Tonight features Nick, Dan, and I.
Joel had a prayer meeting today and we contacted the fair. Not too much is happening right now, but it sounds like it might be raining. I’ll check back in in the morning. Long day. Ready for bed.
Night 3 ~ Shelter 127
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.
Night 2 ~ Shelter 127
Tonight’s crew was Joel Teeple, Jake Prough, and I.
Last night was our first night in the shelter, and it was harder to fall asleep then expected. I think I got 4 hours of sleep or so.
At 9pm tonight a thunderstorm rolled through Hicksville bringing rain, wind, and a lot of lightning. Most of us weren’t in the shelter for the night yet, but I ran out to see if our newly attached roof was water tight or not. It’s not. There weren’t just a few leaks either, it seemed like quite a few. The rain is failing pretty steadily now, and I am not sure when it is supposed to stop.
I wonder what it is like to be in a tarp and 2X4 box with a tropical storm or hurricane headed your way.
I’m starting to wonder how I am going to shower while we are still in the shelter. It has been difficult to go through the day and think “oh, I have that at home” and not be able to go get it. Time will tell how difficult it will be.
Tonight I feel like I got a decent amount of sleep but still haven’t been able to figure out a shower. I may not make it too church because of it. I have a camp shower, but no where to fill it up right now. This could be harder then I thought. I am also out of clean clothes, but I don’t have any clean clothes to wear to the laundry mat and I haven’t showered yet.
We will see what today brings I guess.
Night 1 ~ Shelter 127
Tonight, Jared Stone, Matt Pocratsky, and I stayed in the shelter.
I woke up today thinking that I was going to have a decently busy day ahead of me. I raced out the door this morning on my way to work, and even managed to make it to a gas station in time to pick up a couple vitamin waters for the day. I finished up work at about 5, and walked out the door towards my truck.
Then my phone vibrated.
Everything changed.
I had received a simple text message with 1 word in it. Earthquake.
In that instant the rest of my day changed, I was suddenly without a home to return to for the night.
Now let’s be upfront, my home isn’t really gone. The “earthquake” was a fictional occurrence. My family is safe and sound, and I know where they are (mostly anyways).
For Haitians 20 months ago, the earthquake was real. Over 1 million were displaced from their homes, many loosing possessions, family members, and even limbs. Many of them are still displaced or homeless almost 2 years later.
So tonight I spend my first night in a temporary shelter. I will not return home until we bring 2 Haitian families home. $11,000 is the goal.
God grant me strength.
Home means Hope
You don’t raise money to help with a houseless problem. You don’t hear about the houseless and the tragedy that it is. You raise money to help with a homeless problem. You hear about the homeless…those who have had their security and safety taken away. You hear about those who have lost their place of comfort and refuge. You hear about the displaced…displaced from what? From a building? What is a building without the memories you make in it? What is a house that has no heart in it?
Shelter 127 is less about building homes out of bricks to restore possessions and more about building homes out of grace to restore hope. The same grace that is given to those of us who accept the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross. The grace that you can’t earn and certainly don’t deserve. Shelter 127 is about building grace, faith, and hope in a people who have lost it all. Home means hope.