An Ike Update...

We are still in DFW... at least for another day or two. Jason was able to get back to our house last night and our SUPER friends, Jeremy and Daesha, helped him clean up our bedroom and fridge. And yes, bless all of their noses!!! A freezer full of meat mixed with wet carpet and dry wall CANNOT be a good combination. So they got our bedroom down to the concrete and walls. Jason took pics of the damage and the bare room - they will be coming soon.

At times like this you really see people's true colors. We have been showered with love and help - even when we are not there! The blog comments, emails to check in, text messages and phone calls have lifted our spirits. And I will speak for all of us refugees - THANK YOU for making us see a bright spot in the middle of disaster. Knowing that our friends are praying makes this seem not so bad. And let me also say that true friends are worth far, far, far more than silver or gold.

As I have been going through this hurricane mess first hand, I have had some connections to the Bible. As I listened to Daesha talk about the wind and the rain and the water rising, it made me think of the people in Noah's time when the storm hit. They had to have been so scared. However, they did not know God. And as Daesha was talking, even though she was scared, she knew that God was going to protect them and a sense of peace came over her with that reassurance.

This experience has also made me think about heaven. We have been to worship service 3 times now where we are staying. The congregation is about 65 people and they have opened their arms to our family. It warms my heart to think that this is how God intended it to be... believers loving believers - even though they do not know each other.

And being away from our friends and church family has also made me think of heaven and that one day we will all be re-united. When Lacie moved, our little circle of friends decided to drink the cup from the center circle of the communion tray to remind ourselves of the lessons we have learned together through the years of studying the Bible. It also is a warm fuzzy that 6 of my closest friends are drinking the same cup, praying to the same God and serving the same Master. Usually 6 of us are in the same auditorium on Sundays, but this week, 7 of us were in 7 different places. Taking communion this week, made me think about our brothers scattered all over and that we are still one in the bond of Christ.

The damage to our house was minimal compared to so many. We have already heard of 2 long-time friends who lost everything to 4 feet of water in their houses. But a house is a house. Even though the damage hurts and makes us so incredibly sad, it is just stuff. God protected our lives from this storm... which also reminded me that He will protect us through the storms of life.

So if you have read all of my ramblings, thank you!!! Hopefully my next post will have some photos. I'm not sure how to do that on my in-laws computer.