Monday evening, Matt talked with us about his trip to Ethiopia. A couple years ago, he and Amy adopted two children from there. Now he goes back to help the orphanages. I found him on Google maps.

Tuesday afternoon, Hope left for the Czech Republic. She’ll be helping teach conversational English for a couple weeks, discovering that apparently Jesus would do the same if he were living her life. I found her on Google maps.

Thursday morning, we heard that Megin and Rob are going to court. In Ethiopia. It’s okay. It’s because Meg left their daughter there. Which is okay because they are adopting her. Megin went to work in an orphanage for a couple of weeks.

On Thursday, 27 high school, college, and adults from our church left for Haiti. They took 215 dresses sewed by people from our church, and enough money to build a house. After praying for them and sending them off, I walked back into my office. I found it on Google maps.

And just then, thanks to Cheryl, I read Ann Voskamp’s story about what she told her mom about her trip to Haiti. I realized that our kids are never coming back.

There is an unsettledness in my heart as I watch these friends, as we watch our family. These trips place worldview at great risk. Financial disparity is part of that. But more than that, the idea that we don’t have to pay attention to other people could be wounded. There’s a sense of moral responsibility, an awareness that God may have given me the resources I have to help someone else.

In a couple weeks when everyone is home and as Meg and Rob go to court, how willing will I be to listen to the words “we have to do something”?