Dear friends,
Thank you for all your prayers as we prepared for the cyclone, and hunkered down inside when it arrived. Praise God is was not as destructive as predicted, but with that being said there is still damage to repair, power still out across town, mental and physical exhaustion, extreme heat exhaustion (after a cyclone our tropical climate is even more heat and humidity intense), and so many other aspects of getting through the days/weeks ahead that are individual to everyone affected.
The cyclone hit around 8.30pm Thursday night, and we lost power a few hours before that due to power lines coming down. Praise God we now have power back, but so many do not...I'm praying for that situation to be resolved today as the weather conditions are beyond ghastly.
Friday afternoon my heart began to play up, and partly that was due to to the insane heat and humidity, and being without power I could not get cool or breathe 'dry' air. Saturday was worse, and a bit scary, so I've needed to rest - the power being restored to our home by then helped enormously, but I just wasn't good. I have had a heart condition since 2020, and know what it is, and what to do, but with a cyclone and the aftermath, nothing goes normally for a while. Emergency services are everywhere, working SO hard to repair, restore and bring order back to the town.
Our suburb got hit harder than many, simply by being on the extreme south edge of town where the cyclone does most of its damage, but other suburbs copped a beating too. Blossom's area did not, and they never lost power. We were so relieved for them.
Both side fences have come down around our house, and hubby (who is not well either) has been working hard to secure one of them, whilst the other must be replaced.
I'll get back to the blog late in the week, or perhaps even leave it to next week. Right now we have a lot to do here, and I must keep resting a bit longer between my tasks. I am feeling my 64 years.
The Lord gave me this two days before the cyclone as I was praying. Psalm 57:1...
Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful
to me,
for in you my soul takes refuge;
in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
till the storms of destruction pass by.
I was never afraid of the storm itself, only concerned about losing power, and one particular tree falling on the house. But this verse gave me peace, and I knew to simply hand the situation over to God and focus on being prepared.
Perhaps you are in need of this Word from the Lord today??
Take care, and God bless...
32 comments:
Praise God that you are okay..as okay as you can be. You have all been in my thoughts every day.
Oh I am so relieved to read you are all safe dear Jennifer. Continued prayers that your heart rights itself without any medical intervention this time. Sending love my dear friend x0x
Dear Jenny, It's so good to hear from you. Thank you for taking time to let us know you are OK. It is so comforting to receive a direct word from the Lord as you did, when facing the storms, both natural and figurative, of life. Cyclones, hurricanes, any natural disasters, are so difficult to live through, clean up after, and recover from. So happy to hear that you, your husband, and Blossom's family made it through safely, in spite of the mess and power was restored relatively quickly. I pray your heart issue will calm down very soon. God's blessings be upon you. ~ Linda
Thank you so much for the update...it was so good to hear from you. So hoping that all the power is restored very soon. Can hardly imagine the tropics & all the extra humidity without air conditioning. Will keep you in my thoughts! - Diane from Minnesota, USA
God heard your prayers and thankfully no worse destruction than you received. Bless your husband for working hard in spite of being sick. With your heart condition you do need to take serious care and of course so you can attend to family also. Your blog and followers will wait for you dear. Prayers and Healing Energy continue for you and the others affected by the Cyclone.
Followed the cyclone and prayed for you and your family. I’m thankful you are all okay.
It is so good to hear that you and your family are well and got through the storm. The Verse you shared is very comforting. God bless you!
God bless you in your recovery in health and property. We live in the path of many hurricanes coming up through the Gulf of Mexico, United States. Just watching the warnings, and predicted paths, and cones of who will surely be affected in the days before the storm is so exhausting and scary. Then all the things that have to be seen about after it passes is another source of stress. I feel for you. I respect your religious strength. Blessings!
Thank you dear Lord for keeping Jennifer and family safe during and after the storm. God is good!
