Someone Else

After my dinner of cream of broccoli soup, I eagerly nestled under my blankets.

I was tired.

I knew the night would feel long and dreary so I wanted to get a head start on my sleep.

Tonight would be the second consecutive night of hurricane winds. We are used to the howl of strong winds up here during hurricane season. The night before felt treacherous as the wind gushed against our home.

We could even feel our house shake at times.

The rain on the tin roof and the might of the powerful river only added to our anxiety. Tonight would be the same.

Another sleepless night.

Fear doesn’t keep me awake during storms. My husband went to great lengths to secure our safety up here on HOPE Mountain.

The bolstering wind and rain are simple reminders of the fact that I’m pretty safe here during storms.

My children snuggled in the room next to me. My other children were safe and accounted for. They all had dinner before nestling into their warm, confortable beds.

Yet, I faced another sleepless night.

I drank a cup of tea to help me relax. My hubby was on edge too. I blended a few of my favorite essential oils for relaxation and gave him a foot massage. Those oils work! He was out fast!

Yet, I stared at the ceiling. My mind wandered with questions focused on the same theme.

I knew that one of our Moca church members, lost his house right after the last storm.

Why didn’t I move faster?

His children didn’t have a warm bed that night like mine. I’m not sure if they had a warm meal before bed.

I had been so caught up in my own life. I was so busy helping to run this ministry all the while forgetting that the “running” of it all is for that member and others like him.

Sleep escaped me.

My heart actually hurt.

Why didn’t I move quicker?

“Lord, forgive me,” I prayed, “I know what it takes to help him and his family yet I didn’t do it. Please give me another chance.”

Still, I was awake.

Wind pounded the wood that lines our mountain home. Trees leaned back and forth throughout the night. Roof tops shook and fought to stay put. The dogs howled all night. It was too loud for me to sleep.

The girls dorm flooded earlier that day so most of them were sleeping in the house. I couldn’t walk into my den to sit and read like I usually do on sleepless nights.

Instead I felt trapped by my lethargy.

I was too slow in finding aid for this precious family.

In a sense, I woke up!

I realized that I haven’t given enough.

The realization of the fact that my children were safe, fed and accounted for kind of made me feel privileged.

According to worldhunger.com, 66 million primary school-aged children attend classes hungry across the developing world. Habitat for Humanity says that 1.6 billion people lack adequate housing. The Global Slavery Index says that 30 million people are enslaved today!

Though Christianity remains the world’s largest religious group, still over half the world has no relationship with Christ.

It’s time for us to wake up!

If you have more than one outfit to wear and a meal that you can count on daily, you are privileged.

We can so easily get ourselves caught up in this world and so easily ignore the truth that faces us each day.

Someone else is hurting more than you right now.

There is someone else in more pain than you at the moment.

Another is hungry.

While you and I gleefully enjoy our own meals at home or at our favorite restaurant, someone else’s child is dying of hunger.

I know it’s a lot to take in.

I know that it’s easier to believe that you can get away with turning away from that truth.

I know that it’s easy to give a little so that we can feel better.

Yet, Christ gave His all!

Here on this earth, we are His hands and we are His feet.

Give a little more.

Give until it hurts.

Walk away from your comfort just a little bit more.

Someone else’s child was just sold at the Haitian/Dominican border.

Some other woman was just forced to commit an unthinkable act once again.

And we worry about what to wear tomorrow.

I’m not trying to make you feel bad. Take care of your family and of yourself first. Then teach your family and yourself to help someone else.

W.A.K.E UP!!!

This is real!

People made with flesh and blood like you and me are suffering and you really can help.

Your small dent and my little chip in the wall of world suffering will make a difference because it would be multiplied by God.

He multiplies at the exponential level. Like the little boy who gave his fish and bread. Like the shepherd boy who used his slingshot and stone. Like Mary who simply said, “Yes.”

All you and I have to do is allow Him to use our little. He can take what is small and cause it to grow.

Our church member lost his house in a storm and we will soon begin to rebuild his house because we did what we knew to do to help.

He came to our church because we first helped someone else in his village when they lost their house because of a storm. That person led him to Christ which led him to be baptized here on HOPE Mountain way before this current disaster occurred.

All because we started in that community with one!

Just do something!

Someone else needs you right now.

Stop focusing on your problems, though they seem insurmountable.

Stop bringing up the past.

Stop licking your wounds.

Wake up. Get up. Show up.

Allow God to use you right where you are.

Make yourself useful across the globe as well!

Tonight we’ll have Dominican hot chocolate with a freshly baked cinnamon torta for dinner. We will then snuggle up under our sheets with our secured roof over our heads.

And we’ll do our part to ensure the same for our friend and others like him.