Valentine’s Day… “The Course of True Love Never Did Run Smooth”

We rent a hot water heater from a company which charges a minimum monthly fee with the agreement if anything goes wrong with it the company will replace/repair it at no cost.  This small fee is automatically deducted each month from our bank account.

When the water heater broke down, my fearless husband, made a call to save the day.  After hours on hold, several negotiated agreements and a service call later, Rob proudly announced that the water heater had been fixed and “for our troubles” the company had agreed to forego two months of automatic deductions.  Sounds fair enough, right?  So wrong!

Instead, the water heater rental company started charging our account DOUBLE each month!  The minimum monthly fee was NOW not so minimal, and this situation had gone from bad to worse.  Although we now have hot water after 5pm, Rob’s carefully constructed plan to resolve the hot water heater saga was still causing a strain in our bank account and our marriage.

In an effort to create peace and harmony in the Ramey household once again, Rob knew the key to my heart…Shakespeare!

My Fairest Love,

I in loving fondness inquired of our financial institution of the misfortune that we have long suffered.  That being the abusive nature of which our distributor of waters warmth erroneously charged us for our usage.  Our financial institution doth so agree that such charges coming from our wealth is in fact duplicated.  They have given me a scroll by which to prove our claim. Henceforth, I will bid you this note, this claim that gives proof of this vile evil. 

Oh my Fair Lady, how I detest the notion to call on you for your service,  but dare I ask you to take these scrolls the financial institution hath provided and scribe them via faxation to our lender of waters’  warmth.  I know thou lovest me and would be so willing to help in this transaction, but all the while I cringe to think of asking you of such a trivial matter.

Please forgive my Love, Rob

I declare Rob FORGIVEN!  I am reminded today how humor has always been a great healer in our marriage and of Lysander’s words from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, “The course of true love never did run smooth.”  

Poverty Uncovered

Underprivileged children are everywhere. Tucked away in a community of affluence where the average household income surpasses $80,540 is a family of seven with five children. Two weeks ago, the Bed Brigade delivered five beds to these five underprivileged children living in a privileged society.  How can this be and how did we find out? 

Educators love kids and notice when they are hurting and tired.  At the high school where I serve as an administrator, one teacher…one day… decided to ask WHY.  Although pride threatened to stand in the way, an eighteen-year-old senior finally confided in someone.  He shared with his trusted teacher that he and his four siblings did not have beds and were sleeping on floors with the only barrier between them and the cold concrete…a thin piece of carpet.  Winter months in Ohio are cold and currently in the single digits.  With frigid conditions and no where to lay his head, this young man described how his back, muscles and body ached all over and how he had gone without a good night's sleep for nine long years. 

                                                                                 

This troubled teacher gathered her thoughts and remembered the Bed Brigade. The Bed Brigade is a movement inspired by S.A.F.E. to provide underprivileged children in the United States with beds of their very own.   In less than 72 hours, and with the help of donors and friends of the Bed Brigade, the family had five new beds, mattresses, mattress covers, pillows, pillow covers, sheets and comforters. 

Although I know five more children are tucked in at night, the thought still chills me to the bone to think of others sleeping on cold floors and going to school without a good night’s sleep.  The Bed Brigade does not discriminate and crosses all boundaries to reach all kids in privileged and underprivileged societies.  I am thankful each day when I see these two beautiful young people walking the halls of our high school looking well rested and ready to face their day. 

Since I personally know and love two of the five children who were grateful recipients of beds, this is the first time S.A.F.E. and the Bed Brigade have hit so close to home for me.  The mattresses that are frequently piled in our garage, the make-shift workshops all over three counties and two states seemed like my husband’s work, but today my heart is also stirred and the passion ignited to share in his work and the mission of S.A.F.E.  Won't you join us? 

Tonya Ramey     

Homes for Haiti 5K

We are organizing a 5K race with profits used to build homes in Haiti.   The race will be held April 16, 2011, 9 A.M. in Plain City, OH. 

