Five days after the awful earthquakes of Mexico City many years ago, the search for survivors was called off. Then beneath the ruins of a hospital, the cry of a newborn baby was heard.  Rescue workers donned face masks, pinned on name tags in case they were buried, rushed into the rubble, and began digging with their hands.  Underneath the tangled mass of steel and concrete were five babies miraculously well and alive.  As one worker said, “The babies’ cries motivated us.”

What does it take to motivate us?  The broken and the bruised are among us and their cries are heard in hospitals, in jails, out on the streets, but also in the places we lovingly call home.  Family violence is an escalating problem.  If you, your church, or a group to which you belong are looking for a way to reach out in mercy, the broken and bruised victims of family violence are crying for your help and waiting for your love.