World Vision Note To Friends On FaceBook

By MAD21

World Vision posted this to their friends in FaceBook: Haiti Response: Fast Facts about Haiti (Link will only work if you have a FaceBook account.) They have a few good pictures posted there as well.

Dear Fans,

Haiti has long been a place of desperation -- the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. This catastrophic quake has only made Haiti's problems worse, leaving its people in even greater need. We hope the following facts about Haiti and World Vision relief efforts will promote an understanding of the situation there, and what an effective disaster response must entail.

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Have You Been Bailed Out?

By Heather, CPA (Balance with Purpose)

Have you been bailed out? If so, I want to hear about it.

My husband and I were chit-chatting about Obama’s Economic Stimulus Package and concluded we know of only one couple who benefited by one of the programs developed and passed by congress in 2009. ONE COUPLE, who benefited from ONE portion of the 2009 bail out. And we know people. We have friends all over the country, and only one of them, that we know of, took advantage of one of the economic incentives that are/were available as part of the Economic Stimulus Package.

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Life Is Funny: I Thought It Was Funny

By MAD21

Well, it was bound to happen eventually. At least in my house. You've heard me talk about how my two young daughters are already good at shooting one-liners at us from movies or TV shows with appropriate and hilariously funny timing.

Last week my youngest and I were on our way to pick up her older sister from school. She had said something that made me laugh, and then as most little ones do, kept repeating the same thing a few more times hoping to get the same response from me. After the third or so time, I said, "Ok, it's not funny anymore. You'll have to think of something else."

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Prayer Requests and Stories From Haiti

By MAD21

"Please pray for the victims of the earthquakes, especially those who are still searching through the rubble looking for lost loved ones," said Jack Munday, Director of the Rapid Response Team. "Pray also for our team as they bring hope and comfort in the midst of this disaster."

World Vision Magazine: Haiti: Hope in the Heartbreak. The story of an 18-month old survivor and his family.

World Vision Report: I was really regretting my choice of wardrobe in that moment... by Amelia de Sousa. A UN employee who was at work when the earthquake hit.

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What Can We Do For Haiti?

Updated on Friday, January 15, 2010 at 2:30PM by MAD21

By MAD21

When an earthquake happens in California, it may get our attention, but it's such a normal occurrence, most of us don't give it much thought. However, when a similar earthquake hits an area already suffering from poor infrastructure and appropriate housing codes, it is, to say the least, devastating.

Many of us here feel so helpless. Once the money is donated, then what? If a disaster happens in our own neighborhoods, it's easy to go out and help. Look at the devastation from Hurricane Katrina. People opened their homes to the now homeless, medical personnel, construction workers, and many more jumped in their cars and traveled down to help. It's been years, and we are still trying to help them rebuild. Even with the resources of our country and allies, they are still building, they are still healing. What is this going to mean for a country that doesn't have the same resources? For a city who has lost almost everything, and so many of it's citizens?

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