The Earth Shook...

I know all of you have heard about the earthquake in Haiti that happened yesterday. Some of you have been asking about me or worried about me. Thank you so much for your concern. We are fine here in Santiago, though we definitely did feel it strongly.

Here is my story. I was sitting in my room grading papers when I started to hear my little windchime that hangs on my closet door jingling. I thought this was weird because my windows were closed and the fan was off. So I looked at it, and when I did I saw the strangest thing. My closet doors were swinging back and forth and so were my clothes. About this same time I started to feel very dizzy and off balance. Then it clicked that this was an earthquake! I grabbed my keys and yelled to my roommate that we needed to go outside. It felt weird to walk on ground that was moving so much. We got outside and there were many people in the street all shouting and talking about what was happening. My roommate was sitting on the porch when it happened and she said she could feel the whole porch moving and she thought the whole porch was going to fall off. It was such a strange sensation and it was unnerving because there was nothing I could do to stop it or to prevent it from happening again. We, as humans think that we have so much more control over our lives than we really do. We're used to being able to stop bad things from happening or to prevent them from happening again. Like a fire, for example. It's bad, but you can put it out, or at least the firemen can. But with an earthquake...there is nothing you can do. It reminds you Who is really in control of this world and your life. No human can stop the world from shaking, only God can. Wow! To feel His power in that way was interesting. I can't say that I enjoyed it or that I want to feel it again, but it was interesting and I am glad to say that I have experienced an earthquake. Here in Santiago, I have not heard of any destruction or injuries or anything like that. The ground was definitely moving, but it wasn't powerful enough for that.

It's a completely different story in Haiti, the neighboring country. It was a 7.0 in Port-au-Prince, which is the capital city of Haiti. There is so much destruction and devastation there. I can't even imagine. I can't even fathom what it would be like to feel the Earth shaking, run outside, and then watch my house crumble to the ground. Or worse, to feel the Earth shaking, and watch my house crumble to the ground with me still inside. And then I looked at some pictures online of the destruction and pain there and my heart broke for them. It could have been me just as easily as it was them. What makes it hit Haiti instead of the Dominican Republic? (I know some of you smart Science people are going to say, "fault lines make it hit Haiti and not the Dominican Republic." I know that, but you know what I'm trying to say.) I went to school with a heart that was heavy for Haiti.

Then this morning as staff devotions were getting over, the director pulled one of the teachers up front and asked her to share what she knew about the earthquake and how it had affected her personally. Oh yeah, how could I have forgotten?! She is Haitian. Her family still lives in Haiti. She had to wait a moment before she could speak, and in that moment my heart broke again. This time more intensely, because now the grief and pain had a face. And not just any face, but a familiar face. She said she had been in contact with her sister and that they had lost the house. It was the next thing that really got to me though. At that point she did not know whether her mother was alive or dead. They didn't even know where she was. Can you imagine that feeling? She did find out later today that her mother survived because she was outside the house when it collapsed. Two of her cousins died in the quake. She still does not know where her grandma is or how she is doing. I cannot even imagine this pain and confusion that she must be dealing with right now.

And then I had to face my kids. I didn't know if they would be afraid or excited or what, but I knew that somehow I had to tell them about what had happened in Haiti. These wealthy kids need to start learning to think of others' needs and feelings. I knew I needed to tell them and to try to get them to understand a little bit of what is happening over there and how the people are feeling. But I didn't know how. I didn't want to scare them, but I wanted to make sure they understood. God helped me to know how to handle this. After we finished our morning devotions as a class, I said, "Raise your hand if you felt the earthquake yesterday." Almost all my students raised their hands and the room erupted with the sounds of excited voices telling whoever was listening exactly where they were and what they were doing when it happened. Then I said, "Raise your hand if you were a little bit scared when you felt the earthquake yesterday." Again, lots of excited hands and voices. Then I said, "Raise your hand if your house fell down during the earthquake yesterday." Silence. More silence. Not a single hand was raised and there were a lot of little confused faces looking at me. Then someone said, "No one's house fell down!! It wasn't that bad!!" I then told them that in Haiti the earthquake was a lot stronger than what we felt here in Santiago. I told them that a lot of people's houses fell down and a lot of other buildings too. I told them to think about how they felt when the earthquake happened and then to try to imagine how they would feel if the earthquake made their house fall down. Silence. More silence. "Miss Metzler, I would feel sad." "Where would I live if my house fell down?" Then I told them that some people died because of the earthquake, and that some people can't find their moms and dads or brothers and sisters because they weren't together when the earthquake happened. I told them to think about how they would feel if their house fell down and then they couldn't find their family. Silence. More silence. "Miss Metzler, people in Haiti are sad today." I told them that there are a lot of sad people in Haiti today and that we need to make sure we pray for them. I don't know if they understand. I don't know if that conversation will make a difference in the way my kids live their lives in the long run. But I'm praying that it will be the start of something great, the start of them learning to look outside themselves and trying to understand what other people are going through. Will you pray with me?

Thank you for your concern for me. Like I said, all is well here. Right after the earthquake there was a tsunami alert because the quake had been so strong. That alert included parts of the Dominican Republic. That alert was cancelled not too long after the quake because enough time had passed that they knew it wouldn't happen. If a tsunami had hit the island, it probably wouldn't affect me because Santiago is surrounded by mountains on all sides and we are 2 hours from the closest ocean. It's the same reason that the hurricanes don't really bother us.

I'm thanking God for His protection over me yesterday and praying for His comfort and peace to surround those in Haiti who need Him so badly today.

Prayer Requests:
*Haiti and the relief effort there.

*Marie Elva, the Haitian teacher from my school, and her family

*Patrick and Pierre, the two Haitian guys who live downstairs in my apartment building, and their families. I haven't heard anything about if their families were affected or how badly. (I don't know what part of Haiti they are from.)

*My students...that our conversation today might lead to others and be a beginning of teaching them compassion.