Stan Dunlap Photography

As I have watched the news and updates about the devastation in Haiti I’ve seen the destruction, the pain, the poverty, and I realized how spoiled I am. I realized how out of touch with this situation I am. I see the images and I pray, I see the hurting and dyeing and I feel badly, but what am I going to do? I asked what is my part in this?

Last week as I was looking at some of the images from Haiti I saw this one of a little boy, all alone and setting on a rock. In my early training as a photographer I was taught to focus on a persons eyes so now when I’m viewing a photograph of a person I seem to always look at the eyes. The boy looked to be about 8 or 9 and his eyes were big and brown, he wasn’t crying he wasn’t doing anything, just looking into the camera lens.  I can’t explain it but the lost and lonely look in this child’s eyes told the story. Then I read the caption under the image, he had lost his entire family and had no one. Then I thought, how much do I love, I talk a good game but how much do I care, and how much do I sacrifice? That day the words of Brandon Heath’s song “Give Me Your Eyes” kept going through my mind;

Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
Ones that are far beyond my reach.
Give me your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see

Last Sunday and today Long Hollow Baptist  (as well as countless other churches) gave and gave and gave. Since last summer Long Hollow has been raising money through the Crazy Love offerings in order, via a partnership with the Global Orphans Project, to build villages with schools and shelter for the orphans of Haiti. Is this a coincidence? I don’t think so; I think God has been preparing my heart, our hearts in order to break them so we can see.  I will never see the boy in the photograph but God is calling me to help my church and through His work the orphans in Haiti will be exposed to his love and grace!

Today the people attending Long Hollow donated food, medicine, tents, diapers and clothes to the people of Haiti. FedEx donated a trailer, driver and time and will deliver the items to Miami, Florida. Once in Miami the Global Orphans Project will have it shipped to Haiti. The trailer was filled, actually there was probably enough to fill two trailers. Here are few images from today at Long Hollow;

Not only did they give they worked. Men, women and children packed boxes and loaded the truck!

Awesome! Keep praying for Haiti and for the staff members of Long Hollow Baptist who are in Haiti this week!