You might be wondering where I have been for the last couple of weeks. Due to a widespread massive storm which hit much of the east coast, I was without electricty for eleven days. The Scriptures below describes a little bit about wind and its power in relationship to the Holy Spirit’s power and work in the lives of people.
SCRIPTURE TO LIVE BY:
John 3:8
The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.
Acts 2:1,2
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.
The power of the Holy Spirit is described in the Scriptures as like wind. For those of us living in the state of West Virginia and surrounding states we have recently experienced the power of the violent wind.
This violent, mighty rushing wind came up from nowhere on a Friday afternoon. Eyewitness said you could hear the sound, and in less than an hour you could see the destruction it left behind. Trees uprooted, power lines ripped in two, tops of trees twisted off. Our yard looked like a bomb had exploded.
Seven trees were uprooted in our yard alone, with many more tree tops just mangled and torn from the trees.
Before
After
This tree was across our driveway upon entering our yard. It was also across the bridge my husband had made me. The trash can is from a neighbors house from some distance away.
Our Plum tree was cut off at the root.
Butterfly Bush uprooted.
Red Bud Tree snapped in two.
The wind didn’t stop with the small stuff. It uprooted three huge trees in one grouping.
It uprooted another huge tree that took out power lines and a power pole with a transformer on it that cost us eleven days without power in temperatures above 100 degrees.
This thermometer was attached to one of the trees that was uprooted.
Just to give you an idea of how big this tree is, my son-in-law is over 6 ft tall.
Various bird houses around the yard came down as well.
Tops of trees were twisted and torn off and thrown to the ground.
Creating a mangled mess in many areas.
Trees came down within inches of our camper, but only one piece of lattice work was ripped off.
Both of these pictures are taken in front of the camper.
Our swing was broken by pulling the wire that was attached to it and a tree that uprooted.
One of our canoes was thrown from the boat house area,
into our raised garden fence and knocked out two of the posts.
Another canoe was thrown from the same location as the above,
over an apple tree to an area where an outhouse was,
approximately 75 to 100 yards away.
We put this outhouse in many, many years ago. Little did we know it would be used during this 11 day power outage. Can you image what it was like for those who had no electricity or water in order to use their bathrooms? We were very thankful we had not torn that old outhouse down.
Something to think about and plan for. What would you do for 11 days without a bathroom?
We have so much to be thankful for:
1. I am so very thankful for God’s timing. My husband and I were not at home when the storm hit our little neck of the woods we call home, we were in Ohio. If we had been there we both would have been terrified to see trees flying in the air and being uprooted and tops being twisted like Popsicle sticks.
2. There was debris everywhere. It was a HUGE mess to clean up. I have heard all my life that many hands make light work. In all, we had 17 pairs of hands making the work lighter. All of our children and their children had planned vacation time to be at our house during the 4th of July week. We are so very thankful for each of them and all their help. (How did this save us money? Can you image the cost of having 17 employees doing the work of this massive clean-up.) I can only imagine the thousands of dollars. A time to say, “Thank you children for doing the work, lovingly and with out cost to us, only to yourselves.”
3. So thankful that the wind changed direction and brought the trees down away from our house instead of toward it, if not some would have hit it.
Back of house.
Front of house, where only a piece of flashing had come loose.
4. So thankful for willing hands to work many, many long hours in the process of cleaning it all up. Chain saws, axes, dragging limbs to burn at a later date, loading and stacking wood which went on for days.
This pile is three rows deep.
5. Thankful for enough wood to burn in our fireplace and camp fires for a number of years to come.
6. How very thankful we were for a generator and gasoline, so we could keep the food in the refrigerator and freezer from spoiling. We ran it during the day but turned it off at night. It was also good to have lights. We did our cooking on a one burner stove outside because the microwave and stove used too much power and would flip the breakers.
After all the work was complete, we could relax and have fun.
We so enjoyed our time together as a family, working, laughing, sharing, relaxing. Some said not only was it one of the most memorable times together, but also one of their best vacations of bonding.
My faith has been stretched and strengthened having walked through this experience. Having seen the power of the wind and knowing that God compares the wind to the power of His Spirit, I realize afresh the power of God to be working in places we are so unaware of until we see the mighty results of His working. The power of the Spirit works the miracle of change to give us a new heart and a new life. So thankful for God’s power in my life and in all the lives of His created beings.
