The Katinas have set up a fund to help the victims of the tsunami that rocked the islands of Samoa and their native American Samoa after a massive earthquake in the South Pacific earlier this week.
The Samoan-born brothers Sam, Joe, Jesse, John, and James - collectively known as The Katinas - were already planning their third annual mission trip to American Samoa in November. "It is very clear to us now what our mission is," the band writes on their website.
Fox News reports that on Tuesday an earthquake measuring 8.0 to 8.3 struck about 125 miles from Samoa. Samoa is home to 180,000 people; American Samoa 65,000. (Samoa is located between Hawaii and New Zealand.) At least 99 are dead and hundreds missing.
The band tweeted yesterday that their family had made it to higher ground, but you can imagine the devastation and loss they've experienced, along with thousands of others on the islands. You don't have to know people personally on such a small island for everyone to feel like family.
If you'd like to help, you can donate through the band's missions fund.
For more information about The Katinas, visit their website.
RELATED POST:Sam Katina talks about a lifestyle of worship
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This week, head over to iTickets.com for free downloads from the new House of Heroes album, Brenton Brown, Disowning Kaleb, and Ayiesha Woods. (Yeesh, at this rate, it won't be long before you'll have the entire debut album from Ayisha Woods in free downloads from iTickets.)
The downloads are available for a week, so don't wait!
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I have no idea why the church bells would be ringing at 3 PM on a Monday, or why that song was playing. But as the fall breezes blew and the last of the autumn sun shone down, hearing the song was a good reminder that in everything I do, I ought to be looking to the God who loves me, to do His will and to be an instrument for His peace. To be more concerned with understanding others than being understood myself, to loving more than being loved, to be looking out for the needs of other rather than focusing on myself.
Here are the lyrics, if you've never heard the song. I remember it being "instrument" of peace instead of "channel" but either way, it's still a lovely hymn:
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