2 of 3

She looked for the first old man she had helped and didn't see him again. Later they heard that least one person had died in the Astrodome.

Monika went to the bathroom. She found a woman wailing. The woman was menstruating and had no hygiene supplies. Her pants and underwear were soaked in blood. Monika ran to her own box, fished out her one pair of pants and panties, and gave them to her.

Friends for life
Hours after the Sheppards arrived, newlyweds Shane and Shelly Cole of Pasadena, Texas, married just nine days, entered the sporting arena. Wednesday night, the Coles heard news about problems at the Astrodome. Shane, 35, a Baptist who came to Christ 10 years ago after serving in the first Gulf War, said he grieved for children living amid the Astrodome chaos. The Coles were using just one of their home's two bedrooms and could house a family.

"We've got to go down there," he told Shelly, a Messianic Jew originally from Wisconsin. "I know there's babies in there."

The first two families Shane approached in the Astrodome said loved ones in Houston were picking them up. Then Shane saw Jackson and asked the Sheppards if they would like to stay with them. They gratefully accepted.

Christopher praised God's providence through their escape from New Orleans, especially for Jackson. "Not one time did he have to go without food or water," he said.

"Spiritually we feel fine. Emotionally we feel fine," Monika said. But dealing with the hell they escaped will take time. A droning roar—a fan, a car—makes both Monika and Christopher hear helicopters in their heads, the same hollow, reverberating thunder they endured for days under the overpass as they awaited rescue. It is symptomatic of post-traumatic stress disorder.

The next night, Shane Cole told Christianity Today they were barbecuing their guests' supper. They had spent the day running the Sheppards to government relief offices and helping them to replace clothing and baby supplies. The Sheppards also bought a newspaper to check want ads for carpenters and sopranos. Shane, who works for a tugboat company, said his employer is hiring. Christopher said he was hoping to find enough money to rent the vacant house next door to the Coles. The Sheppards taught Jackson to call the Coles Aunt Shelly and Uncle Shane.

Monika's voice quivered when she spoke of the Coles. "It's like we were related," she said. "God is performing miracles all the time. It's been wonderful. God led us to them."

The Coles had no safety concerns about opening their home to strangers. "They lost everything," Shane said of the Sheppards. "If I was in their position, I'd hope someone would do the same. They could still clean me out, but they're good Christian people. We've got friends for life. We're sure honored and blessed to have them in our house. If somebody needs a room, my door's always open."

The Coles urged the Sheppards to e-mail and call their families and friends to let them know they're all right. Monika's mother promised to send money. But Christopher learned from his family that his father, who knew they had remained in New Orleans during the storm and feared they had perished in the aftermath, had suffered a heart attack. Christopher hopped a bus for the 30-hour trip to Alabama. Monika stayed with Jackson, still running a 103-degree fever, at the Coles' house.

next page... |  2 of 3

share this page

September (Web-only) 2005, Vol. 49