Octobe 3 Peace Moment/Meditation/Prayer
As I write this, Haiti has experienced more chaos. This time in the form of a 7.2 earthquake. Earlier this summer, Haiti has gone through political turmoil and now it is hurricane season.
The picture from Apostle Art Smith, of the pastor and some of his congregation sleeping in the mountains made the situation our brothers and sisters have found themselves in real. (See below) In the Des Moines Register, I recently read 53,000 homes have been destroyed. The burden of grief from over 2,200 lives lost must be too much to bear. Despair and Poverty are cycling through again and again. When I was 12, I remember Lynn and Shauna Fields, members of the medical team sent by Community of Christ to Haiti, came and showed slides (photos) of their experience to our congregation. The scenes of vaccinating the children and treating people with illnesses made an impression on me.
Contrast this with the recording of the video, Peace, Salaam, Shalom, CCS 310. I recently saw a recording where each country was labeled. The singers from Haiti were joyful as were all of the others. The conditions in Haiti, remind me of the story of Job. Again and again bad things happen that the people have little control over. But their faithfulness continues.
Meditation Questions: Think on these things…
When have you known despair?
What did you pray for?
What concerns you most about the situation in Haiti?
What can you do for Haiti?
Loving God, as we consider the country of Haiti, and all of the babies, children, teenagers, parents, and older people who live there, we ask you to watch over them tonight. We pray for their protection during this stormy season. Keep them safe in the mountains, away from the coast. We pray that they may have shelter to keep them out of the wind and the rain. We pray for their good health, clean water to drink and cook with. We pray for their safety. With political turmoil comes armies, but you never know which side they are on. Protect our brothers and sisters who are part of our Community of Christ. Protect everyone who lives in this country. Provide them with moments of peace in the never-ending chaos as they rebuild their lives and livelihoods.
We pray for Peace for Haiti, God.
Amen
Jeannine Ward