Heartbreaking … devastation… incomprehensible… are some of the words we use as we struggle to fathom the depth of the natural disasters whose images from Texas and Sierra Leone continue to tear at our hearts and souls. As you may be aware, Hurricane Harvey has devastated Texas and the broader Gulf Coast, damaging more than 87,000 homes and leaving dozens of people dead. In Freetown, Sierra Leone, more than 1,000 people have died in mudslides that have damaged tens of thousands of homes. 

This is not a time to theologize on why disasters occur. This is time to act in love in order to help our sisters and brothers who are victims of these tragic events. This is not a time to point fingers, but to raise our hands in praise to those first responders and volunteers who are already helping to save lives.

When we are overwhelmed by images of tragedy, whether from the mudslides in Sierra Leone or flooding in Texas, we wonder what we can do as Christians. Here are three things we can do as United Methodists: 

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