These kinds of things really get the wheels in my head turning (video embedded below):

The September Campaign Trailer from charity: water on Vimeo.

Steph and I spent Saturday with some folks from our church body working with the Raleigh Rescue Mission to do some repairs on a woman’s home.

Steph was our in-house photographer. She took tons of photos, which you can find here.

News 14 was also there. I was in front of the camera for quite a while, but I think in the end, only my hand made on TV. You can read or watch the story here.

I got an email from World Vision today. It says that they could really use our prayers and financial support in serving the people devastated by cyclone Nargis and the earthquakes in China.

Here are some excerpts:

Myanmar

World Vision’s 600 local staff members continue to struggle to meet the most urgent needs. Word Vision has already delivered tons of rice, clean drinking water, clothing, blankets and tarpaulins in areas hit hardest by Cyclone Nargis.

Our staff is also working to intervene against another threat — the outbreak of infectious diseases. In emergency situations, even a minor illness can lead to widespread loss of life, especially among the most vulnerable — young children and the elderly.

We are also caring for traumatized children through our Child Friendly Spaces. “Tens of thousands of children have seen their homes destroyed, family members die, seen dead bodies, or are now simply trying to survive in a terribly harsh post-disaster environment,” shared a World Vision staff member.

Please pray for our staff in Myanmar, working tirelessly in difficult conditions to help those who are suffering. I am humbled by the sacrifices they are making on behalf of the children we serve.

China

As the number of dead and missing from the China earthquake surpasses 88,000 people and the aftershocks continue, World Vision’s emergency response efforts continue. We are focusing on distributions for families, especially quilts and tarps to provide children with warmth and shelter. Medical supplies are also being distributed to assist the injured and support overwhelmed local hospitals.

“We work with communities and together face the same dangers — it is terrifying when the earth buckles due to an after shock or when we have to evacuate areas where we are doing distributions due to threats of flooding. Last week a landslide blocked the road we were using to deliver our emergency supplies, furthering the challenge of getting aid through,” said World Vision aid worker in Qingchuan Office, Andrew Lok.

These desperate families continue to need your help. Please join us in prayer for the protection of vulnerable families, World Vision staff, and others involved in delivering aid.

When you click the link, it takes you to this page:

Google gives you the opportunity to donate to Unicef or Direct Relief International, and they say that they will also donate up to a million dollars based on contributions.

Steph and I were budgeting how to spend our economy stimulus tax rebate, and we budgeted some money for giving. My only hesitation is that I’d like to give to a Christ-based group who is working in Burma. Does anybody know if Compassion International or World Vision is over there?

Lemme know…