I don’t think I will ever forget the disaster of 9/11. I’m not sure the whole world will ever be able to forget. It was the worst thing to ever happen on American soil in, well… FOREVER! We also have the devastating Indonesian Tsunami in 2004 where countless people were left dead or homeless. And what about Katrina? The hurricane that effected the southern part of the United States was horrific. I am from Louisiana but have lived in Tennessee since the early 90′s. You have no idea how bad I wanted to leave my friends and family behind in Tennessee to join everyone that went to Louisiana to help the rescue efforts! The idea that so many people lost their homes, lives, pets, etc just broke my heart. These are just a few of the latest memorable disasters that have rocked the world.
There is something about a disaster such as these that seems to unite the world in an effort to make it a little better. The entire world was shaken by what happened to us on 9/11. Hurricane Katrina was the same way. And now we have Haiti. The relief efforts to help Haiti are overwhelming. The entire world is trying to do everything they can to help, and I’m still not sure it will be enough. But one thing I do know is that it is after a disaster such as this that our true character shows.
Everywhere you turn you are being asked for money to donate to Haiti relief. Maybe you are being asked for clothing donations, food, shoes, and even bathroom items. It is very easy to get irritated at the vast number of people asking you for something every time you turn around, but I’m not sure that it will still be enough. There are over 1.5 million people that are now homeless in Haiti because of this 7.3 magnitude earthquake! I can’t seem to find a definite number on the death toll in Haiti. Each news website that I visit is reporting many different numbers, but all of them are reporting numbers over 200,000. There are so many people who have lost their lives, that rescuers are forced to bury them in mass graves… not even knowing their identities. My guess is that people felt lucky if they were able to bury their own loved ones. If you’ve had your head in the sand and do not happen to know what is going on over in Haiti, then you may want to take a look at this video.
It is very easy to look at something this HUGE and think to ourselves that our small donation or effort will not make a difference. But it will! I mean think about it! Many of us drive fancy cars or SUV’s. We have designer furniture and high definition televisions with these fabulous flat screens! We feed our dogs a bag of dog food that costs more than the average Haitian makes in a week (at least I do). We spend more on one meal than it cost to feed someone for a week in Haiti.
Now I’m not saying that we shouldn’t enjoy the comforts of living well. I’m not saying that you should feel guilty about having these nice things. But can we honestly warrant living the lives that we live while sitting back and saying to ourselves that our efforts will not make a difference? I strongly believe that this earthquake in Haiti is a God thing, and I am not willing to just ignore God. I could go into a lot of Bible scripture here, but I will not. However if you are interested, you should see Zechariah 14:3, Isaiah 13:13, Joel 3:16,Mathew 24:7, Luke 21:11, and Luke 21:25, and Revelation 16:18… just to name a few. Many people have different views on the actual meaning of prophetic scripture. But whether you believe that God “causes” disasters to happen, or you believe God “allows” disasters to happen, you have to wonder “WHY?” Well… I think it is because of the same reason that God sent the great flood and told Noah to build a boat!
The 1999 World Almanac reported that at the beginning of the twentieth century, there was only one earthquake measuring 7.2 or higher on the Richter scale. There were nine between 1959 and 1960, and between 1990 and 1995 there were 125! Yet every year scientists continue to tell us that the “BIG ONE” is coming!
So in my own efforts to do something to help, I want to offer ART FOR SALE! Now I am not a landscape photographer or a wildlife photographer. There are many of those out there that are so much more worthy of you buying their art instead of mine. I am simply a wedding and portrait photographer who loves to go hiking with my dogs and my camera on my free days… and sometimes I walk away with some pretty fabulous shots. But while I am out having the time of my life hiking with my dogs and my camera, other parts of the country, and other parts of the world are experiencing some pretty catastrophic events. So why not use my gift that I know God gave me for a reason to help make the world a little better?
So here is a link to my art! There are several categories that you can choose from. If you like something that you see, then please add it to the shopping cart. When you get ready to check out, you will then be able to pick what size print you want. You will be able to order several different sizes ranging from 8×10′s up to 24×36, and prices starting at $25. Each print will be printed on the absolute highest quality of paper, and will come ready for you to frame! You will receive your print within 14 days of your purchase! 100% of the profit from the sale of these prints will go to The American Red Cross International Response Fund, the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, the Baptist Haiti Mission, or even my own church in Murfreesboro TN, New Vision Baptist, who has already been there for years in Haiti and the Dominican Republic to serve and reach out to impoverished people. You will get to decide where I send your money upon checkout. Come on guys… please purchase a print. Help Haiti!
If you still aren’t convinced, then you have to click on this link here! But I warn you… there are some really graphic images throughout this post. I do not suggest viewing it in front of small children. But I literally sat there and cried while looking at this thread from The Boston Globe. This is the first site that truly impacted me in a way that made me want to take action! The huge images on this website are absolutely heart-wrenching.
by Wendy Cunningham