Written Feb. 11, one month post-quake.

While I know many of your have been praying for Haiti I want to encourage you to continue. And before praying generally I'd like you to take a minute to think about a few specific situations. Hundreds of thousands of people continue to suffer and will for months and years to come.

Elderly lady: Who will care for me now that my family is gone? My body aches from sleeping on the ground. What will happen when the rains come? Where can I get the money for my blood pressure medications so that I don't have another stroke. If I had the money where can I buy the medications?

Eighteen year old student: What about my plans and dreams. My family sacrificed so much to keep me in school-going without food, clothes at times. Now my school is destroyed. Will it be rebuilt? When will school restart? So many teachers were killed? If it starts how will I find the money to replace the books and uniforms that were destroyed? Would I even be able to study with the memories of my friends and teachers who were lost?

Pregnant mother of small children: What am I to do? Will my six year old's crushed finger be saved? Can I keep waiting day after day for the dressing to be changed? Will he lose the finger? A hand? The arm or his life? How am I to find water and food for the kids today? I don't feel safe in the sheet walls on the street. What if someone learns I have a bit of rice and comes to steal it or worse? What will I do if I have trouble with delivering my child like last time and the hospital is closed?

Father of 6: I had it all, a nice block house and a truck for a taxi service. Now I have lost it all. My truck is crushed beneath a wall of blocks. It will never run again. How am I to find the money to live let alone rebuild a house for my family. Even if I had the money to rebuild, I don't want to ever live in a block house again. But what will we do? When the hurricane wind and rains come-how will I protect my family?

Young lady: I'm fortunate. I have a standing house but I'm too scared to sleep or stay inside. What if another earthquake hits? I can't sleep. I can't eat. My body aches. All I can picture is the faces of the 10 family members I lost and my friends. Over 70% of Petit Goave's buildings were destroyed. The hotel I once worked at, fell claiming 198 lives. I can never work there again. I'd like to leave this place of terror and memories but where can I go?

Each of these represent thousands of real life stories. You likely know the pain of losing a family member or friend. Some here lost 20-30 family members and know of hundreds missing or dead. Stress and just the struggle to survived day to day is overwhelming. In church on Sunday the Pastor stated he didn't know if the earthquake was nature, punishment from God or Satan hurting God through hurting His people. Many questions and few answers. Pray for peace. Pray for people to find strength in the Lord, Who never changes. Pray that those still in bondage will find freedom in Him. Pray about how you can help in Haiti.

Dr. Kris Thede