Calamity

My Aunt was coming to visit. She was going to arrive on Westjet and have a few hours in Vancouver before she caught her flight on Cathay Pacific. She was looking forward to a couple weeks with my cousin who lives in Cambodia. We recieved a phone call Sunday morning telling us her flight was cancelled. She was the first person to inform us of the Tsunami. My Aunt and Darren were going to be vacationing in the very spots that the Tsunami hit.

Darren's plans have also completely changed.

Darren is the country director for Samaritan's Purse in Cambodia. He is now an emergency responder in Sri Lanka. The devastation has been brutal, but the emergency has just started. Although many lives have been lost due to the raging water, many many more lives will be lost without immediate relief. The disaster is the loss of all infrastructure NO potable water, No sanitary food, NO medical facilities. So many hurting people, so few people who can help.

While I am so thankful that my aunt and cousin did not start their vacation a few days earlier, I am so sad for the thousands of aunts, uncles, mothers, fathers, childrens and cousins who have lost their loved ones. It is bittersweet to have my cousin talking to Kevin Newman live via satellite on the national news. It is amazing that my cousin is the person the news people are talking to, but is even more amazing the devastating reason why they are talking to him.

Pray for all those affected.

Canadian Red Cross 1-800-418-1111
Samaritans Purse Canada 1-800-663-6500
UNICEF Canada 1-800-567-4483
Oxfam Canada 1-800-466-9326
World Vision Canada 1-800-268-5528
CARE Canada 1-800-267-5232
Mennonite Central Committee 1-888-622-6337
Salvation Army 1-800-725-2769