Roof Fall Demonstration

In the summer of 1997, I was roofing the home of a friend of mine, Jen Froehlich Sengpiel. Her parents hired me to tear off the roof of their steeply pitched, three-story home. The bundles of shingles were stacked in nine piles of eights around the pinacle. It was a hot day, but my co-worker, Benjamin Gandhi-Shepard, and I were doing fine until a pile of eight bundles began to slowly slide down the roof, over the gutter and onto the front yard below. My supply company had anchored the bundles with 16-penny nails instead of 2x4's on the slope, and the weight of the shingles bent the nails back over the course of the day, releasing them. I checked the other piles, and they seemed to be fine.

By the end of the day, we had nearly finished, when I heard another pile of eight starting to slide. Frustrated at the thought of having to haul eight more bundles up the ladder, I ran across the roof and slid into the pile attempting to stop them. Upon my arrival I did quick math: eight bundles x eighty pounds a bundle = 640 pounds...then SHOOOOOOM! Suddenly, I'm sliding with the bundle about halfway down the steep slope.

It hit me immediately: I'm going over the edge, and I can't stop. Instead of be afraid, my next vivid thought was, "alright God, this is up to you. I trust you'll take care of me," and I began to watch. I slid fast over the last half of the roof and my feet shot past the gutter. I reached back and grabbed it, and heard the pins pop out against my weight, "ping, ping, PING!" I looked down and had the strobe light/camera shutter effect of the ground getting closer and closer. I landed on my feet and compressed harshly with my forehead hitting my knees (which I can't do normally). The bundles exploded next to me, landing on top of each other in a massive heap.

I stood up amidst the largest adrenaline rush I had ever experienced, thanked God and proceeded to pick up the shingles. Mrs. Froehlich came out asking, "what the hell just happened?" I was a bit embarrassed, and suggested it was the shingles that made the ruckus...but then she asked how I got off the roof so fast. I admitted what happened, and being a Christian Scientist herself, she understood and was quite excited that I was unhurt and had a CS "demonstration" (as opposed to a healing) to share.

Benjamin about had a heart attack running down the ladder to find out what happened, but he too being raised a Christian Scientist, laughed when he found me unhurt.