Hurricane Update

Hello Everyone,

Thanks to all of you have been praying for those of us affected by Hurricane Ike. Your prayers are what has sustained us as we face the aftermath. The picture to the left is of the Bridge City Fire Department, conducting a rescue. Praise to these brave men and women!

I'm pasting a couple of links in this message so you can see more of what we're dealing with:

http://www.kfdm.com/
http://www.kogt.com/ (click on Photo Gallery, then Events, then Hurricane Ike)

Both of these sites are local, so you are looking at my town, my streets, my friends. I still have no word on our house.

As the sun came up this morning, I realized how good the Lord is to provide such a bright day. There is a cool breeze blowing through Hot Springs, Arkansas--something we rarely feel in Orange, Texas . I'm thinking of moving here!! Oh, wait...my husband works in Texas. Nevermind.

I'm trying to get a little work done, maybe catch up on some emails, and hopefully, finalize a decision on whether or not I will actually be going to the ACFW conference. Continental Airlines says the airport in Houston will reopen today, and their flights will be running on time. I don't know how that's possible, except that they might not be planning to "catch up" on any flights they missed due to the storm. They are waiving any changes people make to their reservations (a good thing) so anyone who intended to fly out of Houston but can't, will not be charged to change their ticket. The Lord impressed it on my heart to purchase flight insurance (something I rarely do when I'm flying alone) so IF I decide not to go, I will get my ticket money back. God is good.

I'll try and post regularly now that my family and I are settled for a couple of days. We have not decided when we will go back. Estimates are that Orange and Bridge City, the the two towns closest to my home, will be without power for as long as 2-3 weeks. I've heard similar estimates for most of Houston, which is two hours east of where I live, so you get an idea of how massive this storm was, even at a Category 2. Can't imagine what it would have been had the storm been any stronger. The good news is, the water is receding quickly. The storm surge, which caused most of the flooding, came in at over ten feet. Reports this morning say the water has gone down to just over five feet. Hopefully, by the end of the week, most of the water will have returned to the rivers and bayous where it belongs! After that, the cleanup begins...

Thanks again for your continued prayers. I can't believe how much joy and peace God has instilled in me this morning. I sense it is due to your prayers.

Lisa