3 Points to Ponder
- “Problems are like elephants. They are big, loud, and will stop you in your tracks if you focus on them. No one can eat an elephant in one sitting, but it can be consumed one bite at a time. You just have to start.”
- “Our focus determines our attitude towards outcomes. Without the right attitude, massive outcomes are nearly impossible. Focus on the thing you can control, what is right in front of you. Where is your focus right now?”
- “Challenges in our world aren’t going away. In fact, they are going to increase. Instead of being surprised, be prepared. What we do today lays the foundation for what we can handle tomorrow.”
2 Quotes to Share
“You don’t get results by focusing on results. You get results by focusing on the actions that produce results.” – Mike Hawkins
“It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.” – Aristotle Onassis
1 Story of Impact
On August 14, 2021, the ground violently shook for 45 seconds in the far South of Haiti, on the lower finger of the island. Registering 7.2 on the Richter scale, the damage was catastrophic. In preliminary damage assessments from Haiti’s Office of Civil Protection, which is responsible for disaster response, it is estimated 60,759 houses have been destroyed and 76,121 others have been damaged. The death toll is over 2,200 and at least 684,000 people are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. Where do you even start? You start by taking one bite of the elephant. Making phone calls on Sunday, to relationships I trusted, a plan started to form. Through multiple non-profit organizations working together, over 500 pastors in 20 zones, with Haitians and Americans in multiple regions of Haiti, over 23 tons of food (312,120 meals) were distributed within 72 hours of the disaster to the most distressed and displaced Haitians. A few bites of the elephant consumed. We then let the public know of our response, inviting them to do what they could do — resource the needed aid. Within another 72 hours, over $45,000, from over 170 donors, was raised. A few more bites. Because of the outpouring, the second round of food was approved, upping the total food distributed to 100,345 pounds (688,080 meals) in less than two weeks. This doesn’t answer all the problems from the earthquake, but it does solve the food problem for the next few days for each person who received food. And if we all take a bite of the elephant, after some time, it is gone. What elephant in your life do you need to start taking one bite of right now?
