Crisis Aftermath

Yesterday evening, I slipped off into a quiet sanctuary and prayed and cried and prayed and cried some more.  Asking God to protect all those that I love and all the other people affected by this storm and the next places it's headed.  It has been a nightmare.

As I went to bed last night, I checked the radar one last time to see what kind of night we were in for.  The radar appeared to be clear and the storm looked as though it was possibly heading farther east than expected, meaning it wasn't hitting us head on anymore.  I took a long look at the sky and hoped that was true.   I had already prepared myself for a direct hit. Went to sleep with a little peace in my heart as I hoped I had read the weather radar correctly!  

All through the night I woke up here and there and listened for the rain... nothing.  It was silent.  

Woke up at 7:30 AM to a weirdly wicked orange sky.  It wasn't raining.  I was elated!!!  Awakening my guys with a shout of "Let's go home!  Let's go home!"  We packed and left!  We were home within 30 minutes of waking up! 

There was debris in the streets, ditches had gone down for the most part...and home, home was GREAT!  Just as we had left it.  We quickly made our way in to check everything out and unload.  Showers were had, laundry was started, things were unpacked.  There is still tons to be done.  We dressed, grabbed a quick bite and headed back up to the church at 8:45 AM.  We are still a shelter and have families staying there.  

Checked in on my family who were next in Harvey's radar and they were fine!!  All of them!  The storm didn't hit them directly, but landed west of them.  Again, pure elation!

The morning and afternoon today were very busy with families needing food and essentials.  Today our food pantry served about 35 families. It was BUSY.  Donations kept rolling in, and we kept serving.  Such a generous outpouring from our community of folks and businesses!  I am still so proud to be a Baytownian! 

Tired but blessed to be a blessing to so many others who are struggling right along side us.

Things looked so bleak for so long.  Wow.  We are still here.  We have survived.  We are alive.  

#hurricaneharvey #baytownstrong #houstonstrong