Where's The Beef

For those of you watching the aftermath of IKE, take a look at our food supply here in Houston. There is NO meat, dairy and very little produce. I finally found some beef at Sam's and a little chicken.

I have never experienced this before so this part of a hurricane never crossed my mind until I lived it. Please keep all of us in your prayers. There are over 1.5 million still without power and the temperature is rising along with the humidity. Also if you can imagine all the standing water and the number of mesquitoes it is producing. I have friends who are starting to get frusterated. All in all, people are still in good spirits.

I would like to point out what a great country and continent we live in. I have seen convoys of utility trucks numbering up to 18 in a row. There are people here from 31 states, Mexico and Canada helping all of us restore power, cut down trees, and clean up debris so we can move forward. Mayor Bill White of Houston has set up a fund for all those helping Houston get back on its feet. I will make sure of the web address and post it as soon as I can for those of you who would like to help out.

"Thank you God for this great city and this wonderful country we are so priveliged to live in. This country is so great because it is based on You. Please continue to be with those in need and help us to restore and rebuild as quickly as possible. Please help those who have lost so much, many of whom I know and love, get the help they need to reestablish the lives they have worked so hard to build. Thank you so much for the wonderful, kind-hearted people who are going way beyond what they can do to help. It is so awesome to know there are still great people out there. We love you and are so thankful for all of our blessings, even in times like these. Thank you so much for giving us your Son, who gave us the ultimate example of what a giving spirit is. Please help us all strive to be more like Him. In His precious name I pray, Lord. Amen."

Hurricane IKE

In fear of what the meteorologist was telling us and the size of IKE, we made the decision to board up and head to my brother' s house in Dallas for safety. Our 4 1/2 hour drive turned into 11 hours and we took the Beltway around the really bad traffic on I-45. For those of you who have never gone through anything like this, let me enlighten you. It is surreal watching the place you love, where your life is, your possessions are and your friends are be engulfed by a storm this size. We spent 2 days not knowing if our home was still standing, or if we even had anything to come back to. We were watching from afar. Our beloved Galveston was declared uninhabitable, only 20 miles away from our house. Needless to say, emotions were high. We laughed and cried and just laughed. Thank God for technology. We were able to get in touch with our friends via face book and our cell phones.

On Monday, Kevin and I headed back to access our own damages. We were anxious, but Houston didn't look as bad as we expected. The damage was selective, a luck of the draw per say. There would be huge damage in one place and none in the next. As we pulled into our neighborhood there was not one stop sign standing, several light posts down and fencing everywhere. We pulled into our driveway and noticed our fencing down and roof shingles all over. There was a patch of roof gone, but as we took all the plywood down and entered inside, it didn't look too bad. We have roof damage, ceiling damage and some wall/ door damage, but all in all, we faired very well.
It is amazing to be on a corner lot and have the least amount of damage in our section of our neighborhood. Our neighbors across the street have water dripping from their walls, a huge hole in their game room and all of their possessions are destroyed. Their house is not livable. The next three houses down from us have substantial damage from walls, roof, carpet, possessions. We are so lucky.
Thank you Lord for sparing us from such damage.

How lucky are we? Our house is repairable, the people who are buying our house only had a porch light damaged. The house we are buying in Sislbee, TX only has fence damage. What a miracle! There are so many other who did lose everything. Please keep them in your prayers. Please keep all our city and county officials in your prayers. This is a mess. We are a wonderful and resilient city. I know we will recover. I have faith that Galveston will rebuild and reopen. Until then, there is much work to be done. Please remember those who need help. If you can, offer to help them. If you can't help, pray.

"Dear Lord, Thank you so much for the blessings our family has received. Thank you for our safety in the storm and the minimal damage to our property. Please be with those who were not so lucky. Help them to understand that You did not do this to them. Help them to have the strength to move forward past their hurt and to recover. Please show me where I can be of use to others during this time. Thank you for the beautiful, non- humid weather you have sent us as many struggle without electricity. What a blessing. Thank you Lord for your love and compassion. We love You and thank you. Thank you for Your Son, who through Him makes our salvation possible. In Jesus name I pray, Amen."

Here's Your Sign

Five months ago, when Kevin received his promotion, we never dreamed we would still be here in Houston. This journey in our lives has been rather difficult, but I am thankful that we have gone through it. I think it has made us stronger as a family, even though there were times I didn't know if we could do this or not. I think God has shown us how important each person is to the balance of how this family works. He knew we had taken some things for granted. We are now reminded.

Perhaps one of the things I am most thankful for is the rally of my friends. You know who you are. Thank you for being there when I needed someone to vent to, someone to watch my kids, someone to eat dinner with or watch a movie with. Because Kevin has been gone during the week, there have been opportunities to share that otherwise would not have been there.

Remember the saying about not knowing who your friends are until you really need them? It is so true. What an awesome way of showing how true you are, to lend a hand, an ear, to share a meal. "Thank you God for these wonderful people you have brought into my life. Although our time together here has been short, I know that 90 miles is not going to even dent what we have. I can only hope that I have been as good of friend as the ones you have given me. Thank you for allowing my three precious daughters see what women can do for each other. Through these friends, they have received life long relationships too. In a world where women are catty and everyone wants to be the best, it is so refreshing to see just plain ol good people. I can see your works being done here. I know your plan for me has not yet been completely revealed, but I am ready for the challenges that lie ahead. I am refreshed and renewed. Thank you Lord for all you have given me. I am so blessed. Most of all, thank you for your Son and the plan that allows me to be human, but still be saved. In His precious name I pray, Amen."

I have grown here. I have had opportunities that were not available or I was not ready to take on before. God has shown me new gifts I was unaware I had. My spirit is stong, my faith is stronger. Yes, much of this is due to my personal relationship with God, but I truly feel that my Church family and friends have played a big part as well. I am thankful for our time here in Houston. I look forward to seeing the seeds grow from afar. I anticipate great things in Beaumont too. I am anxious to see how these stepping stones lead to the next stage in my life.

I am going to soak in the next 19 days with my peeps as much as I can. I didn't want to wait until we left to let everyone know how great Southeast people can be. I love you and can't wait to share more time with my friends.