Just when I was losing faith in us....

You read the headlines, too.

Politicians fathering children out of wedlock….and lying about it. Superstar talk show host warring about who’s going to get the $45 million and the right time slot. Ordinary people in a shopping frenzy punching out someone who raced to the new “in” toy seconds before they got there. What’s wrong with us??

Then, in a moment of clarity, disaster strikes a destitute, needy people, and we respond. Sometimes, I really love “us.”

This week, I heard something remarkable. In Indianapolis, where I live, a local church put out a letter alerting their people that 300 orphans from Haiti needed homes. At first, it was stated that the commitment would be two months, but then the commitment was raised…the families needed to be willing to adopt these children.

I’m not sure of the exact numbers, but that’s not really the point. What I heard was that over 600 families responded….in just a few hours! (In fact, one of our friends called to get involved, and they were told so many had responded that they needed to stop taking names.)

So far it’s unclear whether the orphans will actually make their way to our city…there are clearly some administrative challenges their government, and ours, are facing. Still, I can’t begin to express how this outpouring of sacrifice has buoyed my faith in people. Just when I thought the world was being overwhelmed by headline-grabbing narcissists, a real crisis was met with compassion by real people.

Check this blog for the latest information: http://safefamilieshaiti.blogspot.com/