Kelly – I hear what you’re saying but may I also interject that I don’t think those suffering in Haiti care at all WHY people here are helping. They don’t have the luxury of analyzing motives. They just need help.

It’s great when anyone takes action to help. Whatever their motives. My prayer is that people’s hearts will follow their hands.

If you were not “being compassionate” and “loving well” when it wasn’t “cool” don’t tell me all about what you are doing now.

We all need to have compassion and love well always, regardless of what the media and others tell us is the cool charity, the next need, the current trending tragedy. Who might be in your front yard, your back yard, or right next door? On top of that, in addition to it, what is happening in the rest of the world?

What happens to Haiti after the shine of being the charity case du jour wears off?

a couple of quick disclaimers since, after all, this IS the internet…

#1 – i understand that the Onion’s purpose is to entertain through satire and cynicism.

#2 – i agree that Haiti is one of the most horrifying places in the world, even before the earthquake.

#3 – i understand that great suffering takes place there and elsewhere on earth. i would never act as if things ‘aren’t that bad there.’ they are.

with that said, i do take issue with some of the accusations of this ‘comical’ article.

the presence of suffering does not equal the absence of compassion.

yes, great suffering was present in Haiti before the earthquake, but there has also been compassion. there have long been churches and aid organizations and philanthropic groups that have reached out to Haiti with physical assistance and the Gospel.

‘we’ haven’t eradicated suffering there, because that is not possible. suffering will exist until the Lord returns to redeem the fallen creation. until then, we are to help those who need help and bring the Gospel wherever we go. help and hope.

suffering is not limited to the country that CNN decides to cover that week or the 10 poorest nations of 2009. there is suffering everywhere. Haiti, eastern Europe, the jungles of South America, the United States. that doesn’t mean God is not working in lives, through churches and other groups to bring help and hope to every place in the world. in fact, quite the opposite is true.

this is the issue i take with the Onion’s cynicism. God IS active all around the world because He has activated His people to go all over the planet giving help and hope. some places are worse than others, but that doesn’t mean that our Jesus has failed.

we must be led by God as individuals and churches SO THAT He can send us out to the individual places where He wants us to bring help and hope. He sends His people out on purpose. some to Haiti. some to the Sudan. some to Hong Kong. some to Los Angeles.

God’s plan is for everywhere, not only where it’s ‘the worst’ at the time. and He has been sending His people to Haiti faithfully, as He always does. and He will continue to bring His mercy and compassion to every part of the world as His people faithfully follow in His leading.

our part is to help, to pray and to go where He sends us, whether that is 5,000 miles away or next door. God is faithful. we must be faithful too.