Hope from Haiti - Nephew on Navy Comfort Ship

These have been amazing days as we have seen the overwhelming humanitarian response to the needs in Haiti.

May I share a family story -

David and I have an outstanding nephew - Matthew Goetz. Matt has served in the Navy as a junior officer for four years and recently returned from Liberia following a humanitarian mission. He was, as we say, "divinely ruined" and plans to return there to teach. He leaves the Navy in June and he begins a one year master's program in urban education at the Univeristy of Pennsylvania.

When the Haitian crisis hit, he immediately volunteered for duty and was deployed on one of the Navy's medical ships, the Comfort, where he is currently. The Comfort has been in the news a lot.

More to the story

My older sister, MaryAnn (Matt's mom) is a nurse at Northland High School in Columbus, Ohio, a school of many international students, including many from Haiti. The student body banded together to make a "Chain of Hope" to send with Matt and in doing so, raised money for relief efforts. My brother-in-law, Herb, with a day's notice, flew to Balitmore to get the chain to Matt so he could take this message of hope with him.

It is so wonderful to be in a family who are all "divinely ruined" and see life as we should -serving and loving those precious people God places in front of us.

Here is a heart-warming picture from the Comfort.

These precious babies were born on the Comfort. Matt is the tall, handsome young man in the back row on the right. Notice the chain behind the group.

From the Students

This is the note from the students at Northland High School in Columbus.