Lend a Helping Hand
Dear friends, I’m sure you’ve heard the tragic news: a powerful earthquake struck Thailand and Myanmar last Friday, claiming the lives of over 2,000 people by Sunday. Rescue workers fear that the final death toll may rise even higher.
Here are two heart wrenching stories the Wall Street Journal reported that have helped me understand the devastation and the suffering people in Thailand and Myanmar have endured:
The Teacher Who Sacrificed Herself to Protect Students
“Just after lunchtime on Friday, a roomful of children at a preschool in central Myanmar laid down for their afternoon nap when the earth began to shake.
The walls of the two-story Bright Kids Private School started to creak and rumble. Minutes later, concrete slabs came crashing down around them.
Hlu Hsan, a teacher, threw herself on top of three students and clutched them tightly to her chest to shield them from debris. When rescuers arrived an hour later, she begged them to save the children first, according to a first responder.
Hlu Hsan survived just long enough to see them lifted, alive, from the ruins.
Many others didn’t make it. In all, 15 of the 50 children inside the school didn’t survive, according to a local charity that helped lead rescue efforts. Hlu Hsan was the only one of seven teachers there on Friday who died, as the others were rescued or managed to scramble outside just in time. Another woman, a snack vendor, was also killed.”
“Save me, baba”
“One 4-year-old girl was wedged between a pink pillow on the floor and heavy chunks of cement when he heard her cry for help. The girl’s legs were completely buried, her curly hair coated with dust.
“Save me, baba, get me out!” she cried when she saw him coming, Thar Nge said. He gave her a sip of water and told her not to worry.
He said it took his team more than two hours to carefully chip apart the cement that pinned her down and remove the pieces by hand. By then, her legs had turned an ashy gray color and she was too weak to even cry. His colleagues rushed her to a nearby hospital, but she was dead by nightfall.”
We need to unite in support of the victims and their families during this incredibly challenging time. If you’re unsure which charity to trust, I encourage you to consider Samaritan’s Purse, a highly regarded Christian relief organization. Their dedicated volunteers are often the first on the scene during both domestic and international disasters, working tirelessly to provide essential assistance. As President Reagan wisely stated, “We cannot help everyone, but everyone can help someone.” Please extend your compassion and help those affected by the earthquake in any way that resonates with you.
Thank you.
