February 2010

It doesn’t take much…  A neat stack of bottled water in the grocery store.  The smell of rice cooking.  A gust of wind, blowing dust onto my face and into my nostrils.  Suddenly I’m back on the streets of Port-au-Prince, getting food, water, medicines, or tarps to families whose lives the earthquake crushed.

A med-evac helicopter flew over our house last week at lunch time. It was on its way to our local hospital to transport someone into Toronto for advance medical care.  I froze and tears started flowing. Throughout the week I was in Haiti, the sound of helicopters was non-stop: buzzing over and around Port-au-Prince, frantically giving aid. I think the clinical term for my emotional reation is “post-traumatic shock syndrome.”

Here at Emmanuel International, we call it “ruined for life.”  It’s what tends to happen, when you dedicate yourself to “spend yourself on behalf of the hungry, clothe the naked, break the chains of injustice, set the prisoner free.”  However, rather than seeking a medical or psychological "fix," I tend to think we need to learn to be "at home" in this condition.

We know our broken-hearts will lead us back into Haiti-like situations over & over again.  May we all be broken-hearted enough to spend ourselves on behalf of the hungry and the broken.  In whatever big or small way you sense God leading you, may your heart be “ruined for life” for the sake of God's kingdom. And may you experience the blessing that comes when you are willing to make yourself that vulnerable for those in need. That is Love.

Blessings,

Andrew Atkins
International Director

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