I was upstairs in the group eating area with Melonnie when the truck came through the gates. I ran down the steps and so happily hugged my husband. After sharing some tears together the girls joined in right behind me. Our family was together. How many others could say that after the quake?
Malaya had to tell him all about the quake and how the bed moved – how he had “missed” all the excitement. The girls were telling him all about the people who had died and how so many people were crying. I believe I shared this on facebook but I never did write it down on the blog. Most parents watch their children playing school or doctor. I watch mine play Earthquake.
Mikela: Okay. Your house fell down on you. It’s shaking. It’s shaking.
Rosie: Help me! Help Me. My house fell on me.
Malaya: My house fell too. I don’t see my baby.
Mikela: Sorry Rosie. I can’t help you. You’re dead. Malaya – I will try to dig you out. I cant save your baby-sorry.
We had another lady come to my house. She had lost her sister and was crying on the couch. My mom was here listening to her story. Mikela told her not to cry. Then she told my mom – – Tell her Nana – Tell her about the thing in Heaven…where they feel better and they dont hurt and they get to sing and play all day. (Then before my mom could speak – Mikela started speaking it in creole and wiping away her tears).
The girls had to tell their daddy all about it.
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Melissa and Maureen got off the truck tonight and looked like they had been through some pretty rough days too. I can only imagine the patients that they’ve seen. Please pray for them and for their hearts. We watch things on the TV and we look at pictures – but it’s not the same thing as being on the front-lines and experiencing it in person.
I talked with Magdala and Roselande tonight. The Haitian radio is playing a phone call from some Haitians that are still buried under the rubble but are alive. Roselande is telling me – “I heard her voice on the phone. She told everyone exactly where she is and people are there now trying to dig them out”. I never know when you hear those things on the radio – whether you can believe it or not but so many Haitians are holding out hope that there are still hundreds alive that need to be rescued.
The next few days we are focusing our efforts on how to best help the victims of the quake that are making their way north. Our focus can’t simply be on those that are injured. We have to address the needs of those that are healthy too. Many of our Haitian employees were barely making it before and now they’re adding their extended families. How can they take care of so many? Their burdens have tripled.
In all that we do we want to remain faithful to His calling and direction. So please pray for the leadership of the mission as they try to make the right decisions. Pray that logistics that sometimes seem so hard to coordinate will line-up as needed. Please pray that we can get the right people and the right supplies all here at the right time. We need all 3 things to line-up just perfect.