 48 hours I have also seen something that has brought a glimmer of hope in such a sad time. I have seen people from our country, plagued itself by a recession and hardship, selflessly give to those less fortunate. Your daddy, whose heart is simply to serve, called me yesterday morning to ask me to find a way to give something, like so many others around the world have done and continue to do.

"Yet I am confident of this: I will see the Lord's

goodness while I am in the land of the living."

Psalm 27:13

I love you sweet Madelyn. I am grateful for you. Thankful to be your mom.

Love,
Mommy

One of the ways we found to give is to click here to be directed to Compassion International's website where they have compiled a list of essential needs for the families in Haiti that are accompanied by what those needs cost.

As most of you have seen on TV, you can text "Haiti" to 90999 to give $10 to the Red Cross or "disaster" to 90999 to give $10 to Compassion's disaster relief program. The donation will be reflected on your next phone bill.