HFC stands

I made it across town on foot and in taptap to HFC to check on the kids. A few of them met me in the seminary and the rest were in the courtyard of the girls' house. I walked in, they screamed my name, and mobbed me as I grabbed them all and cried. What a relief to see them alive and well after all the horror stories we have been hearing around town.

They truly are doing wonderful. The pension buys food by the month, so they are well stocked for now. Water and gas for the stoves will be an issue, but I left them money to at least help with that. During the day, they are staying in the house but they are sleeping in the seminary at night because they are too scared to stay inside. I walked through both houses and the only real damage is to the boys' courtyard downstairs where the roof wall fell down and crushed the bathrooms. Otherwise, there is cracking but nothing that looks too structurally unstable. The girls' house is virtually untouched; a few cracks in their covered courtyard, but otherwise, it looked great.

Miraculously, every single child was safe. Bernadin and Youdemie were talking in the girls' courtyard when the quake struck. The neighbor's wall, beside HFC, started to fall on Bernadin who was frozen in place. He would have been crushed if Youdemie, brave wonderful Youdemie, had not pulled him to safety. Likewise, Wislandy was playing in the courtyard and barely missed being buried. We are blessed.
















Sorry I did not get photos of all the kids, but I promise you, they are happy and healthy and doing each other's hair, as always.