The Bridge -- Haiti Relief Plans

OK. Here are The Bridge's response plans for the earthquake disaster in Haiti. I am hearing from a lot of you, so this must have really touched your heart as we know it has touched God's.

1. PRAY. Keep all of the efforts and the people who have been devastated at the forefront of your prayers, but mainly focus on your faith that God is capable of bringing order and Glory out of the chaos and heartache.

2. If you would like to give money that will go to immediate relief, we would like to make some suggestions of quality organizations that have people on the ground already there that can make a difference today. You can just go online and give with a credit card.
a. Medical Teams International @ www.medicalteams.org. This is the medical group that will be in there quickly that Jon & Lisa Bird (Bridge members) work with in medical crisis situations like this. Please pray for Jon & Lisa as they are discerning their role in this crisis. Others of you in the medical community might want to contact Jon and Lisa about the possibility of getting down there to help with immediate medical needs.
b. Compassion International -- https://www.compassion.com/contribution/giving/disasterrelief.htm?referer=105910. This is a great way to get immediate help to kids as Compassion has such a LARGE presence with the orphanages in Haiti. The money that is given to this section of the website goes to Haiti today. We have a working relationship with CI and we trust them.
c. All 11 of these groups recommended by the Desiring God people would be good also. They are there already working. http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/2188_11_charities_collecting_donations_for_haiti/

3. On Sunday, we will be taking a special offering for Growing Hope for Haiti which is run by Gerson & Heather Wickham (also some of the Bridge's own). This giving will be a little more long range as we resource our own missionaries to go take care of the people that they love so much. Gerson and Heather are here right now and could use a lot of prayer as Gerson does not currently know the health status of any of his family members and many others as you can imagine. Just make out checks to The Bridge and write Haiti in the memo. We will funnel the money to them.

4. Gerson and Heather are aware that many of you would like to go down there and physically help. They have agreed to keep us informed on how that may be able to happen. Probably will be a while as the immediate relief organizations have all of the top priority right now. I do think that it is beautiful that some of you are wanting to go. I am thinking and praying about it myself. If God wants us there, He will find a way to make that happen.

Situations like this are very challenging to our faith. Remember that sin and disobedience brought curse and disaster to this world, not God. And God must have some reason in His master plan to have allowed this fallen-world tragedy to have happened. Let's seek His face, rely on Him, and act as his ministers and missionaries. That requires sacrifice. Let me give an example -- if you give to the immediate need groups or to Gerson and Heather and then give less to your tithe at The Bridge or Gideon 300, what faith or sacrifice have you shown? This giving needs to be sacrificial (above and beyond) and God will respond both corporately and personally. Borrowing from one area of His Kingdom to serve another is not the way. We do that to Him with our time all the time. Think about that when you pay your satellite, cable, or unlimited texting bill and people are sleeping or bleeding in the streets of Port-au-Prince tonight.

Love you more than you know.