Trusting God in the Storm
Wind storm takes the roof off girls dormitory.
Posted 10/22/2010
On Thursday, October 21st a thunderstorm hit Ntcheu, Malawi and the accompanying winds did significant damage to the roof on the girl's dormitory at Esther's House.
Damage Report: The ceiling of Esther's House is made of high wooden trusses with sheet metal roofs to help draw the heat up. The storm peeled back the metal sheets and splintered much of the wooden support beams. Although some of the twisted metal is salvageable, nearly all of the wood has to be replaced. Because of the way the sheet metal rolled over the wall, it allows the potential for a security breach into the Esther's House facility. This is a concern not only because of the risk to the children and staff, but also to the food and supplies that are stored there for use at the area feeding centers.
Praises: All of the Esther's House children and staff were inside the building when the storm hit; all of the splintered wood flew off and landed outside. While the sheet metal was ripped off of almost the entire girl's dorm building, the roofing remained intact over the two bedrooms belonging to the house parents and the female children residents. A German engineer who was working in a nearby village was available to come and help assess the damage and make plans for repair. Malawian volunteers were gathered to help secure the area before nightfall to help keep Esther's House safe and secure. The following morning, debris was cleaned up and salvaged sheet metal was reattached.
Obstacles: In America when a storm does roof damage, we have the luxury of contacting our insurance company, hiring roofing contractors, or purchasing local materials and repairing the
damage ourselves. In Malawi, none of these options are available. There is no such thing as property insurance, the necessary tools are not readily available to make these kind of extensive repairs, the Esther's House staff and local residents do not have the skills required for this kind of task and the closest quality materials for repair are costly and located several hundred miles away.
Needs: (1) Pray for safety and peace. After any catastrophe, there is always fear and stress. (2) Pray for haste in repairs. The "rainy" season in Malawi typically starts in November, so time is of the essence. (3) Pray for wisdom in those making the repairs. We are trusting in the expertise and experience of the German missionary-engineer and the Malawian carpenters he has trained to make the best decisions about the plans for repair and then the repairs themselves. (4) Pray for resources. Supplies we take for granted in America are very costly in Malawi because of their scarcity.
If you would like to make a one time donation to help repair the roof, please visit http://puremission.org/give/supply-a-need/
