我们为海地祈祷

这几天先生关注着海地的地震，今天（美国时间周六中午）又发生了4.5级余震。目前，大约有近5万人丧生。悲哉！   

对海地最初的印象是几年前先生放给我看 Compassion International基督组织在海地拍的录像，记忆深刻。中美洲的海地离美国弗罗里达州并不远，但却是中美洲最穷困的国家，也是世界上最贫穷落后的国家之一。

加勒比海岛国海地有着美丽的海景，蓝绸般的海域，但海地的历史悲苦而动荡。海地曾经是印第安人居地，1492年哥伦布发现海地岛后，西班牙人蜂拥而至，并从非洲运来黑人充当奴隶，海地一度成为黑奴进口港。1697年海地落入法国人之手。1804年，海地独立，太子港(Port-au-Prince)成为首都。独立后海地内战不断，政府腐败。海地居民大部分是黑人和黑白混血种人，官方语言为法语。

录像拍到海地贫困的居民，破烂不堪的民房、贫瘠的土地、孩子们在阴沟边玩，渴了就喝阴沟里的水。75% 人生活在贫困线以下，80% 的海地人是文盲。而周边国家，尤其是美国不断的赞助，常常被腐败的政府贪污去，导致海地少数的富人愈富，穷人愈穷。为了改变这个局面，Compassion International基督组织在海地建学校，鼓励美国基督徒们赞助海地孩子读书，通过教育，让孩子们学习技能，帮助自己，更帮助家人或社区。 

两天前杰明通过Compassion International基督组织对海地作了捐助，今天我们再为海地的地震救助和海地人祈祷。

 

  We pray for Haiti... May Lord comfort the people...

 （图）：海地地震后的房屋，远处是碧蓝的加勒比海

图片来源： http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/01/13/article-1242929-07D9251D000005DC-556_964x640.jpg  

    杰明还向孩子介绍了"Judgement Day" 这首以海地首都太子港为背景的歌曲，轻舟每次听了，都很震撼，歌词大意是：太子港的贫困区，大雨瓢泼时，无家可归的人睡在泥泞里，很多孩子在垃圾堆边找食物，因为饥饿，很多孩子夭折。这些贫困人的脸，我无法忘记。。。而同时有豪华游轮经过太子港，游轮里的人游客享用着丰富的自助餐，岸边的海地人却如同鬼魂一般愕然注目地盯着。短短的距离，却是截然不同的两个世界。词曲作者Randy Stonehill 也是歌手，他的歌曲被Compassion International基督组织选用，旨在唤醒美国富人，让他们多一些同情心，多帮助海地的穷人。

Judgement Day
词曲/歌手：Randy Stonehill

In the slums of Port-au-Prince
When the rain comes pouring down
The homeless people sleep on the
  muddy ground
And the children die so young
'Cause there's not enough to eat
When their only food is the garbage
They have found

I just can't get their faces
Out of my mind
No matter how hard I try
And I realize I must never forget
There, but for fortune, go you and I
I just couldn't believe my eyes
And I wanted to cry out loud
Can't you see there will be
A terrible price to pay
On Judgement Day

The cruise ships painted white
Are anchored in the bay
The tourists fill their plates from the
  lunch buffet
And the people on the shore
Gazing up like silent ghosts
Are doomed within a life
That is worlds away

关于Compassion International基督组织赞助孩子读书的介绍：

来源：http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_500e53690100e1t0.html

杰明在教会作鼓励美国人赞助贫困孩子的演讲时，引用了圣经的一句话：“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. (Luke 12:48b) 因为多给谁，就向谁多取；多托谁，就向谁多要." 他还用了一个很形象的比喻：夕阳下的海滩，潮水退后，无数的海星 （Star Fish）被推到岸上，一位老人弯腰拾起一枚又一枚的海星，不停地将它们投掷到海水里，一旁的小男孩不解地问老人：“岸上的海星这么多，你如何救得过来？”老人弯下腰，拾起脚边挣扎的海星，扔向海里，对孩子道：“我无法救所有海星，但是，我确实救了这只，它得以幸存，我改变了这只海星的命运（I made a difference for this star fish.）" 贫穷本不是孩子的过错(Poverty is not children's fault)，若给孩子接受教育的机会，孩子的智力，潜能方得以开发。Compassion International与普通救济或救灾不同的是，救济或救灾能够缓解一时，然，“授人鱼不如授人以渔”，通过赞助孩子教育和医疗，并让孩子参加所在社区的基督教会主日学活动，了解神的大爱。身量，学识，灵性并重地成长，成熟，孩子长大以后找到工作，可以帮助家人和社区，对改善贫困社区的境况，起良性循环的功效。

今天的新闻：

来源：http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,583172,00.html

Aid and assistance slowly made its way to Haitians left without basic necessities by this week's earthquake, though relief efforts were further complicated by aftershocks and the threat of looting and violence.

A magnitude-4.5 aftershock shook the capital of Port-au-Prince shortly before noon Saturday, raising new fears of damage. Rescue crews continued to work to free people believed trapped under rubble, while others carried out the grim task of disposing of the countless dead.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton landed Saturday in Haiti to meet with President Rene Preval, and the U.S. is sending more food, water and relief supplies. But it wasn't clear when that and other aid will reach all those in need.

"We are here at the invitation of your government to help you," she said at a news conference at the Port-au-Prince airport. "As President Obama has said, we will be here today, tomorrow and for the time ahead. And speaking personally, I know of the great resilience and strength of the Haitian people. You have been severely tested. But I believe that Haiti can come back even stronger and better in the future."

Clinton's remarks appeared designed to counter any notion of a too-intrusive American involvement in the aftermath of the quake, while also assuring Haitians the humanitarian mission would continue as long as it's needed.....

......

Clinton on Friday cited a "race against time" before anxiety and anger create additional problems. Relief workers warned that unless supplies are quickly delivered, Port-au-Prince will degenerate into lawlessness.

The U.S. Southern Command said it now has 24 helicopters flying relief missions — many from warships off the coast — with 4,200 military personnel involved and 6,300 more due by Monday.

The Red Cross estimates 45,000 to 50,000 people were killed in the earthquake. While workers are burying some in mass graves, countless bodies remain unclaimed in the streets and the limbs of the dead protrude from crushed schools and homes.

Haiti's government alone has already recovered 20,000 bodies — not counting those recovered by independent agencies or relatives themselves, Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive told The Associated Press. He said a final toll of 100,000 dead would "seem to be the minimum."