TS Tomas Hits

This post is unfortunately going up later than I would have liked. This is due to a combination of things. Either way, it is a story that is too good to not post.



The morning after Tomas, Mami Pompe showed up with her two grandchildren soaked to the bone. Bobby and Shekele both attend our preschool, and Mami's unfinished house is located right off our property. During the night, the force of the wind was so strong that it blew the roof right off of Mami's house. We took Bobby and Shekele, gave them warm "baths", fed them, and put them in warm clothes. Mami insisted on returning to her house in the pouring rain because she did not want her belongings stolen.

After the boys were happy and dry, and the rain had decided to give a slight reprieve, Mami came back for her boys. We drove them back to the house with the intention of talking her into letting us keep the boys for the next few days until the rain and wind was completely gone. This is what I saw when I walked into her house-



Of course the rain started up at this point. In the top picture, you can see Bobby looking up towards the sky as the rain starts to drench the inside of their house again. Her mattresses, chickens, clothing, pots, pans, and table were wet. Their dirt floor had turned to mud. I could not let them stay like this.

Tigre drove us back to the Quad where Sam from Shelter2Home was waiting with an umbrella. "Sam- can your guys PLEASE help Mami. They have no roof whatsoever."

Sam and I ran out to collect his team of "home builders". After listening to me explain the situation, Fritznel jumped up, obviously ready to take on the mission and shouted, "We work for Shelter. We work for all!"

The boys, with tarp and rebar, raced across the muddy field to Mami's rescue.



After about a half hour, the boys had rigged a roof that will last for now. Mami took my face in her hands and said, "God will repay you for this."

Really, I was just the voice that brought the problem to light. The Shelter2Home boys were the ones that did all of the work. I have talked about Haitian Hospitality in my past posts. There is also another thing called Haitian Camaraderie.

Sam, nice job sharpening the Camaraderie that exists in them. You should be proud of them. I definitely was.