You heard the sayings, “You had to be there” and “If you only knew…”. There are the times when you wish you could be “there” or have other people understand what you are experiencing. This was my heart was this past week as my daughter, along with a team of 27, was on a missions trip in Haiti.
Within minutes of the news hitting the airwaves, there were three cell phones ringing in the room. We got on the computer and checked out the latest information. Within the next hour, a whole church community and their connections all over the world were made aware of the events. From that moment on, every time someone at home got a message from Haiti, it was immediately spread to the families and community, and from there to all the connections each of us had on Facebook, through Twitter, texting, email and cell phone. At a time as life-changing as this, the Haiti team was not alone.
The team had the concerns and prayers of thousands, many of whom did not know them personally, all through the power of social media. They received messages of support. Messages of love. Messages of hope. All through Facebook or Twitter. Having the resources of a huge community and not just a circle of a few, made all the difference in their options for getting home. They were a team of 27 going to serve, but their efforts were multiplied by thousands. Through such an unsettling week, social media made all the difference.
This is my story. However, it can be heard again and again. In Advertising Age, an article titled “The Earthquake in Haiti, Social Media and Me: A Personal Reflection”, speaks about the positive effects social media had on the families of Haiti.
