Bad Wind Storm June 29 2012…123 Blessings and Counting!

Bad Wind Storm June 29 2012…123 Blessings and Counting!

Psalm 18:2 “The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

Psalm 18:6 “In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.”

Psalm 18:18 “They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support.”

          Dearest Lord, provider, protector, encourager, and giver of wisdom, I cannot praise You enough!  On Friday night June 29^th, we were sitting in the living room watching the Olympic trials,  just an ordinary evening at home together, when the station broke in to tell us of a very serious storm was flying through our area with straight line winds of 80-85 MPH winds.  At that moment the power went out.  It stayed out until Wednesday, Independence Day, at 1:00 PM. At that time the blessings started.  We felt like the children of Israel on the night of the first Passover.

1.      We went out and grabbed the hanging plants and just got them into the porch when the storm hit.

2.      We prayed for God’s protection of His children and His property and huge limbs started falling on our roof.  Only one did a little damage.

3.      You had provided candles, and after the first blast of wind, we had a nice breeze and no rain so we could open the windows.

4.      We had flashlights with relatively new batteries and one that you shake to have it light.

5.      The winds lasted about 20-25 minutes.  With the limbs falling all over the yard and next to the house none took down the power line to the house.  Limbs were underneath the line, so Your Guardian angels were very busy!

6.      The one that fell on the roof of the porch had a very sharp end and came very close, but did not touch the living room window.

7.      It actually gave us good shade on the porch on Saturday for most of the day.

8.      The limb that fell on the back patio missed our back door window by about 3 inches and did not harm the grill.

9.      The phone line was not severed either, but even though we had phone service, our hands free phones had no power.

10.  I had my cell phone, but had just enough charge in it to call our landlord and a dear feiend and Liberty University Resident Director Cory Hyden,who had helped us with yard work before.

11.  I had called Dick from school on Friday to check on him as it was so hot…105 degrees, and my phone told me I was out of minutes.  I called from another phone and had Dick put money on it for me.  We would have had no way to do that Friday night.

12.  Cory has told us that he had a chain saw in his office at Liberty University and to call him if we ever needed him to come help with something.

13.  Another big limb fell outside the Kitchen window, but did not even touch it or the bird bath.

14.  We had all kinds of limbs and branches that fell around, but not on either of our vehicles.

15.  While the storm was going on, our neighbor Alan came over twice to check on us.  He had a tree fall on his truck and it took out his passenger side headlight, but no other damage had been done.

16.  The neighbor next to him had several trees down, but no damage was done to her home or car either.

17.  In the morning, our yard looked like a Super Bowl football field after the celebration, there were limbs, branches, sticks and leaves everywhere.

18.  The only damage to the roof was a large wood shard that had stuck into the roof at the back of the house, but it would have kept rain from coming in.

19.  But we had no rain!

20.  We had a whole container of ice in the freezer, so I took what we could and put it in the cooler.

21.  I took a big venison roast out of the Freezer to use as another cooling block in another cooler.

22.  There were lightning strikes just over the hill from us, but we saw none.

23.  The night of the storm, the wind blew the shelving unit on our back patio over.  There was nothing breakable on it, but had the gas can we use for the lawn mower on the bottom shelf and I smelled gas.  I pushed my way out and grabbed the can, but there was no gas in it because Dick had emptied it into the lawn mower.

24.  About a week or so before, we had bought a new propane tank for our grill with the side burner on it was good to go.

25.  Saturday morning Dick and I went out and You gave super endurance in the heat so we could start the clean up.

26.  We still had water so were able to keep hydrated.

27.  I used the grill to heat water for dishes etc.

28.  There was enough hot water left in the tank to provide warm showers until Sunday night.

29.  Saturday afternoon, Steven McLean came to tell us they had a generator so we could take our freezer things down to them.

30.  They also told me I could charge my cell phone so we could let family know how we were.

31.  His mom gave us a “Pop Light” that worked great to have in the bathroom at night or by the kitchen sink so I could see to do dishes.

32.  She gave us 9V batteries in hopes that we could use them in our radios…but that didn’t work.

33.  Dick found his head lamp that he used when he used to go fishing at night, but the batteries were no good.  She had batteries for that too!

34.  Using that allowed Dick to read at night and to see his way around the house.

35.  Cory and his wife Victoria showed up at about 5:00 and by 7:00 PM had all of the big limbs down and cut up and Victoria, he, and I were able to get all of the limbs and branches out of the yard.  Victoria started raking the lawn into piles.

36.  Because we had meat in the cooler, potatoes, a watermelon, a pepper and an onion that needed to be eaten, we were able to feed them a feast!

