Over four years ago, Eden Garden invited Mr. and
Mrs. Ramon to eat at the orphanage. Each day they come (spoons in their pockets), and wait patiently for their lunch, which is often their only meal for the day.
They are a fixture at Eden Garden. Between the two of them, they have one good eye - she is completely blind, and he has one working eye left. We watch as Mr. Ramon lovingly cares for his blind wife, and they are a picture of what marital love in action looks like.
Unfortunately, during the earthquake 2 years ago, the home of this 90 year old couple was damaged, especially their roof, which allowed rain and wind into their bedroom.
After assessing the structural damage and the torn
roof, the construction team sent members
Kurt Kesselman (neighbor of Dave's from Booz Allen Hamilton), and Sean Ryan (co-worker of Dave's from Cisco), who are both very skilled carpenters. These men wanted to fix the roof so that the Ramons could enjoy a rain-free bedroom
again. Dangerous problems they encountered were walls and cement blocks that
crumbled from the slightest touch.
Charles and Kurt assess the torn roof and damaged
home
Imagine sleeping in your bedroom with a roof with a
huge gap for one year
Two boys from the orphanage, Merlens and
Bichard, helped Kurt and Sean during the day, and into dusk, to repair their home as much as they could.
The Ramons were appreciative and very grateful for
the efforts of Sean and Kurt who fixed their roof.
As they repaired the roof, Mrs. Ramon sang and praised her God all day long. "Merci, Jesus, Merci" - "Thank you, Jesus, thank you", she was saying, over and over again. We marvel at how a lady who has so very little, finds so much to be thankful for. It is a lesson for us all.