I don’t know why bad things happen, and I wish I knew why hurricanes happen and leave people in ruin.
The one thing I do know is that ruin is always followed by rebuilding. Starting over is hard, it takes time, and it’s a process of letting go and letting something new find its way into our lives.
Rebuilding is never comfortable, and it never looks like the way we thought it should, and for the people of those in Hurricane Micheal’s path- they know this far too well.
This past weekend, my friends and I drove down to Panama City, Florida. The truck was loaded down with donated supplies, and we were ready to hug and help our friend Bekah. The place we used to go for a reprieve was suddenly a place of mass devastation thanks to category 4, Hurricane Michael.
I have struggled to find the words to describe what I experienced, but the words are very few. Instead, I want to tell you about the people that I had the pleasure of encountering in Panama City this past weekend.
Ms. Brenda needed bleach to clean the mold forming in her house from the floods that poured through her home. I asked her what was a specific need we could pray for, and she asked me if we could pray that God would provide a new home for her. We held hands on her porch and prayed in faith for God to provide the new house she so desperately needs.
We watched a proud Daddy run inside to show us his son Ezra’s latest victory- learning to walk. His other son, Elijah, was excited to be given a small stuffed animal and a Paw Patrol coloring book. Mom and Dad were quietly brought to tears for the diapers, food, cleaning supplies, and hygiene products. We prayed that FEMA would approve their request to have their home repaired.
Rodger is using an old car battery as a generator. I told Rodger he was awesome, and he assured me that he wasn’t awesome, but just a man finding ways to survive. I asked God to show me something on the truck he needed, and God showed me a rope. Rodger did, in fact, need a rope and wondered how I knew what to bring him. His Father met his need, and I told him that. Rodger looked at me funny, and that was okay.
Legend and James didn’t have anything, really. We gave them food, toothbrushes, and other hygiene supplies. They were most excited about the blanket we gave them. Their Dad, Terry, said he just wanted his boys to be okay and how thankful he was that they were all alive.
Ms. Shirley couldn’t walk to the truck because her feet were in bad shape. We met her beside her car and prayed for healing over her pain. She vocally and joyfully agreed.
Henry and Shelby are a couple from Tampa who decided to load a UHAUL with disaster relief supplies. We met them at our friend Bekah’s church. We then jumped in the back and gave out supplies for the rest of the afternoon with no plan other than going where people were in need. Henry and Shelby are really awesome, and it was a pleasure to work with them.
We worshiped and had church in a parking lot beside the church building that was now crumbled and on the ground.
But the church still stands.
The people still stand.
And God’s promise still stands.
He will and is doing something new.
Light can best be seen in darkness. Broken cracks allow light to be seen, and a sweet and special love radiates through the broken pieces of once was.
I don’t know why bad things happen. But I do know that broken pieces can be made new, and darkness never wins. Where light is present, darkness must leave. I saw light pouring through donated supplies, volunteers serving people they didn’t know, and people lifting hands and choosing hope regardless of the devastation surrounding them.
Will you join me in praying that God’s light will continue to be shown in tangible ways? Will you pray for the countless lives that have been drastically changed? Will you help me pray for the churches that find themselves in parking lots? Will you help me pray for my new friends who are just trying to find their way from one day to the next?
So much has been lost by so many.
HOPE is a promise, and HOPE ushers in God’s faithfulness. God’s faithfulness will make not just a community new again, but the people will experience a revival in their homes, communities, and in their hearts. People are being made new. Let’s stand with them and pray with them in the rebuilding. It’s the least we can do for those who have lost so much.
Thank you, God, for allowing me to see a community coming together to rebuild. It was truly an honor, and I pray that you will use me to love the broken, the devastated, and the ones who desperately need hope every single day of my life. Amen.
Behold, I am doing a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.
Isaiah 43:19
P.S. Special thanks to my sweet friends Bekah and Baillie for catching some of these awesome moments.
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Jennifer Fenwick says
Thank you for all you have done and for your prayers and bringing God’s promise of hope to our community! Bekah’s Aunt Jen ♥️
Sunnie Cotton says
It was truly an honor to be there with you all. The Panhandle is not and will not be forgotten!
Roxanne Watts says
Im SO SO PROUD of you and HAPPY for you to Share and grow this way. Love you, Momma
Sunnie Cotton says
Thank you, Mom. I love you!