quake.

       So much has changed in the last 3 weeks. Including saying goodbye to most of our 31 girls, which I will put post about later.

 
Mandie was came down these stairs during the quake with this stuff falling on her head. She made it out safely, but was one of the last ones to make it into the yard.

Laurie was getting ready to make wraps (note: tortillas and cheese on the table) to take on our country trip.
  Abby and I were standing here looking for something in the freezer, when we heard the loud noise and then everything started shaking. We just looked at each other with wide eyes and I grabbed Abby’s arm and we ran! I guess we never shut the freezer, cause Dwayne found a blender and some other things in the freezer, as well as a lizard.
God had His hand over us! A few minutes earlier or later could have been devastating for some people in our yard. It was Tuesday which is hair combing day for our little girls, so  most of them were in the pavilion because of combing hair. One of the girls had a bar of soap and was heading for the shower. I am so glad they were running behind schedule, otherwise the girls would have been in the shower when it collapsed. 
It was hard to run, it was shaking so badly a couple of people fell and could hardly get on their feet again. I think we were all in the yard by the time the worst of it was over. As I looked around, it seemed like a dream. I remember thinking the wall is even down, and beyond that, across the street,  one of our pastor’s house was gone. A cloud of dust was rising all around our place. And then the screaming… all around us from every side, people yelling and shouting.  Our girls did fairly well, they were terrified and many questions were asked, we tried explaining the best we could, but what do you say to comfort them and promise them safety? So we claimed Jesus’ Blood and protection on our lives. Phara was a mess, we could not get her calmed down, after prayer for her she did calm down and a little bit later she told me: “Do you know why I was so scared and cried like that? Because I did not put my trust in God!” I love her! :)  We prayed and sang for about an hour an half. It also helped to keep the girls calm, us to! :)  But the tremors that kept coming were terrifying… the ground just kept shaking and it would rattle the tin on the roofs, a couple hard ones I was sure the big house was going to come down, but it stood.  It wasn’t a very good feeling when it started getting dark, guess it just feels better when you can see everything. Later on into the evening a vehicle from another mission drove in with about 7 people or so. They had been on their way home from Port. and decided to spend the night with us. It was a great comfort to have some extra people there. We got some mats and blankets from the girls’ houses and piled on where ever there was room with the girls. That night alot of us didn’t get more than 30 min. of sleep. It seemed to me that everytime I closed my eyes it shook again. Sometime during the night Abby asked Laurie what time it was, thinking that it was almost daylight and Laurie replied, “1:30”, disappointing... But we were soo glad when daylight came!

  
This picture was taken about 30 min. after the quake.

The sun is coming up! A very welcoming sight!

Our wall towards the road.

The girl’s bathroom
 
This is our “place of refuge” We have a big open space in the middle of our yard, and that is where we stayed.
Pastor Duval’s house and our wall and wash line.
  
This is the corner where the office is.
The  next day. so many people walking, you could see alot of them were carrying all they owned. And their faces… such sadness.

The girls found ways to entertain themselves for the most part…

We cooked over the fire for a couple days, before we felt safe enough to go into the houses. Heidi did a great job with it!

Our outdoor dining room

Laurie came up with an idea to occupy the girls for awhile, good exercise and it was fun too. :)

Isaiah 14:7 The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they break forth into singing.  - a promise from God.