A Hurricane’s a comin’
Time flies! We have been non-stop since arriving yesterday. Hurricane Michael skated past us creating some anxiety but not causing any damage. Praying for our friends in the Pan-handle at the top of our list!
Many asked me about the rain and the wind from the evening. Water seeped up the walls of the shack but otherwise I stayed dry. Heavy gusts gave it a bit of a rock but most of it dissipated after midnight. Ear plugs kept the flapping of my tarp from being too much of a disturbance. I reflected upon the story of Jesus sleeping in the boat in a catastrophic storm while his disciples panicked. What could I learn in this moment?
My getting ready for Michael was all about preparation. The key was people coming to help. These are the very issues people in poverty and fixed incomes face. Tarps may not be available. Their age and physical abilities may prevent them from boarding up windows. If you live in an isolated area, there may not be anyone close by to come and help. So, you wait. You watch. You hope.
Pictures of devastation are coming to us; water damage, buildings collapsed, loss of life, cars wrecked. Storms know no income level. It’s how we cope and how we recover. Storms can trigger the situational poverty if someone was under insured and lost their home. I pray we are ever mindful.
On the flip side, this very tragedy can be an opportunity to create encouragement and hope. Disaster drives are happening as we speak. People are packing “flood buckets” and sending to damaged area. ARM holds the truck and trailer for our area that can house emergency volunteers. It is being deployed. Thousands will come together and help. Our prayer is for a culture of serving our neighbor. Although the storm is gone now gray skies are replaced with sunshine and blue, the effects can last for years.
I believe we could end poverty housing. It is an ongoing system of repairing homes and helping people have the resources to maintain them, especially when they are older and do not have the physical means to do their repairs. We all have the same needs it just some of us have more financial resources to meet them. The cost of a gallon of milk and gallon of gas is about the same for everyone…what’s different is what I bring in for every hour of work versus what someone else does. So the difference is how I can use my time to make someone’s life a little better!
We are Made for More!
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