Mme. Stephen...

Mme. Stephen has been the head cook at the Gramothe school since it's beginning 10 years ago. As well, she has been a part of the leadership of the church & mother to many. Most of all, she has been Willem's right arm. Recently she fell extremely ill with an irreversible condition & has been in the hospital in Port Au Prince for nearly 3 weeks receiving treatment. As the earthquake shook on Tuesday afternoon, her sister attending her tried to carry Mme. Stephen from her bed. A woman too weak to walk from her bed to the chair rose up & walked out of the hospital on her own as it tumbled down around her, knowing her sister would not be able to carry her body.

Desperate, her brother searched 2 days through the death & rubble filled streets of Port Au Prince unable to locate her. It was difficult to see him return each time, though we continued to encourage him.

Somehow Mme. Stephen & her sister walked the 4 miles to near the airport where they slept in the street & had only a small amount of water, no food. On Thursday midday, they were finally able to phone Willem as the phone service returned to local cell phones.

Yesterday I had the honor of seeing Mme. Stephen in the truck with her brother as they dropped some supplies at our gate. Though very skinny & very ill, as I cupped her face in my hands, she shone like the noonday sun, full of praise & wonder to the awesomeness of our God. Though she was fully aware that the hospital was her only chance of survival, she was happy to be going "home".

At the break of day, Willem was on his way to Gramothe. Mme. Stephen shared with him that she was so happy because she never thought she would ever get to see her home again, she loves her home! And her children, she was so happy to see them, her beautiful children that she thought she would never again be with. She commented how blessed she was to have life & to be with her children in her home again.