Hurricane Katrina abruptly transformed this year of our lives into one of great change. A neighbor who had stayed for the storm called us after the eye had passed to let us know that we had some trees down, but there was no serious damage to our home. We gratefully thanked God and ended with a cheery, "see you tomorrow." Several hours later, news and pictures of the levee’s breach said it all. We had lost our home and all of our possessions. With God's grace, it was not as bad as one would have imagined.

We were so grateful to have evacuated, and it was the first time in 9 years that Chris was able to evacuate with me. He usually was on call at the hospital, but as God allowed, it was his weekend off. Concern for our neighbors, who we prayed had made it safely to rooftops, for the doctors and staff trapped in the deteriorating hospitals where Chris would have normally been, and for those friends whose whereabouts we did not know, kept us from being too upset over all of the things we had lost. We were safe. We were together. That was much better than it was for so many others. We could only be grateful. Locked in my memory are the words of a woman after the storm, “We are so blessed, there were sixteen in our family and we only lost two."

Thinking of all that needed to be replaced was overwhelming. We had only the clothes we evacuated with. Our youngest daughter had a fever of over 104° when it became apparent that we were in the storm’s path. There was no time to gather necessary or sentimental items around the house. Knowing that evacuations can quickly become grid locked interstates, and we could not afford an all day drive with such a sick child, we quickly grabbed a change of clothes and headed out.

We are so grateful for God's provision in our time of loss. We had family who were willing to let us live with them part of this year in Lafayette, Louisiana and part in Atlanta. Chris was able to finish his final year of residency by the generosity of his director at Tulane and the ENT department at Emory. Though it meant living apart this year, it was still a great blessing. Friends and family shared with us clothes and money as we struggled to put our lives back together again.

Zechariah Ministries and their supporters showered us with so much: My daughter's mattress on the floor was transformed into a cozy bed with pillows and a darling quilt. A bike for her brought a smile to her face I cannot put into words. The money, clothes, towels, kitchen utensils, sheets, and other things that we would need when we were able to get a new home came as signs that God was caring for our every need. We are so very grateful to all those of you who shared so much. God's restoration is truly amazing! We now have a new home. Chris is about to start a new job here in Lafayette. Our family is together again, and we truly have all we need.

In an odd sort of way it is comforting to know that losing all of our possessions was not so heart-wrenching as I would have thought. With God you can walk away from all of it with His gift of a joyful heart.

In extreme circumstances, I find that Scriptures comes to life. For me, it is usually a verse or two that resound a bit deeper in my soul. "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord!" This one still flows freely from my lips when I come across it in reading or in song, but it means more to me now!

Thanks Zechariah Ministries!
Praise be to God forever!