37.  We sat and ate and told stories.  It was a major blessing to us both!

38.  We gave them the rest of the melon, the roast and the whole stick of Summer Sausage that was thawed in the freezer.

39.  As I was taking garbage out that evening, I saw one of our solar lights on by the patio.  I remembered that we had 2 solar spotlights that shine all night on our flag out front.  I brought them in and we had night lights for the living room, and the other shown in the kitchen and the utility room most of the night with no risk of fire!

40.  We had a bag of tea lights candles that went in the three little lanterns we had.

41.  2 days in a row, I got a 1 ½ hr nap because of the heat!  I guess the heat and work outside had taken its toll on us both, as Dick took one too!

42.  Our house is cinderblock so is hard to keep warm in the winter, but because of the shade, never got above about 80 degrees. 

43.  Bo Ram Park had given me a huge paper fan from Korea and that came in VERY handy.

44.  I also found a battery operated tiny fan I had bought to use during the Living Cross one year and we had batteries for that too.

45.  Saturday night was cool enough so we were able to take showers in warm water.  With the windows open we slept pretty well.

46.  Sunday morning, I did not go to church because Dick did not look very well.  The heat  and work had gotten to him.

47.  I was able to call Tommy to let him know we were OK.

48.  Katie McLean brought us a jug of frozen water to put in a cooler.

49.  Unbeknownst to us, another major blessing had taken place.  Jeff, Cindy, and the 4 girls were in their truck hauling their tailor filled with camping gear headed for NY.  We thought they were probably most of the way to NY and out of the storm.  We were wrong!  They got a late start and were driving when the storm hit, but made it safely to Winchester, VA where they found a hotel that was not full and had power!

50.  They started out on Saturday only to be held up in traffic on I81 for 3 hours because of an accident.  They had fuel and were able to keep the family cool and entertained!

51.  They arrived safely in Williamson, NY at about 7:00 PM Saturday night.

52.  His wife Cindy’s mom’s double wide house had been up for sale, but had not sold yet, so they had a place to stay for their 10 day vacation for free!

53.  We had been praying for Lance because he has to dialyze each night and we figured he was out of power too, but could not contact him.  We found out from Tommy, because they finally got power that 3 different folks from Thomas Terrace Church had come with generators so he could dialyze!

54.  We found that all of Wards Road and Liberty U had power!

55.  When we prayed to protect Your people and their property we had no idea!

56.  Sunday morning early, You woke me at 3 and 4:00 AM to let me k now that it had cooled down outside so I could open all of the windows to cool the house down.

57.  I had to cook the pound of bacon, so had bacon and pancakes, blueberries and grapes for breakfast!  Took the 2 ½ lbs of butter in the cold water with the milk to keep that cold.

58.  Dick didn’t feel like eating much, but I was able to toast an English Muffin for him on the grill.

59.  In the cool of the morning I went out and worked a bit more on the lawn.  Thanks for the strength!

60.  We had lost our little bit of ice for our cooler when Joshua Ham, a student who we ministered to 14 years ago as dorm parents, stopped by to check on us.  We told him about the ice and how Dick had been all over looking for some, but could not find any.

61.  I went to town to see if I could find an old fashioned telephone and found none, but picked up batteries for the big radio…the only package left at Wal-Mart, and there were just the 8 we needed.   I came home feeling rather bad because I could not find any ice either.

62.  The air conditioning in the car and stores felt SO GOOD!

63.  Dick had just filled his car with gas on Friday.

64.  I stopped at Kroger to see if they had ice and they did, but they were handing it out to those who had been waiting in line for 2 hours.  When I got home and told Dick I could find no ice, he told me that there was no need because Josh had brought us 1 and 1/2 bags!

65.  Lord, You had provided 2 large coolers and 2 small ones for us years ago!

66.  Josh came back not once, but twice that day with bags of ice for us!  They had taken their little freezer to a friend’s house that had power so they did not need them.

67.  We got to meet his kids and had a great visit!

68.  Lord, thank you for our “adopted sons” who care for us when our kids can’t!

69.  Dick had asked me to pick up a pint of ice cream from Kroger, so I did and we had ice cream and ICED tea and water to drink for supper.  That cup of cold water given in Jesus name was SO WONDERFUL!  Thank You Lord for the little things!

70.  I put the batteries in the radio and the moment we turned it on, Alistair Begg was preaching a wonderful message on “Trial, Toils, and Snares”.

71.  Yes, Lord, You have a sense of humor and know exactly what we need when we need it!

72.  Again, You cooled it enough for us to sleep and still had a warm shower.

73.  Still no rain!

74.  Monday:  This is kind of a late revelation, but AEP Power Company just raised their rates quite a bit to start in July.  Our bill is going to be SWEET! 

