Humble heart for Haiti

A Haitian earthquake survivor in the aftermath of the disaster. Photo: Eduardo Munoz / Reuters

On Tuesday, an earthquake struck Haiti. It struck me few hours later, to learn that we just dedicated some of our team members from Mercy Corps Aceh — just three months ago, in October — to respond to the earthquake that shook Padang, West Sumatra. After the initial shock, a little relief followed, to learn that Mercy Corps is sending the team to respond to this earthquake in Haiti.

So, I thought that the least thing I could do was to spread the news through my Twitter and Facebook, retweeting news from Mercy Corps headquarters. I posted this one yesterday: "RT @mercycorps Scrambling to help Haiti. Read how we're responding and help with a donation: http://is.gd/6aatg".

I didn't immediately think about what actions my friends would take after reading that message. But many responded with encouraging words and wishes to go to Haiti themselves to help with the emergency efforts. A couple of them were part of the Indonesia Response Team that was deployed to Padang.

It's really heartwarming to know that there are always people who are wanting — and trying — to help out in the misfortunes that happen in other parts of the world, in whatever way they can, even through words of sympathy or encouragement. You can do it discreetly, silently, sincerely. You can even just send a prayer.