Disaster in the Philippines

My heart is heavy as I look at images and hear reports of the devastation caused by typhoon Haiyan last week.

So many lives lost.

So many lives displaced.

So much destruction and devastation.

The people of the Philippines need us. Yesterday on Compassion's blog, there was a great post about things to consider when choosing a charity to donate to in times of crisis. I highly recommend you read it yourself (HERE), but the three main points are these:

1. Was the nonprofit working there before the disaster?
2. Will the nonprofit stick around after the disaster?
3. How will your donation be used?

Shaun Groves also wrote a great post on his blog about the importance of researching charities. He claims that it's unloving to do nothing and naive to just do something. Take a little time and research the charity or organization you plan to donate to. He gives you four concrete ways to do a little research (HERE).

If you choose to donate through Compassion, you can do so HERE. They have set up a donation site that will be updated as information becomes available. You can also click on the image in the side bar of this blog.

In the meantime, do you have a child you sponsor or correspond with in the Philippines? If so, please leave your child's name in the comments and I will pray for them by name. I would encourage you to look through the comments and pray for any named child as well.