Sabbath

With rain predicted for Sunday or Monday there was a bit of debate about whether to 'let' some of the church members work on recovery on Sabbath afternoon as several had suggested they would like to do. But honestly, by the time Friday afternoon rolled around, we were so WIPED OUT, that the idea of taking a break sounded pretty good. So we made the decision not to go back to the house on Sabbath at all, except maybe in the late afternoon, to snap pictures and poke around outside and talk with neighbors. We got up on Sabbath, Darlene worked her magic with some eggs and sausages, etc for breakfast and we all went over to the church for a short, informal praise service there. It was wonderful to be together with our church family. It was a beautiful time together. People shared things they had learned from the storm, many were touched by small things, like how the stars are so much brighter when the power is out in the entire northern half of the state! We got a lot of hugs from people who were just glad we were all alive and well. We sang some hymns. I have a new favorite hymn – Great is Thy Faithfulness – I particularly like the line “Morning by morning, new mercies I see” - as we have walked through this event in our lives we have felt SO strongly that God is here with us, in this, walking with us, and smoothing our path, bringing people here to help, and blessing us with His love through the people around us who have showed us SO much love, we were already, even on Thursday and Friday, feeling that God was throwing silver lining after silver lining onto this cloud, to the point of the cloud nearly disappearing completely.

Sabbath, after church we returned to Showalter's place and had a simple lunch and rested for a bit in the afternoon. Several neighbors let us know that our house was in the Huntsville Times, TWICE! I was laying there, trying to rest, thinking about how best to communicate to those on the west coast, our story and our desire to encourage people to prepare disaster kits. I believe God planted in my mind, the idea to phone up the Oregonian, and offer to relate our story to them, if they were interested, so that they would have an 'Oregon slant' on the Alabama storm story. So after a short afternoon nap, I did just that. They took my number and said someone would be getting back to me. About 20 minutes later I noticed that my phone had rung without me hearing it and looked to see who had called – it was a 503 number, and I called it back to see if it was them, wanting to talk. The fellow who answered said it was not him, and there was only one other person in the newsroom, and was not likely her – he asked what was going on, and I started to relate the story. After we had spoken for just a few minutes he said “well, you don't SOUND like someone who has been through a bad storm”. I told him that it was our Sabbath, and the fact that we had rested, worshiped and relaxed, counted our blessings and generally took a break from the chaos of our lives had greatly restored my spirit. I told him that if he had spoken to me a day earier, I would have sounded MUCH different. I started relating some of the events of Wednesday and Thursday and he listened to that for a bit and then said “Woah, wait, let's start again from the begininng - I need to take some notes!! He wrote a WONDERFUL article that focused not only on the need for people to have disaster kits prepared but, also on how our faith is carrying us through. I'll link it here, if I can figure out how to do that.

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2011/04/ex-portland_couple_survives_al.html

I had been on the phone for over an hour by the time we got done and it was getting close to time to get going if we were going to have enough time to see/do anything at the house, as there was still a dusk-to-dawn cerfew in effect. We all got in the Pathfinder van (our transportation, since the truck was still stuck in the garage, under the imbedded trailer.) and drove up there. Darlene had not been up there yet, and it was interesting to see things through her eyes. The approach to the house from one particular direction is rather stark, allowing for a view right up the tornado's path and a view of our house from a point it was never before visible. We approached from that direction, and as we came up that road, Darlene said “where ARE we?” It is THAT difficult to even recognize where you are!

When we drove up to the house, it was evident that the neighbors had been working and had removed their trailer from the side of the garage already! That would simplify the work that needed to be done to get the truck out on Sunday!!

We pretty much stayed outside for the most part, poking around in the yard. Some army reserve guys with heavy equipment came and set the neighbor's delivery truck back on it's feet. It had flown about 150 feet in the opposited direction of the other neighbor's utility trailer and was laying on it's side. (some have surmized that if our house had not stopped Jeff's trailer, that it and Daryl's truck might have collided!) He had emptied it of all of it's Little Debbie contents on Thursday or Friday and handed it out in the neighborhood to those who wanted it as we were all sifting through our respective rubble. We have some new Little Debbie comfort foods in our family, based on the sharing that he did! When the men with the 'big boy toys' were done righting his truck, they came and asked us if we wanted them to right our travel trailer. We said, ''SURE!” So they cleared the driveway, enough that they were able to get to the trailer and right it. At which point, we realized that it was MUCH more badely damaged than we realized! The side that was down, either got hit, before it tipped, or the scraping that happened as it scooted across the driveway 10-15 feet, did it in, and a gaping hole was now there, instead of the side of the trailer. Also, the slider had been out – I had forgotten about that, so there was extensive damage there too. Inside, the refrigerator was on the side that was up, while it was on it's side, and it had fallen out of it's spot and was laying on the stove area, having smashed it. So, it was pretty clearly evident, right away, that the trailer WILL be a total right off. This is a blessing in disguise, because we were getting tired of making payments on it, but we couldn't bear to sell it, because it had such sentamental value and we were concenred that we might need to live in it at some point. Now, that decision has been made for us! One less payment to make!

We headed back to Showalter's place right around dusk, and I was looking forward to an evening visiting with the neighbors in their cul-de-sac who had all been bar-b-queing out in the front yard of various people's houses. They kept inviting us, and we kept arriving back too wiped out to do anything but grab a quick bite and stumble to bed. One family had offered warm showers – thanks to their gas water heater - which we had availed ourselves of – and I really wanted to just go, and visit, and enjoy some relaxation time with these kind people. Just before I was headed out to get my dinner and head over there, the phone rang and it was a couple who go to Central Church (the church that our church planted from) and moved here from Graham, Washington several years before we moved here – we've kind of connected with them, via pathfinder events – since we are all Northwesterners. They were offering to bring a crew of people and come help on Sunday. They asked what else they could bring and I suggested that if they had any boxes, that would be helpful. They said they did, and they knew other's that did too. They would bring all they could find! I was so excited, I walked out to tell Lon, in the garage – (everyone is cooking in their driveways at this point, as the power is still out) In my excitement, I was not being as careful as I should have been, and I stepped down two of the steps into the garage and missed the third. In the dim light of the one trouble light we had set up in the garage, I just didn't see it. I knew immediately that I had broken my leg. I heard a pop, and so did Lon, who was standing about 15-20 feet away. So much for going to the block party, I was going to the ER instead. I had popped over quickly, right when we got back, to look at the pictures in the paper - and gone back to get my food. But never made it back over there. I was also supposed to try to get online - Michael and Lon thought they could get Michael's internet up and running with the help of our generator - and send an e-mail of some photo's to the Oregonian guy. I phoned him, and left a voicemail, that I was not going to be able to do that, as we were driving to the ER for an x-ray of my leg.

too tired to keep writing now - will pick up there ASAP - Please keep your prayers coming - we can definitely feel them!!!