We felt sorry for the cops having to work ten to twelve-hour shifts standing in the sun directing traffic. Their chiefs/captains wouldn’t bring them water or food. What food and drinks they received was provided by passing motorists who would stop to hand them water bottles, burgers, and chicken, etc. God was providing for their needs
The government received seven million dollars for those cops for their ‘beyond duty’ work, but the money ‘disappeared’ before anyone saw it. That caused all the cops to go on strike and not show up to work for several months. We agreed with their decision; however, that meant no one manning the traffic lights, or fighting crime, which of course, was on the rise. Driving during this period of time was the worst ever.
As we contemplate on what befell us, we really did pull together. For one thing, our spiritual lives suffered due to the loss of our church-rented site; our pastors went to the states for some months, listening to encouraging messages or music was impossible with only one radio station in operation and only sharing news updates, etc. We ended up reaching out to our ex-pastor’s wife, Donna, (from N.Y.) who now lives in Florida. She would send encouraging thoughts & prayers via email. We would read devotionals and try to encourage each other.
On the streets and in neighborhoods, people continued pooling together cleaning their trash, removing debris, and doing just about everything that the government and town majors wouldn’t touch with “a ten-foot pole.” This enabled us to see how a tiny mustard seed was sprouting into a huge tree. Working together showed us the bright side and victory over the devastation Satan thought to utterly cover us all with.
One incident that affected us greatly, occurred early one very dark morning. While driving my wife to meet up with a coworker, we wound up literally rear-ending a huge, brown cow that suddenly appeared right in front of us! Thankfully, we didn’t get hurt, but were shaken up. It would be months before we could laugh at that incident.
Yes, the blanket of gloom was being lifted in town after town. On April 7th, we received our electricity! Seven tough months had passed since the storms, and although it would be more than two additional months before we’d move back home, I was now able to wash clothing & dry them at home as well as see any damages that we couldn’t see before.
Bottom line: life for us had been intensely difficult staying at someone else’s home for a full nine months plus not having power at our home for 219 days, 10 hours.
As June drew to a close, Viv was able to start her summer vacation and we moved home for a week. We then headed to Florida to see our kids!
Although we still need new roofs on our home and two other out buildings, the storm was finally over after nine months. We could now get back to our ‘normal’ lives…our longest winter, like fallen snow, was finally fading away.
And so, we pray, ‘Thank you, Lord, for holding us near Your heart all these months. We never would have made it without You and Your help’.