12-16 January 2010

Days of unspeakable tragedy, sorrow, heartache. The first news of the earthquake in Haiti came, not from TV, but via email sent by Debbie Berquist from the Village of Hope in Port au Prince:

Jan 12, 2010 - 6:03pm WE ARE ALL FINE....shook up in more ways than one as you can well imagine. A few MINOR bruises. It is 5:40 PM as we type this and we are still having a few after shocks...the room shakes as I type. All the Haitian staff at Hope House are fine as well. My Haiti phones are out. Some of the team members (from PA) have been able to contact their families.

Since that message, many more, some almost hourly. Marie Major is all right as are all her children at Grace Orphanage; the kids at The Little Children of Jesus Orphanage are okay. A fragment of a phone call from Johnson tells us that Johnson and Andronic are alive; there is no word yet about Stevenson. We fearful that he may not be alive. My talk to the parish on Sunday bears fruit with money being collected, many prayers offered, and SJLC fully aware of the disaster. Received word today that Thrivent is matching funds given for relief: $1 for every $2 donated. In touch with Luckey, Pat, and Sherri; all of us are convinced that our scheduled February 1 trip to Port au Prince is on indefinite hold.

On Wednesday I met with Larry Schultz on the Global Missions Committee at the Manhattan Restaurant; Larry comes from good stock, open and honest. That evening the Eucharist was clean and simple, always Christ. Becky and Wayne came over for supper on Thursday. Met Hugh in the Barnesville post office and afterward he helped me get the plywood over to his place. We got the boat covered with a huge tarp.

Importantly, am learning to do the Jesus Prayer with regularity, each morning about 6. The darkness is important. 100 slow knots and prostations. Two chokti arrived as did the votive candle for the icon shelf. Learning how to include the saints in my prayers, especially the Blessed Virgin Mary. Clearly more Orthodox. Jim Forest's book a big help, especially the collection of prayers.

Good movie: Under the Sun with subscripts. Tomorrow's Gospel, the wedding at Cana. Dan Clendenin says it well:

At Cana in Galilee Jesus filled and fulfilled the ancient promises of Judaism. He filled the empty pots used for ritual purity with wine used for secular celebration. He didn't merely announce a coming reign of God, or direct attention away from himself to some other. With the first of his "many miraculous signs" he demonstrated that somehow and in some unsurpassed manner he revealed the glory and character of God like no other. This friend of sinners, accused of being a glutton and drunkard, revealed a God of extravagant goodness and mercy.