Typhoon Yolanda

"It was like a tsunami"
"Philippines Typhoon leaves up to 10,000 dead in Tacloban City"
"destruction"
"Typhoon Haiyan's death toll rises"

These are just some of the headlines on news reports today about Typhoon Haiyan(called Yolanda in the Philippines). Yesterday the death toll was estimated at 1,200 by the Philippines Red Cross, but shot up by almost 900% in just one day. CNN said Haiyan "was 3.5 times more forceful than Hurricane Katrina, which hit the United States [in] 2005." {{where I lived, and where many friends of mine still reside, was not in the direct path of the storm, and received only rains. So, while I am very grateful for this, my heart breaks for the thousands upon thousands who were physically affected.}}

Being on the other side of the world, it's hard to imagine what life is like in the aftermath of such a horrific disaster. Footage and photographs can only display so much. The Chicago Tribune described the scene: "Some sat and stared, covering their faces with rags to keep out the smell of the dead." Smells stay with you, and the smell of death is not one that is easily covered. pray for the survivors. Pray for strength, the will to live, to rescue, to rebuild--not just physically, but to rebuild lives. Sandra Bulling, the International Communications officer for CARE, commented on the loss of boats and crops on the affected islands. "This is really the basic income of many people," she said, and she is so right.


Lest I forget, the Tribune also talked about Vietnam, as they were next to be hit by this monstrous storm. "Vietnam authorities have moved 883,000 people in 11 central provinces to safe zones, according to the government's website." Let's not forget the people of Vietnam, either.

Though I do want to ask you to continue to pray for the Philippines and Vietnam, I do not want to leave you with just another reminder of the outrageous numbers and searing loss. I want to exhort you; find some way to be involved in helping with the relief efforts. There are plenty of places that are doing something hands-on with the survivors and with rescuing.

Here are just a few to get you started looking:

World Vision has started an emergency relief fund for the Philippines- donate here.
You can give to UNICEF's emergency fund here.

SEND International has a fund they are collecting to help 5 partner churches in the affected area.

Previously mentioned, CARE is also helping on the ground in the Philippines.

For even more places to give, Fox News has listed a number of reccommended organizations to partner with,

and so did CNN.

Grace and peace,

Hutchmoot

What is Hutchmoot?
If you like art (in the broad sense of the term) and creating, then this Hutchmoot thing has probably grabbed your attention. And if, after visiting the site and watching the video, you still find yourself asking the question, what is Hutchmoot?, I want you to be assured, you are not alone. Most Hutchmoot attendees have asked it themselves. I was asking that question up until the day after I left Hutchmoot.
So, if your ear's been pricked and you want to know what it's like to be at Hutchmoot, I'll tell you. Being there has a certain atmosphere about it, an ambiance, as if creativity were a thing that you could touch. It fills the air like a thick morning fog...

Syke.

Interim

Thank you for bearing with me while I've been...not necessarily gathering my thoughts; rather, gathering my brain. To be honest, I can't remember being so tired for such a long time. Mental and emotional exhaustion have drawn me to bed and to mindless TV-watching instead of writing. And although NBC's The Voice is entertaining and instructional for me as a secretly-aspiring singer(shh--did I say that?), it's not a replacement for the accomplished feeling of having successfully communicated thoughts that have rattled around my head, looking for the escape route marked by the red 'EXIT' sign.

With my first Hutchmoot experience under my belt, I feel as though I must push through the fatigue and crank out something--anything. At the same time, I dont want it to be just anything. I want it to be quality. Well, I suppose it will have to be whatever I have in me.

Tonight, that's this: telling you that my summary of what Hutchmoot was for me will be coming soon. A lot happened. In me. A lot that I'm not sure I fully understand yet. I did a lot of searching, listening, questioning, praying, and watching...

So bear with me, if you will, just a bit longer. I'm slow in this writing and learning-to-write process, but it's coming. soon.

Cultivating Contagious Creativity

Recently, a friend of mine began a life-coaching job. She is training for it and needed to practice on some people she knows, so she asked me. I was thrilled--any chance I get to brainstorm with someone else, I'll take it. She showed me some questions that she'd give her clients to help them prepare for the coaching session, and I was hooked. Questions like "what gifts do you have that you'd like to make available to the world?" and "When in your life did you feel most creative?" sucked me in like quicksand.

Where, in all the world, IS God?

"I’ve curled up in bed, pulled the covers over my head, and tried to pray to a God I felt I’d left behind on another continent." -Shaun Groves, in a blog on the vast experiences of re-entry.

A couple months ago, my eyes read those words then almost began the next sentence; but didn't. After one second of ingesting that statement, I began to sob. But not the kind where you're wailing loudly for the neighbors to hear. It was a silent sob--where you exhale strongly and seem to be caught there for 10 seconds, as the tears flood your eyes. You hyperventilate, choking on air as your chest jolts a few times. tears stream down your face. I continued in this state for a good 5 minutes, intensely whispering, where are you God?? Jesus, I need you! Where are you??