Hope Floats

The American government is struggling to answer the increasingly desperate call of the hundreds of thousands of Americans who have been ravaged by hurricane Katrina. People are dying. Miles and miles of flooding has left people still trapped after 5 days. Looters are hampering relief efforts. Aid is not reaching victims nearly fast enough. Flood waters are still rising in New Orleans.

But we are not alone. Amidst this chaos is God. And there is tonight a dose of hope to be gleaned from the degree of national and global community that is responding with outpouring of love, aid, and sincere desire to save and heal our people. Praise God for the unclouded eyes and hearts of the world, directed with sincere compassion at the remnants of our stricken Gulf Coast right now.

Although imperfect and far from universal, we are all standing together as we did less than one year ago while responding to the most massive tsunami ever to strike the earth, with arms and hearts outstretched. May this be the beacon of hope to human beings still trapped in literal and symbolic darkness. May they know the efforts of a nation and world are endeavoring to save them, shelter them and love them until the homes and lives they lost can be restored.

From Yahoo news, the international response thus far:

Venezuela's government, which has had tense relations with Washington, offered humanitarian aid and fuel. Venezuela's Citgo Petroleum Corp. pledged a $1 million donation for hurricane aid.

Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz also called President Bush to offer assistance. The minister of petroleum and mineral resources said Monday that Saudi Arabia is ready to immediately increase its crude oil production to replace any market shortages and help stabilize world crude prices.

French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder sent messages of sympathy to President Bush. Chirac, who has famously quarreled with Bush over the
Iraq war, addressed this letter, "Dear George."

Pope Benedict XVI said he was praying for victims of the "tragic" hurricane while China's President
Hu Jintao expressed his "belief that that the American people will definitely overcome the natural disaster and rebuild their beautiful homeland."

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II also sent a message to Bush saying she was "deeply shocked and saddened" at the devastation caused by the hurricane and expressing her condolences, "especially to the families of those who have lost their lives, to the injured and to all who have been affected by this terrible disaster."

The U.S. Embassy in Bern, Switzerland — a capital at the foot of the Alps hit by flooding last week — said calls were rushing in from Swiss individuals and institutions looking for a way to donate to relief efforts. "We are getting calls from the Swiss public looking to express their condolences, (and) people are also asking for an account number where they can make donations," said spokesman Daniel Wendell.

A spokeswoman for the Canadian Red Cross said lists of volunteers experienced in large-scale disasters were being assembled.

PRAISE GOD. May the aid continue to flow abundantly and reach the victims quickly. May our outpouring be God-directed, honoring, and overwhelming. May we LOVE one another in Biblical porportion. And may each of us be inspired to DO MORE TO HELP. There is present and raw need. People with no homes. People with no food or water. People with no clothes, no car, no bed to rest in. No job, no church, no community, no stability, no income. No hope.

Surely we can do more to answer the call. What if it was OUR family?

LET US DO MORE. LET US NOT REST. LET US NOT STOP PRAYING OR GIVING. LET US SAVE AS MANY PEOPLE AS WE CAN.

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