Thoughts on a Thursday

As I looked at this photo my heart broke at the fear and despair on this woman's face. I want to be able to hold and comfort her but that of course is not possible. What I can do though is support those who are able to be there helping. Yes, there are a lot of scam organizations set up to primarily benefit financially from these horrific events, but there is a way to get your donations to the right people.
If you are considering donating to a cause check out their financial stats. They have to state how much of donated money and goods go to the actual relief efforts and not just administrative costs. If they can't give you those numbers, don't donate. There are so many good organizations set up to help during tragic events including the Red Cross, Catholic Social Services and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Humanitarian Aid and Emergency Response Teams. It's good to know that if I donate anything to my church 100% of it will go to those in need. If you have an organization you support please feel free to list that here. We can all do much good during this time as we work together. I know for a fact that those working down in Haiti to help restore some sense of normalcy don't care what organization or church you belong to, and I'm sure those being helped don't either.
I pray the earthquakes will stop and that the relief efforts won't be hampered. I pray that we will know how we can best help from our own little corner of the world. I pray for those who think that our prayers don't matter. Oh yes, I actually had someone tweet that the other day, that prayer doesn't matter. I pray for the comfort and peace that comes from the Savior to warm the hearts and calm the fears of the afflicted. May God bless us all to do the right thing.