Blessings,
Parties I Link Up To:
Monday Skip to my Lou , Craft O Maniac , It’s so Very Cheri , Keeping it Simple, Creating Really Awesome Free Things, Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms Between Naps on the Porch , The Girl Creative Singing Three Little Birds , Mad in Crafts , Organize with Sandy , Ask Anna, I’m An Organizing JunkieAdd a Pinch, A Southern Fairytale, Polly Want a Crafter, Sew Can Do, I Should Be Mopping the Floor, Cherished Bliss, Making the World Cuter, The Gunny Sack, Mrs Happy Homemaker,Sumo’s Sweet Stuff The Better Mom Get Outta My Head Please betweennapsontheporch thenaptimereview
TuesdayCoastal Charm, A Bowl Full of Lemons , Tip Junkie , Sugar Bee Crafts , Not Just a Housewife , Today’s Creative Blog , Balancing Beauty and Bedlam , 5 Minutes for Mom , Funky Polkadot Giraffe , DIY by Design Hope Studios , Reasons to Skip the HouseworkTime Warp Wife , Chef in TrainingHome Stories A to Z, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Raising 4 Princesses, Celebrating Family, Organizing Home Life, Vintage Wanna Bee, The Blackberry Vine, Carolyn’s Homework, The Kurtz Corner, Mommy By Day Crafter by Night, Sassy Sites, Rook No. 17 Polly Want a Crafter , Lil Luna, Mommy By Day Crafter by Night, At Home With K, Thrifty Decor ChickSomeday CraftsThe D.I.Y DreamerKathe With An E A Lettered Life
WednesdayRaising Homemakers , Crystal & Co. , We Are THAT Family , Women Living Well , The Trendy Tree house , Passionately Artistic , Night Owl Crafting , Handy Man, Crafty Woman Someday Crafts , Fabric Bows and More , This Chick Cooks , Seven Thirty Three, Sugar & Dots A Creative Princess , Dragonfly Designs The Thrifty Home , Creations by Kara, Gingersnap Crafts , A Little Tipsy , One Chatty Chic, Uncommonly Yours, My Girlish Whims, Oopsey Daisy, Sew Much Ado , , Beyond the Picket Fence , Southern Lovely, SavvySouthern style, Power of PaintWe Like to Learn As We Go, Blue Cricket Design First Home Love Life staceyembracingchange
ThursdayShabby Creek Cottage , Delightful Order , Somewhat Simple , House of Hepworths, Saved by Love Creations , It’s a Keeper , Thrifty Decorating , The Frugal Girls , Miz Helen’s Country Cottage , The Thirty Sixth Avenue, Raising Mighty Arrows, Thrifty 101, Diary of a Stay at Home Mom, Beyond the Picket Fence, A Glimpse Inside, Something Swanky, I Heart Organizing, Design Dazzle, Just a Girl Delightful Order Diaper DiariesA Little Knick Knack .Michelle”s Tasty Creations
Friday The Shabby Nest , Fingerprints on the Fridge , Chic on a Shoestring, Life as Mom , Miss Mustard Seed , Tidy Mom , Whipperberry , At the Picket Fence , French Country Cottage 30 Handmade Days , Creation Corner , Finding Fabulous , Just a Girl , Stuff and Nonsense , Naptime Crafters Tatertots and Jello, My Romantic Home , While He was Napping , Comfy in the Kitchen, Bacon Time with the Hungry, Hungry Hippo, The Country Cook, Pocket Full of Pink Six Sister’s Stuff, Kitchen Fun With My Three Sons, Ann Kroeker Writer, Grocery Cart Challenge, Remodelaholic, Kojo Designs, Simply Sweet Home, Craft Junkie Too, Simply Designing, Happy Hour Projects, 504 Main Lolly Jane Five Days Five Ways Delicate Construction, Small Holdings Farm http://momscrazycooking.blogspot.com/p/crazy-cooking-challenge.htmlsimplelivingdianebalch
SaturdayFunky Junk Interiors, Young and Crafty , Be Different, Act Normal , A Vision to Remember, Sweet as Sugar Cookies, I Heart Naptime, Positively Splendid, It’s Overflowing, The Artsy Girl Connection, Craft Envy, Too Much Time On My Hands ,Crumbs and Chaos It’s Overflowing
Sunday Under the Table and Dreaming , DIY Showoff , Nifty Thrifty Things, Homemaker on a Dime , Embellishing Life, Sumo’s Sweet Stuff, DIY Home Sweet Home, Blissful Domestic,The Sweet Talk Shop My 1929Charmer
WOW! I'm so glad that you and your family are safe. Those storms were definitely crazy that day. They went about three miles south of us, and many of our friends were without power for six days just a few miles away. Glad your house was left untouched as well. Megan
Thank you so much for your comment. It was quite an ordeal but I am thankful to God for his care and love and mercy and kindness in the midst of it all. Oh if only I learn more of his power over all things. Blessings, I am also glad that you were spared the storm. Jo-Ann
Oh my , what an event. Thanks for sharing. I found this through It's a Keeper's linky party. I linked in a salad using leftover roast lamb. Have a good week.
