Tonight we will have our first girls group in the shelter. Emily June, Lizzie Beth, Anna, Brittany, and Becky, all as snug as bugs in a rug in the Shelter. Jake Prough and I on guard duty in the trailer.

I spent a good 2-3 hours of my day figuring out how to get my clothes and myself clean. Let’s just say it involved a camp shower and a laundrymat…not necessarily in that order.

Tonight I am on guard duty…and will be hanging out in the trailer with the door open in case of emergency. I am doing my best to honor my commitment to not go home.

Frankly that commitment has been a pain so far. Soon I will be taking stock of the clothes that I had in my truck and seeing if I can make it work or if I will need to buy more.

…

I know this isn’t really related to the events of today, but I was thinking about this while we were setting up for tonight. The ol’ Shelter isn’t as sturdy as she used to be. Some of the wood has been cracking and warping, and nails, screws, and staples are coming out much more easily now. It’s not dangerous yet, but I don’t know if she will make it through another year.

It was a pressing reminder of how long these temporary shelters are intended to last. Samaritans Purse (the organization that has designed the shelter we are staying in) has rated them for no more than 2 years of occupancy. It has been 20 months since the earthquake…and time is running out.

So tonight we give up our homes…so that soon two Haitian families can have one.

May God bless this endeavor, and continue to challenge our complacency.