Hurricane Ike

"The earth is the Lord's, and the fullnes thereof...[He] layeth the beams of His chambers in the waters: [He] maketh the clouds his chariot: [He] walketh upon the wings of the wind." (Psalm 24:1, 104:3)

As Hurricane Ike whipped through our city on Friday night with powerful fury, God's incredible might was made known to me in a very real way. I have seen many intense storms, but never witnessed a hurricane firsthand. To think that my Father walks upon the wings of the wind and rides the clouds as a chriot is an amazing thought! I stand in awe of the fact that He as Creator is bigger and more powerful than any storm.

My family and I feel deeply grateful for God's almighty protection throughout the duration of Hurricane Ike. We have emerged from the experience with no bodily harm or damage to our home. A fence in the backyard toppled over, a pine tree on our side yard was uprooted, and a fruitless pear tree in the front yard has been greatly diminished. But these are all such minor issues compared with those who lost homes or loved ones. Our hearts go out to the many in Galveston who will be returning to a ravaged coastal town and homes that have been destroyed.

We were without electricity for only 18 hours. This is an amazing miracle considering that it was predicted that power might not return for 2-4 weeks! We were among the first in the city to experience a return of electricity on Saturday evening, much to our surprise and relief! Going without this daily luxury for just a short time has increased my appreciation for something I have always taken for granted. It also makes me realize how spoiled we Americans are. Countless millions live in countries where running water and electricity are non-existent, and they survive without a problem. I am grateful for this small taste of "missionary training" since it is very possible that God will take me to some country in which having no electricity is a normal way of life.

Even though we have been greatly blessed with electricity, many others throughout the city are still without it. Traffic lights everywhere are not functioning making traffic even more chaotic than usual. My dad has encouraged us to stay home as much as possible in order to conserve on gas since it is nearly impossible to obtain right now. Stores, also, are out of food, so we are rationing what we have to make it last. Thankfully, the Lord has taken good care of us. We have sufficient provisions and should make it just fine until the food shortage passes.

My sister is fondly known as the "news reporter" of our family and as such, she has been snapping pictures right and left throughout the whole hurricane adventure. Here is a small taste of what we've been experiencing lately:

Boarding up windows...

Extra water stored and ready

Mom and Dad enjoying the breezy evening right before Ike blew in (notice the tree in the front yard - only half will still be standing after the storm!)

Katelin wanted to show how windy it was getting!

Clouds rolling in

Our fence toppling over during the storm

Our own leaning tower of pizza :)

Hello neighbors!

Our dilapidated tree

Branches/trunks from the tree piled up on the drive way

The following are pics from other houses/yards around the neighborhood: