Patrick and his wife's amazing story

We went to have our internet fixed and there is only one man in Haiti that has the information and computer parts to do this type of work. His name is Patrick. First we had to find out if he was still alive after the earthquake and then we needed to know was his computer store demolished because his business is right in the heart of Port Au Prince. Everything is so different now. Of course it has always been difficult to get specialized work done in Haiti but almost all businesses are established in Port Au Prince and this horrendous earthquake has taken so many people as well as the businesses.

Well, PRAISE GOD!!! We did find him and his computer store, while we were there to get our parts and find out about our computer Patrick began to tell me his story of the earthquake. He also owns a restaurant that has been a family business from his Grandparents, his parents, and now as of 50 years belonging to him. His wife runs the three story restaurant and she was there at the time of the earthquake. Only minutes before, she had called to remind Patrick that he needed to pick her up because he had the car. But only minutes later everything changed. With tear filled eyes and with heart wrenching words he began to tell his story. "I haven't just lost what I have worked for but some people might not understand, it is what my grandparents worked their life for, and then what my parents worked their life for, and now for fifty years, what me and my wife has worked for, we've lost everything." He said it was like the earth just opened up and swallowed the first two floors of the building, and now the top floor was on ground level!! He continued to say, "I don't see how this happened because, this building has been there for a hundred years and our gates were made from the solid steel that was more than four inches thick, and now I don't even see them!!" My wife was up on the top floor in the building and the fifteen workers were all gone except for one that was changing clothes, and another that had went to the street, as Haitians do, because he was waiting on someone that owed him some money, however the only one left in danger was his wife. Patrick had always told his wife to run to the nearest door if they ever had an earthquake so she had left her desk and started for the door near a bathroom but she never made it.

The 7.0 earthquake began and within seconds the building started down and the drop ceiling was covering her! She first began trying to remove the ceiling pieces from her when she realized the sharp metal was also covering her. She tore some of her skirt and wrapped it around her hands so she could remove the metal from over her head! She realized that part of the floor is on her face, when the ground began moving once again!! When she removed enough of the rubble to move she noticed her legs were trapped. Concrete blocks were covering her legs. She ripped her skirt loose and began taking the blocks off of her legs. After looking to find a way out, she saw a light at the other end of the building and she began to crawl to the light. When reaching the opening she realized she was no longer on the third floor but now the third floor was on ground level. She finally reached the street and she heard a man calling for help across the street at the bank. He was trapped so she went to remove the blocks off of him and help rescue him. After much work of pulling him to safety, she looked down and realized that her leg was badly cut. She was bleeding quite alot so she took her bra off and made a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. She had no shoes on, and the broken concrete blocks and rubble was very sharp on her feet so she found two backpacks and tied them around her feet to use as shoes. She began to walk but, by this time it was very dark and she lay down on the street with many dead bodies and demolished buildings all around her and many people screaming.

Patrick had not been able to find his wife yet because the road was covered with fallen buildings. One building had fallen on his car and he wasnt able to drive it. After sleeping on the street all night she was waiting anxiously for daylight. His wife began to walk again trying to find her way to a friend's house to find out about her husband and twenty year old son. She was there until about twelve o'clock the following day when Patrick finally found his wife. You see they couldn't call because all power was gone completely in Port Au Prince!

PRAISE GOD!!! PRAISE GOD!!! They are alive!!! Much of their life has been taken away but, they are ALIVE!!! This is why I am able to write this story to you because he is the famous Patrick that helped us get our internet up and running !! Please remember him and his family because they are still facing many situations and heartaches to recover from this most terrible devastation.

God bless each and everyone one of you that are continuing to pray and send your support for our endeavors to help the already neediest people and now have once again lost everything and need to start over.