If your heart has been hurting over the events in Afghanistan or Haiti over the past week, you are not alone. It can be hard to hear the news reports or see the scenes of suffering, desperation, and death. Below are some suggestions for how you can pray, serve, and give in ways that help our international neighbors in need.
Pray
Scripture tells us that prayer is one of the most powerful tools at our disposal (Mark 11:22-25). We know that God sees, hears, knows, and acts. We can trust Him.
"Then the Lord said, 'I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.'" (Exodus 3:7-8)
Here are a few ways you can pray specifically for Afghanistan and Haiti right now.
For Afghanistan:
- Pray for deliverance from evil, protection for the weak, and refuge for the displaced.
- Pray that churches across the world would welcome refugees in love and friendship, and specifically that we would do that well at Watermark.
- Pray for For the Nations, our local refugee ministry partner, as they seek to care for and support Afghans coming into Dallas.
- Pray for our partner in the Middle East—that they would have wisdom in how to care for the people in country and for protection.
For Haiti:
- Pray for the Mission of Hope team that is providing medical assistance to those affected by the earthquake.
- Pray for ease in the transportation of supplies to the affected areas.
- Pray for healing for the people and the land.
- Pray for unity for the Church and the country as this happened so soon after the assassination of their president.
Overall:
- Pray the Gospel of Jesus will reach the desperate people of Afghanistan and Haiti.
- Please also pray for Watermark leadership as we navigate how to steward our resources and mobilize our people.
Serve
There are a few different ways you can serve with For the Nations, our local ministry partner that works specifically with refugees.
- Refugee Welcome Team: The welcome team greets each refugee family at the airport upon arrival, sets up their new apartment, and helps them through their first month in Dallas. Teams are sometimes able to form a relationship with the new family that extends beyond the initial four-week commitment.
- Refugee Outreach Classroom Aide: Teacher’s aides serve refugees and their children in one of three classroom settings: preschool, K-6th grade classes, and adult English classes. This is an ongoing opportunity where you can serve once per week for either a morning or an afternoon session.
You can learn more about these opportunities and apply to serve here.
Give
Watermark has a designated fund for disaster relief and aid. Any resources given to this fund are set aside to support trusted, like-minded partners and churches in areas affected by natural disasters and to deploy teams for relief efforts. Watermark’s leadership team will process how to steward these funds toward our partners that are helping with relief in both Haiti and Afghanistan.
You can give directly toward our Disaster Relief Fund or learn more about Watermark’s Disaster Relief efforts and processes.
We live in a broken world where disasters happen, but we can have peace by knowing that Christ has overcome the world (John 16:33). When others are in need, we should seek to show them Christ’s love (John 13:34-35) and share with them the hope that we have (1 Peter 3:14-15).