75.  So is our phone bill!

76.  It was only 68 degrees this morning!

77.  Roof is still not fixed, but there has still been no rain!

78.  Cory brought a bunch of 5 guys from school to finish up the lawn clean-up.

79.  I took my phone to work and charged it all day.

80.  I was able to put a quick update out on Facebook that we were OK.

81.  At work we had a great party for Dr Hoezee’s birthday!

82.  Lord, You made me clean and disinfect my whole inside fridge.

83.  You also defrosted the outside freezer!

84.  All we lost as far as food was concerned was a dozen eggs, a pint of sour cream, our salad dressings, yeast, 1 quart of milk, and a few other condiments!

85.  We called Tommy to let him know we were OK and he said he had put out on Facebook for our friends in the area to come check on us because he had not seen my update in the morning.

86.  While we were talking with him, Ricky and Christi Burns and family drove in the driveway!  That made his day and ours too!

87.  Some of our folks at work with were without power.  LU opened up East Campus to employees and their families.  I immediately called Josh Ham so his family could have a cool place to stay.  Alicia went and signed up, but got power back before they could call her.

88.  TRBC opened their church and facilities for anyone who needed to cool down and get water and ice for free, as did Hyland Heights.  LeHaye Center opened their showers up to the public, and the dining hall was selling buffet 3x a day for $3 a meal!

89.  I stopped and got KFC for supper, but when I got home, because Cory had brought Dick a meal and a milkshake from McDonalds when he came, he was not hungry.  I love these kids!

90.  Victoria had messaged me to let me know they were coming and asked if they could bring anything.

91.  The night was cooler and we got some good sleep.

92.  Tuesday Morning- I awoke at 5:30 AM and took a drive to see if I could get ice at TRBC.  On the way, I saw that the Marathon Station on Fort Avenue was open and they HAD ICE!

93.  I went in and they also had fresh brewed coffee…something we had not had since Friday morning.  Yes, it is a little thing…but such a special surprise I was able to bring home to Dick!

94.  God thinks of the little blessings!  They also had milk!

95.  Stephen Hill, from church who works at school and had seen Tommy’s message, stopped to see if we were Ok too!  Precious friends!

96.  Lance and Carolyn had power!  I had left my cell with Dick for the day.  He went over to cool down, have fellowship, and they fed him a great lunch too!

97.  Rebecca Gibbs brought me a great book called Abba’s Child!

98.  Lance gave us some chicken breasts that her Dad had given them to use up.

99.  While he was there the guys came to fix the roof!

100.   At 4:30, we had another rough storm come through the area with winds and LOTS of rain, but our roof had been fixed!

101.   I prayed that the storm would pass by the time we had to leave work for all of our safety.  At 5:50, the storm abated!

102.                      There was no more damage to the house

103.                      It was LOTS cooler!

104.                      Everyone who had cars in the lot at LU that had been covered in red dust because of the construction got a free God’s Car Wash!

105.                      It took me this long, Lord to realize that we had more solar lights outside that could work as night lights in the hall and bedroom.

106.                      When I went out to get the spotlights to bring them into the house, I pulled one out stake and all without realizing it.  Dick and I were trying to play a game on the porch at dusk because it was so much cooler and he was so bored, but the light was fading.  I got the spot light with the stake and put it into the Poinsettia plant on the table and it, Dick’s headlamp and 2 candles allowed us to play until 10:30.

107.                      AT&T had brought over a diesel generator for the cell tower in the yard and it really was sending out a stink.  I asked You, Lord to change the wind direction a little to blow the smoke in the direction where it would not bother anyone, and You did!

108.                      Wednesday.  Independence Day!  I got up early and went into work for awhile to catch up on voicemails and emails etc.  You let me see and talk to several electric company workers and encourage them too.

109.                      Got to work and brewed a pot of coffee to take home to Dick in our thermos.

110.                      I was able to update Facebook with some of the blessings You have provided.

111.                      I called to check on Jeff and the kids and they are fine.

112.                      I went to Wal-Mart to get fresh batteries for Dick’s head lamp and they had Sparklers on SALE!  We will have fireworks for the Fourth!

113.                      I got 2 bags of ice at TRBC.

114.                      Came home and we found out that Kroger had been able to open!  Just in time for Dick to get 2 Rxs filled!

115.                        When we went, I was given a fresh rose for free for the fourth!

116.                      I was getting ready to take our laundry to Lance and Carolyn’s when…Lo and Behold…the power came back on!!!!!!!

117.                      I was able to do all of our laundry.

118.                      I heard our phone ring!

119.                      I heard the ice maker dump ice in the freezer!

120.                      I was able to have a long talk with Maggie and encourage her too!

121.                      Dick went to Kroger to pick up his meds and came back with 2 ½ gallons of ice cream!

122.                      Dick took a much needed nap in the cool house.

123.                      I was able to put all of this down for posterity and hopefully to encourage others to have a grateful heart instead of grumbling!