On my drive to work each weekday, I spend most of the time praying for family and friends. I often remind myself what a mistake it is to turn on the news during the last five minutes or so of my drive. It’s usually so negative that it just brings me down.
On Friday, I failed to heed my own warning and was greeted with horrific, heartbreaking reporting from the Bahamas, which took the brunt of Hurricane Dorian’s fury. While the destruction is still being assessed, at last count, 45 people were killed, hundreds are still missing, and 70,000 have been left homeless. There are endless needs — food, water, medicine, compassion.
In the midst of a beautiful weekend in Louisville, and with a full schedule of soccer games and other family commitments, it was almost possible to put such suffering out of mind. Almost. But, like many people reading this, I can’t. The suffering in the world demands a response, and I’m thankful for the many ministries that are working to meet the needs of people in the Bahamas and elsewhere who were impacted by Dorian, and who are doing that work in Jesus’ name.
We can play some small role in that work through our financial support. But where would our dollars be best invested?
The National Christian Foundation (NCF) put together a list of charities it knows of that are involved in the Dorian relief efforts.
In our household, we have a strong relationship with Cru, where my wife was on staff for about 10 years. Its affiliated ministry, GAiN, which is one of the ministries highlighted by the NCF, is at work in the Bahamas, providing food, water filters, and generators. (Some SMI members may recall that GAiN was the organization SMI Advisory Services partnered with to help persecuted Christians in the Middle East — an initiative that SMI members enthusiastically and generously supported.) Another ministry mentioned by the NCF, Convoy of Hope, which was recommended by our church, is also providing food, water, baby formula, generators, and more for those impacted by the hurricane. We plan to support both organizations.
Do you have a go-to ministry you support at times such as this?