We couldn't be more excited to have our race featured on Yahoo Sports!  Please, click on the below link to view more information and support the cause!

Yahoo Sports Features Homes for Haiti 5K

Anniversaries

A week ago today my husband and I celebrated our 20-year wedding anniversary. We went out for a nice candle-lit dinner and had a chance to recount some of our fondest memories from each and every year. And then it hit me today... Today is the one-year anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti! I was looking through some online photos of Haiti as it stands today when I was overtaken by the stark contrast of mood between my "happy" anniversary day last week and the "sad" anniversary that the people of Haiti must be feeling today. Please, if there is anything you can do to help these people -- it has been one year! Think back to your life this past year and try to recount one uncomfortable event. How long did it last? I lost my dad to a tragic suicide on August 12th. It took me months to find peace again. But think, it was only months for me -- not an entire year. During my emotional distress I was still in a comfortable home and had plenty to eat.

I've shared some photos taken in Haiti, all taken within the past couple of days, to let you see for yourself how their day might be going. While you're looking through please ask yourself how it might compare to your uncomfortable event and how your life would be different if the event had happened as a Haitian citizen instead of as an American.

by Michelle Taylor, Volunteer

Pumpkin Pies and Christmas Ornaments

We just came through the Thanksgiving season.  My goal this fall was to eat as much pumpkin pie as possible, to eat enough that the sight of pumpkins actually made me have a little throw up in my mouth.  Mission accomplished.  From the beginning of October till just after Thanksgiving I searched every sale on pumpkin pie.  I have had pre made from Bob Evans, Kroger, Sam’s Club, and Walmart.  I have purchased and consumed four other additional frozen pies that have been consumed.  Even my family is sick of pumpkin pie.  I served it for breakfast to the kids for an entire week.  Although, childish it was my secret goal to burn everyone out on pumpkin pie.  I did this with tremendous success.  I must say I am way proud!

I believe that I have the same dedication and ability to do this for the Christmas season with selling ornaments.  I have purchased five hundred Christmas ornaments to sell to raise money for building homes in Haiti.  I figured I needed give direction and purpose to my compulsive behavior.  So there you have it will you join me in consuming yourself with Christmas ornaments.  We will be selling them for $5.00 and all proceeds go to help build homes in Haiti.  If you knew me you would know that just thinking about selling anything already makes me feel ill!  However, if you would like to participate in this crazy effort then just let me know.  Or if you would just like to purchase one send me an email.  Rob.ramey@everyone-safe.com

