"Thy word is a lamp to my feet" Psalm 119:105

Recently I got a letter from Cross International Catholic Outreach updating donors about their work in Haiti. The letter focused on building shelters for those who have been left homeless, shelters with a twist. I will get to the main part of the letter in a minute. But I have to share a little about something that caught my eye in the letter even though it was only 1 line.

That line dealt with another problem & their rather unique solution that lterally fulfills Jesus' call for us to be a light to the world (Matthew 5:14). This project is bringing both physical & especially spiritual light to those suffering from the effects of the earthquake.

Through their "Light Their World' project, Cross Catholic is providing a Creole New Testament & Book of Psalms waterproof Bible as well as a solar-powered lantern with a hand crank to a poor family in Haiti who has been living in a dark tent or makeshift shelter for months.

The cost of each Bible/lamp combo is $25. Not a bad price to help a family with God's word to strengthen them & encourage them, as well as to provide light for the family in the evening as they rebuild their lives.

Speaking of rebuilding, on to the main part of the letter that talked about building more permanent shelters for those who still have to live in tents & otherwise probably would have to for a long time. But these shelters are unique in that they are much more than temporary shelters.. Each specially designed shelter is framed with galvanized steel & can be erected in a day. Now this is where it gets interesting. But rather than tell you, I'll let this video from Cross International explain the rest of the story:

Quite an interesting twist isn't it? This project helps the people to get back to living in a more dignified setting than a tent. & it eventually can become the foundation for their permanent home. The building of these homes also helps create jobs for other Cross Catholic partners including boys at Father Marc Boisvert’s Espwa (“Hope”) Orphanage in Les Cayes.

You can read more about the project here or more about Shelter2Home here.

Oh yes, 1 more thing, this project is a matching funds project, so every dollar donated goes twice as far. So $10 is like giving $20, etc. If you are interested in donating to the Rebuild Haiti Today project go to the donor page at this link.

Here are 2 more videos about the work Cross Catholic is doing in Haiti:

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Being Pro-life is much more than simply stopping abortion like the pro-aborts claim. Supporting projects like this are a part of being Pro-life as well. Projects like this provide much more than just a handout. They provide hope, homes & much more. They are living out the Gospel as a witness of God's love to bring the message of salvation to those who need to hear it. Projects like this are the ones that are truly living out the social gospel aspects of the Catholic faith because they don't focus on the social while ignoring the Gospel.

As Cross Catholic explains: "In all that we do we seek to acknowledge and honor Jesus Christ, calling attention, not to ourselves, but to Jesus. We want to be explicit about our identity as a Christ-centered ministry whenever possible. We seek to obey Jesus’ words, “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16) (Emphasis mine) You can read their entire Core Values statement for an excellent summary of what it truly means to live out authentic Catholic social teachings.