After Hurricane Rita in 2005 I kept a journal and recorded all the events that occurred during the days following Rita. Good and bad. As we evacuated for Hurricane Ike, for some reason I picked up that journal and took it with us. It was one of the few things we took. We had just evacuated 2 weeks prior for Gustav so we sort of left with the attitude, "hey, we'll be back in a few days, no big deal". Little did we know what we would come back to.
On the journey northward, I began to read some of the highlights from the journal and was reminded of God's goodness and faithfulness to our family during that time. Our church had served as a relief center and thanks to the BMAA and many other volunteer organizations, many people of our area found help and provision through the ministry of Circle Drive Baptist Church. As I read of the miracles that occured during and after Rita, Jack made the comment, "That won't happen this time." Little did we know .... My intent was to keep a journal again, but after Ike we were so overwhelmed with the enormity of our situation and the work that needed to be done, that the journal just seemed to be the last thing on my mind. And then of course, it's hard to write about God's goodness when all you see around you is devastation. But God has proved himself as always to be faithful to his people. As I look back over the past 5 mos. God has exceedingly, abundantly blessed our family, above all our expectations. So I will attempt to list just a few of the things he has done for us.
1. Spared and protected our lives. (As everyone says "At least you have your family, no one lost their lives")
2. Provided a wonderful temporary place for us to live, even before the FEMA trailors rolled in to town.
3. Took care of us financially to get back on our feet.
4. Provided volunteer help to clean out and gut our house.
5. Provided a place for our church to meet.
6. Comforted us by the prayers and encouragement of friends and family.
7. Protected us from having to see our house on fire. (We arrived after it was over.)
8. Protected our belongings that were salvaged from the hurricane. ( They were in a storage building which was untouched by the fire.)
9. Provided an awesome new job for me.
10. Showed us how many fabulous friends we have and how rich we really are.
11. Directed complete strangers from all over the country to minister to us and to our church.
12. Allowed us to make new friends and acquaintances throughout the BMA and the SBTC.
13. Allowed us to be a witness in our church and the community of Bridge City.
14. Showed us how precious our children and family are to us. and best of all ......
15. Showed us just how much he loves us, even though we did nothing to deserve it.
On the journey northward, I began to read some of the highlights from the journal and was reminded of God's goodness and faithfulness to our family during that time. Our church had served as a relief center and thanks to the BMAA and many other volunteer organizations, many people of our area found help and provision through the ministry of Circle Drive Baptist Church. As I read of the miracles that occured during and after Rita, Jack made the comment, "That won't happen this time." Little did we know .... My intent was to keep a journal again, but after Ike we were so overwhelmed with the enormity of our situation and the work that needed to be done, that the journal just seemed to be the last thing on my mind. And then of course, it's hard to write about God's goodness when all you see around you is devastation. But God has proved himself as always to be faithful to his people. As I look back over the past 5 mos. God has exceedingly, abundantly blessed our family, above all our expectations. So I will attempt to list just a few of the things he has done for us.
1. Spared and protected our lives. (As everyone says "At least you have your family, no one lost their lives")
2. Provided a wonderful temporary place for us to live, even before the FEMA trailors rolled in to town.
3. Took care of us financially to get back on our feet.
4. Provided volunteer help to clean out and gut our house.
5. Provided a place for our church to meet.
6. Comforted us by the prayers and encouragement of friends and family.
7. Protected us from having to see our house on fire. (We arrived after it was over.)
8. Protected our belongings that were salvaged from the hurricane. ( They were in a storage building which was untouched by the fire.)
9. Provided an awesome new job for me.
10. Showed us how many fabulous friends we have and how rich we really are.
11. Directed complete strangers from all over the country to minister to us and to our church.
12. Allowed us to make new friends and acquaintances throughout the BMA and the SBTC.
13. Allowed us to be a witness in our church and the community of Bridge City.
14. Showed us how precious our children and family are to us. and best of all ......
15. Showed us just how much he loves us, even though we did nothing to deserve it.
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