Grace and Peace First Church Family,
We feel a sense of fragility as news of the devastation in Haiti continues to surface. We feel a deep heartbreak as images of the crisis in Afghanistan unfolds. And while at times we may feel overwhelming helplessness in the face of suffering and loss, our faith tells us that we are all connected to our siblings who suffer.
Rev. Paul Corner of Wallingford UMC has extended the following request to First Church from the Executive Director of World Relief Seattle, Chitra Hanstad. She writes,
“We have received 104 Afghans through our office since the troop withdrawal and we are getting more every hour. We need these things:
- Rental properties (Air BNB, basement apartments, mother-in-laws) – essentially a separate unit where families will be living alone
- Host Homes – people who will be able to take folks into their homes and host them for a few weeks until permanent housing is found. This process takes 2 weeks to get everyone background checked, home review done, etc.
- Gift Cards – we like to give people back some choice – so we are giving them gift cards to Target, Fred Meyer, Safeway, etc.
- Funding – we desperately need funding to hire up staff immediately.
- Prayer- we need to be covered in prayer – our staff is stretched thin.
We need undesignated funds to be able to move quickly and to use where most needed.”
If you are able to help, please visit the World Relief Seattle website or contact Liz Nelson (LNelson@wr.org) who is the Outreach Manager.
In addition, we are gathering a Special Offering for earthquake relief and early response efforts in Haiti on Sunday, August 22, 2021. This offering will go to the Methodist Church of Haiti to aid in these efforts along with coordinating with two medical clinics in Gebeau and Les Cayes. Special thanks to the Global Missions Committee for the coordination of the Special Offering.
I pray that in moments like these, we are able to organize and mobilize to assist our siblings most in need. May we show up in solidarity and love in all the ways we can.
Lastly, I would like to share a breath prayer that I have found myself repeating the last few days written by Cole Arthur Riley of of Black Liturgies:
Inhale: God, help me enter their pain.
Exhale: Without centering mine.
https://blackliturgist.com/
In Peace,
Pastor Yvonne