As soon as it was possible to get into Haiti, my son Franklin’s organization, Samaritan’s Purse, immediately began a massive effort to provide water, medicine and emergency supplies to those who were affected by this tragedy. People from our own organization joined them, and I’ve been deeply touched by their stories — and their courage. The devastation they encountered is beyond belief, and I hope you’ll pray for them and for all who are seeking to help the people of Haiti.

For years I’ve pondered the question of why tragedies like this occur — and to be honest, I don’t have a full answer. What I do know is that we live in a broken world, where evil and suffering often seem to gain the upper hand. The Bible traces this back to the rebellion of the human race — along with that of Satan and his fallen angels — against the authority of God. As a result, the Bible says, “The whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time” (Romans 8:22).

But the world won’t always be like this. Some day, God will intervene and Christ will return to change all this. In the meantime, even if we don’t know why things like this happen, we do know what we are to do. Be as generous as possible, pray for the suffering people of Haiti, and ask God to use even a tragedy like this to point people to Christ, who alone gives us a solid foundation for life.