Go Beyond

   Shelter — in addition to food and water, it’s one of life’s essentials. For the homeless in Houston’s urban areas, shelter can be as simple as a cardboard lean-to in a filthy alley. For those of us who live in the suburbs, our shelters are constructed out of materials that are more substantial than cardboard. We devote a great deal of money to the purchase of our shelters and spend even more to maintain and improve them. We are indeed blessed to enjoy the security of comfortable homes.

   On January 12 of this year, Haiti, the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, was rocked by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake. Kingsland responded by collecting over one-thousand pounds of medical supplies that were flown to Haiti on four private planes. Four of our members joined one of the first medical initiatives into the country. Today, the people of Haiti are still in desperate need. One of the greatest needs is for shelter. The rainy season has begun in Haiti and hundreds of thousands of Haitians are still without shelter. It’s hard for us to imagine what that must be like because few, if any, of us have ever had to face that kind of crisis.

   There is something practical that we can do to assist those in Haiti who have lost their homes and are still without shelter. Our missions ministry is assisting our friends at Houston Tents for Haiti by collecting new or gently used water-resistant tents. These tents will be shipped via truck to Miami and then by container ship to Port-Au-Prince. Once the tents arrive in Haiti, they will be distributed to Haitian communities by organization members of the Haiti Response Coalition.

   You can help. If you have a tent in your garage or attic that you are no longer using, please donate it Houston Tents for Haiti. Or, perhaps you can purchase a tent at a local sporting goods store to donate to the cause. There is no doubt that your kindness will bless a family in need. If you can help, please drop-off your tents at the reception desk at Honda Cars of Katy located at 21001 Katy Freeway on the corner of Westgreen and I-10. Please note that the drop-off deadline is April 30. Thanks for whatever you can do to provide shelter for the people of Haiti.