Thank you for viewing it. I went back to It's a Keeper's linky party to look at your salad but I couldn't find it would you send me the link? Blessings, Jo-Ann
Wow. You've got me thinking–and praising God for His mercy and for your testimony in the midst of the storm. Blessings to you.
Thank you for your comment. God is so very powerful in every way. His mercy and grace was surely extended to each of us. God uses all things in our lives to grow our faith. Blessings to you as well. Jo-Ann
What a powerful story…the way that you manage to pull the blessings out of the ordeal is very heartwarming..I had tears in my eyes about 1/4 of the way through and they are still here at the story's end, I assure you ! 🙂
Iam so very glad that God could use this ordeal to bless others in the use of his power in each of our lives. I am truly thankful for this for what it has done in my own life to look into His face closer and to realize a fresh His all powerfulness. Love and blessings to you. Jo-Ann
Thanks for sharing your story! Although we live in the MidWest, this storm has made me really thinking through our emergency preparedness. Most of our preparedness focuses on power outages in the winter. Now I'm trying to research and ponder how to be prepared for situations like what you went through.
Eden, Thank you so much for viewing my post. It made us think and hopefully prepare for other natural disasters. It was quiet the eyeopener. I hope you never have to experience but it is so good to plan for as best you can, just in case it does happen.Thank you for caring. Blessings, Jo-Ann
Praise the Lord you are all okay… Give thanks in all things…. sometimes is hard, although necessary!
Thsnk you for your comment. You are right but so much more peace when you can believe in your heart that there is good that came out of it all and there truly is. It is good to have peace at a time like that. Blessings, Jo-Annm
Always grateful for the angels watching your home and being sure you were not home when this occurred! Amazing how such an awful thing can really bring a family together!Thanks for linking up at Get Schooled Saturday:)
So thankful for God'stiming and help through situations like this one. Yes it is amazing how times like this helps us as families to see how important we are to one another. Thank you for caring and sharing. Blessings, Jo-Ann
First let me say how happy I am to know all of you are all Okay! So sorry and this must of been a very difficult experience of no electricity for 11 days -yikes! You have a great spirit that you could pull the positives out of the negative. Great family!
Hi I am following you from the Naptime Review Monday Hop and am really moved my your post. You really should consider yourself blessed and appreciate how lucky you were. The pictures do give an idea of what you experienced and I pray others were just as safe.
Jillian
http://puzzlemecomplete.blogspot.com/
We are truly bless and so very thankful. God is so good to us on a daily basis and in times like these. Just to see his hand in it and during it. What a blessing! Thank you for caring and sharing with us in this. Jo-Ann
Came here from Thrifty Home. How blessed you were to have family that could help you!
We are certainly bless to have family help us. God has given us a precious family who are very loving and caring, not only to us but to others. Thank you for viewing my post and for taking the time to comment. Blessing, Jo-Ann
It is amazing the amount of damage that can happen in the blink of an eye. How fortunate your family was not injured.
Wishing you abundant blessings as you recover from this storm.
Debra
Thank you so much for viewing my post and for your caring comment. Very encouraging. Blessings, Jo-Ann
Oh my goodness!!! So happy you guys are all ok!
Thanks so much for sharing this at The DIY Dreamer… From Dream To Reality!
Thank you for your comment. Thank you for having your linky party and for caring. Blessings, Jo-Ann
Wow, that is a long time be without power. Lovely pictures. I am hosting a Giveaway to win a 50 dollar gift card to the store HomeGoods. It would be great if you stopped by and entered. Thanks Anu