Words To Live By:

"The block of granite which was an obstacle in the path of the weak, becomes a stepping stone in the path of the strong."




Showing posts with label Current Events. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Current Events. Show all posts

January 29, 2010

Thinking about this...


...
I can't seem to get this picture out of my mind.


The caption reads:

Fabiola Beauvil holds her 4-day-old daughter, Klaira Eliska, at the LDS Central Ward chapel in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Tuesday. Beauvil went into labor during last week's quake.


It is from the Deseret News and you can see it and other pictures here along with an article about the Church's relief efforts in Haiti.

As a mother of new babies myself, this picture just really did something to me. I cannot begin to imagine birthing a baby in those type of conditions and chaos and then wondering how you will obtain all of the essentials you will need to care for them (and yourself). How to stay clean, how to sleep without fear of further harm. The stress and worry is unimaginable. Or wondering if your children, spouse, and other family members who you were separated from in the aftermath are still alive and if you will be able to find them.

While visiting with friends this morning we discussed the horrible damage from the earthquake and after shocks and the deaths on such a large scale. We talked about how scary it would be to have to experience something like this. They are reporting around 150,000 deaths at this time. Sometimes we can become numb to the numbers we hear over and over, but to put that in perspective, according to wikipedia, the population of the Tri-Cities is around 240,000. So that would be like completely wiping out over half of our people. A teenage girl was rescued after being trapped for what is estimated at 15 days despite the announcement from the Haitian government that it was stopping rescue efforts for those trapped under all the debris and rubble. That to me is a real - life - miracle.

Here is part of a statement from the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ

of Latter- day Saints:

"Money is not the only need in Haiti. People are frightened, bewildered, and wholly uncertain about their future. In addition to what people can do in helping with food, water, and shelter, there needs to be a calming influence over that troubled nation. We invite our people everywhere to supplicate God for a spirit of calm and peace among the people as urgent aid and reconstruction efforts continue."