Traveling to Thailand

As I logged on a few minutes ago, my heart sank deeper into itself as the web site prepared to display. I knew that the death toll number from the earthquake would be thousands more than it was this morning. 2,000 an hour it seems. I'm sick in my soul at the lives lost in an instant. The frailty of the moment. The message left unheard by SO many. Tourists, basking in the sun, thinking "this is the life!" And within seconds, their paradise became a hell on earth. Death for thousands. Did they ever get to hear of having a life with a purpose beyond this earth?

It seems really close to home as we live in Asia now. In 4 weeks we and almost 400 other teachers will be traveling to Thailand. Many had plans to be on the beaches that were hit so severly. We will be hundreds of miles from where people's lives are being altered by the minute. Since we are now among Asian people every minute of our existence, it makes it difficult to compartmentalize what has happened. We have faces and names and stories of people who live lives like those in Sri Lanka and India and so many others.

It's been a humbling week with this news. We are thinking of how we can help and would love an opportunity to go to the areas worst hit...we'll see. But I'm brought to the place of urgency once again. There is a cure waiting people who are sick. There is clothing for those who are naked. There is a food that will satisfy forever. Never thirsting or getting hungry again. What a message of hope we are so priveleged to have received.