Our God is Unshakeable

   A few weeks ago, I discovered a great read! It is a book that is intriguing and exciting, not too long, and not too hard to understand: Unshaken: Rising from the Ruins of Haiti’s Hotel Montana. It is an autobiography written by Dan Woolley about his experience being trapped 65 hours underground in the remains of Haiti’s Hotel Montana during the massive earthquake of 2010. Dan, along with Jennifer Schuchmann, describe in depth the traumatic experience he went through during the earthquake and also the difficult times he and his wife, Christy, faced earlier in their marriage when Christy suffered from depression.

Dan made the trip to Haiti to gain information for Compassion International (an organization he worked for that helps young women and children around the world escape poverty). When the earthquake hit, he was on ground level in Hotel Montana. After the building pancaked, his cautiously crawled in the darkness to one of the elevators, taking pictures with his camera of what was ahead of him to make sure it was safe.  He survived in the elevator shaft for about 65 hours with a major leg wound and head wound as well. During the desperate moments when all hope seemed lost, he looked to God, his Savior and Creator, for strength and hope.

Although it isn’t a well-known book, written by a well-known author, to me, Unshaken was enlightening, encouraging, and hopeful. However, it does include a few descriptive chapters during the traumatic time of his wife’s depression , along with some of the darkest moments of his imprisonment, which could be difficult for very young readers to understand.  I especially enjoyed his autobiography because he was a Christian, and testified that he felt God’s presence with him in the elevator. 

I think what hurt him most was possibly never again seeing his family – in fact, he spent a lot of his time writing letters to his wife and sons in a journal he had with him, sparingly using his iPhone and camera for light. Christy also shares what it was like for her back in the States when she heard the news that an earthquake had hit Haiti. She didn’t know if Dan had been affected by the earthquake and worse yet, if he was dead or alive. She tried to stay calm for their two young sons’ sakes and she too looked to God and the prayers and support of those around her for strength.

Dan and Christy Woolley’s experience is a testimony to the places in the Bible where God promises that He will never leave us or forsake us, and that all things work together for good to them that love and serve Him. Dan found that God was always with him, even in a crumbling elevator that was buried with debris.  I think that the very last sentence that Dan wrote sums it up so well:  “I can hang on until the shaking stops because my God is unshakeable.” -Faith