Hurricane Tomas

The passage below is from a friend of mine and his intern.  You probably didn't even realize that the hurricane (Tomas) that was so feared by Haiti actually had a devastating effect on Costa Rica.  For some reason it hasn't hit the news.  But the people there are suffering.   Here's the intern's report: Over a thousand people in the capital and along the Pacific coast were evacuated to shelters to escape the flooding last week. Officials would have declared a national state of emergency if the heavy rain storms that had been forecast would have continued any longer. At one point, President Laura Chinchilla solicited help from neighboring countries for emergency relief aid. Emergency workers were sent in to search for approximately 30 people who were declared missing in the shanty dwellings of the suburb of San Antonio de Escazu. Twenty ended up being found dead. The mudslide followed two days of heavy rains that also flooded a local river in the area, namely the one where the community we work with lives. According to Costa Rica's Meteorological Institute, the region received 6.3 inches (161 millimeters) of rain in only two hours Wednesday. Reports stated that rains also damaged a dam in Parrita, near the country's western coast. Engineers had trouble reaching the area because of road damage and bad weather. Because of the danger of continued flooding in the area, as well as the already shaky nature of the hill where many houses were tacked together, the municipality decided to evacuate the majority of the houses in the Quebrada. There are approximately 3500 people in Anonos, which is divided into several smaller regions/neighborhoods. The Quebrada is the neighborhood along the river on the city of Escazu side of the river. The municipality moved some where between 300-500 people out of the Quebrada. But the people were not only evacuated, they were told they had a day to move all of their belongings out of their houses because they would be torn down. The area is no longer safe to live in. After the original decision to move people from the Quebrada, officials came in and marked houses which were to be torn down. Additional inspections showed further danger of mudslides in the neighborhood higher up the hill called the Mangoes. Houses were also marked up there to be torn down.   And here's my friend's report summarizing the aftermath.  The houses that were marked to be torn down are being ripped apart to salvage anything they can to rebuild somewhere else, but many were vandalized to sell the scrap metal.   How do you put into words the exodus of about 300 people from Los Anonos? After hearing the sounds of metal all morning. I took a walk down to the Quebrada today to see our ladies, who a part of our church. Their homes were half torn down. This is the noise that we hear all day. We stood and watched the metal walls folding as they were being dismantled. We witnessed others walking down the road with refrigerators, toilets and all of their household belongings. We saw drug addicts scavenging for metal, as well. They are getting all that they can, so that they can buy crack. The metal recyclers are having a heyday. There is a lot of greed that is coming out. Trucks are taking advantage of people, because they have only one day to leave before the bulldozers come in to raze the houses. The people who lost their homes are being housed in “albergues” or shelters. I went into the sleeping area of the shelter where our ladies and their families are staying. There were about 50 mattresses spread out in one big room. There were people in other rooms. It really is a good place, an evangelical church, and the people are being fed good meals and being taken care of medically, as well. The sadness can be seen in the faces of the people, many of whom have lived here all of their lives. A man jumped off of the Anonos Bridge this morning. That sort of sums up the desperation of some of the people today, as they watch their houses being taken apart, piece by piece, per order of the government. They have no idea as to where they are going to live. The municipality has given them the equivalent of one month’s rent to pay for a house or an apartment that they will probably find in another barrio like Los Anonos. This part of the letter is being written a few days later. More of Los Anonos is coming down. We have heard rumors that the rest of the people on the hill will have to move. That will leave the main road going up the hill from the kindergarten and the top road in Los Mangos. Many of you understand where these are. We also heard that the footbridge is going to be removed, because of safety reasons. About 25-30 people from our new Vina Anonos have moved. These people do not know where they are going, nor do they know when. They are being moved from the shelter that they are in to another, most likely today. The ones who are Nicaraguans, who have no papers, will be moved back to Nicaragua. What happens now?? This is where we need your prayers. Pray that: The people of Los Anonos will find new homes quickly. Justice will reign. That these people will get financial help from the government. God will strengthen them during this hard time, emotionally, physically and spiritually. That they will find peace in the midst of the storm. God will protect those people who are working at tearing down their homes. God will unify the people during this time. Right now it is “every man for himself.” God will show us the best way to help those people who are a part of our church here. God will show us the best way to help others. God will show us the next steps to building our new church. I know that all of this seems very negative, but there is a “flip side of the tortilla”, however. Most important and first and foremost is that God is in control. He has plans for these people. They will live in a safer place. They will grow to know him more if they keep their eyes fixed on Him.   Please keep these people in your prayers!

Bed Brigade

We were recently able to finish up another batch of beds and got them delivered to Pickaway County's Child Protective Services.  It is amazing how many people were involved in the process to make this possible... from the individual donations, the church donations, and the materials donated from local companies... to the volunteer time of the people who organized the supplies, worked on securing a place for us to put them together, and for the amazing space we can now store them in.  A group of kids have even dedicated themselves to building a website and to getting the word out.  We are very grateful for each and every person and organization that assisted in the process.

 

We still need your help as we continue this effort.  Please check out our web site to get more information on how you can be involved.  www.everyone-safe.org  If you or someone you know would like to be a part of this effort please contact us.

 

One of the volunteers said during the process of packaging the beds up to be delivered,  "Once you know that the need exists, you have to do something."  I couldn't agree more.  Whether it's beds in Central Ohio or homes in Haiti, once you know of the great need, it really is hard to not do something.