Saturday, October 13, 2012

Bertha and the Flood!


Bertha and the Flood 

It has been rainy season and usually the water is all gone by now.  But this year there is so much water that we have not been able to go anywhere.  Many people have lost their houses.  So many people are living in the market schools. They have lost everything.  Many of the rice fields have been ruined because they are all under water.  It is so sad to me because they put everything that they have into their rice fields because they know that it will feed them for the rest of the year.  What are they going to do now?  They have to start all over in life, starting with rebuilding their houses out of the mud once again just so that they have a place to lay their head at night.  

There is one lady though that I feel like God has been helping her in life.  Her name is Bertha and I have written about her before.  She can't walk and one night starting at 3:00 am  she crawled to my house because she will burn her knees if she goes anywhere during the day.  She heard that their was a lady at the Adventist Hospital that is helping people.  She was starving and so she crawled for 6 hours to get help, to get food.  When I came back from furlough I didn't know how to find her because I knew her house was one that was under water because of the location.  She finally came back to see me.   I was so relieved to see her and know that she was ok.  

Naomi and I went outside to visit with her on the mat.  I also had some things to give her from a couple people in America that had heard her story and wanted to help.  Someone gave her knee pads so she can get around a little more during the day with the hot sand.  She was so excited and told me that she was thinking about how much the knee pads will help her when she has to go to the place at the school market to go to the bathroom which is basically out in the field.  She said maybe they would help her to not get so much feecees on her from all the piles out in the field.  When she said that I tried to keep a straight face and not a devastated one at the thought.  

We also asked about her house and how it survived the flood.  She told us the story about how the water came rushing in from the river into their village and before she knew it her house was crumbling around her.  She was able to make it out  but the current was swiftly taking her away.  She was able to grad ahold of some tall grass.  Everyone she knew left to find somewhere else to stay that was dry.  But Bertha got left behind holding on for dear life to the tall grass and that is where she stayed for almost two days before one man asked others where she was.  No one knew and so in the night he ran back to try and find her.  Of course he did and carried her all the way to the market school.  Thank God for that man.  She said she was so scared because she said that she didn't know how to swim.  

I just feel like she went from hardly having anything to literally nothing and hanging on for dear life.  Thank you the few of you who have sent money to help her and others like her.  The sad stories are endless.  Thank you for the giving funds and allowing me to be that person to be able to say yes I have it and I will help you.  I am able to help Bertha rebuild her house.  Thank you so much for caring for those you don't even know.