I am sitting by the fireplace. Over the past two days, friends and I have been in the back country cutting, stacking, hauling, and carving tall trees down into firewood.

As the chainsaw thundered trees to earth, I imagined workers cutting through cement and steel searching for survivors. As I hoisted eight foot logs onto my shoulders, I imagined carrying the living and the dead.

Jesus is on the island of Haiti. His hands are burying the dead, caring for the sick and wounded, holding the children, distributing water and provisions, clearing the rubble, and restoring every broken wall and devastated thing.

Not so unrelated, a number of years ago, Terry Woodthorpe was invited by a government minister of Ecuador to help them rediscover the energy of their nation. A moment ago, I was Skyped by a friend in Ecuador who who is reading Clairvaux Manifesto there,

[In Clairvaux Manifesto] you expose your heart unashamedly and honestly and in a way that is just retelling your stories, church father stories….not sure if that makes sense….i am eager to finish it on the bus ride tomorrow [into Quito]… there are some issues here with oil and gas revenue lately.

Early tomorrow morning, Terry and I have a Skype conversation with potential funders in our company, Woodthorpe Petroleum Ltd. It is our prayer, that as we rebuild this company, we will be allowed to help rebuild many nations like Haiti and Ecuador.

You’ll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew,
rebuild the foundations from out of your past.
You’ll be known as those who can fix anything,
restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate,
make the community livable again.

Isaiah 58:12 (The Message)