Crying out to God: Prayers from Haiti

I'm reading a book entitled Wild at Heart: Radical Teachings of the Christian Mystics by Tessa Bielecki, who describes prayer as "crying out to God."

On a day when the earthquake in Haiti is two weeks old and massive suffering is ongoing, I can't help but add that crying out to God can be, and has been, accompanied by tears.

There is nothing dry about my prayers for Haiti. I have wept openly when talking about the lack of resources for Haitians with disabilities with my friends and colleagues. I've asked people to send donations, on an ongoing basis, to various organizations . Even as amputations continue, amputees are being released out of the hospitals because the space is needed. In a country where mobility is accomplished mostly on foot or bicycle , and where many jobs involve physical labor, amputees face insurmountable obstacles getting to church, school and work. Medical equipment is needed, as well as ongoing medical care.

(Find ways to help here.)

Then there is the danger of child trafficking, of trucks pulling up to groups of children and offering them food before taking them away to become victims of sexual trafficking or slaves, called restaveks. (Find ways to help here.)

Some of the most vulnerable cry out, asking where God is. These are their prayers. ( Read A Prayer after the Earthquake in Haiti here.)

Let us pray and help answer their prayers.

[For a 360 degree view of streets in Haiti, click here.]