Hugs,
Cathy
Hi Jennifer,
So good to hear you are all still there and electicity is back on for you.
Power outages that last too long sure are auwful for those that have full freezer that thaw out.
All that heat and humidity, ugh ! Take all the time, blog next week, we'll be here cheering you from the side lines :)
hugs, take care, wishing your Winter arrives sooner than later :)
Joanne
So pleased that things were not as bad as you anticipated but it all sounds horrendous enough! Rest, rest, rest Jennifer. I know it is not in your nature when there are things to do but take your time and recover properly. Sending love and hugs. xx
I read regularly but seldom post. However I am so thankful that you and Blosssom’s family are all safe, and that your property is not as badly damaged as I had feared might be the case. In the past your blog has helped me to look beyond myself and to try to make my own home a sanctuary for my own family and I must thank you for that now that I finally posting. Sending you my very best wishes and hopes for your future.
Lesley in England
Hello Jennifer,
So pleased you were not hit as hard as it could have been. I’m sorry to hear you’re not well. Would it be possible to get a small generator that you could use during these emergencies, so you are able to have your air con going to keep you more comfortable. We had a bad storm quite a few years back and the power was out for a week. We then purchased our generator and it’s comforting knowing we have that back up,
Blessings Gail🙏🏻
Grateful you were not harmed and praying for your health and your husband’s.
So very thankful that you've all come through safely. Praying for your health, and the finances to cover your repairs.
Big virtual hug, Lilian
So thankful to hear that you and your family are safe from the storm. Prayers for you and your husband as clean up continues. May God continue to carry you with his blessings. Rest easy and don’t overdo, as we have a tendency to try to get everything done in a right now manner.
Sharon from Western Kentucky, USA.
Keeping you and your family in prayer - only when you can, let us know how you are doing.
Blessings, love and prayers
So glad you are OK. Looking forward to your column when you are able.
It is so good to hear from you Jennifer, I will continue to pray for you and your husband. I praise the Lord that he kept you both safe. Also, praying for those who are still without power. I pray that the Lord will strengthen you both. Take care.
That so reminds me of the derecho that hit here in Iowa it cut a seventy mile wide swath across the center of the State horizontally we had trees down every where most roofs needed to be replaced ours included I was sixty five hubby two and he has heart stuff as well and we had so many tree gone that we had to cut and move plus trees that came that were not our...it was the hotest time of the yr we had no power for nine days. Generators flying off the shelves my husband thought to go to pawn shop and he got one we were running cords to neighbors it was so awful. I never heard of a derecho before. We were blessed that those incoming trees did not come inside widows four feet away was even too close branches came down on the garden people going by would hop out of car and help me drag branches off the garden it was awful. Our bathroom has no windows so I devised taking a roll of toilet paper and putting a flashlight face up inside the center and that gave enough light to shower. It was so very hot hubby would have to drive with gas cans out of the effected area to get gas as pumps don't work without electricity.....rest till you feel better is all you can do lots of tears of pain were had I have fibromyalgia so I have pain all the time but it was horrid doing tree dragging and cleanup. My heart goes out to you know that this will pass and will be a bad memory and story you will tell later on. May you all be blessed with help you need the most important thing is to take care of you two.
Dear Jennifer, thank you for news of your family, glad you are OK. Thank you Lord Jesus!. Please Rest! Up for a while. Rest in our Saviour. You write when you feel able. Much love Mary-Lou
Reading the Bible verse you wrote in your newsletter reminded me of the old hymn Under His Wings. I hope it will bless you as you recover from the damage the cyclone inflicted.
Under His wings I am safely abiding;
Though the night deepens and tempests are wild,
Still I can trust Him--I know He will keep me,
He has redeemed me and I am His child.
Refrain:
Under His wings, under His wings,
Who from His love can sever?
Under His wings my soul shall abide,
Safely abide forever.
Prayers & Love from Northern California,
Margie Scott
Dear Jennifer, it is so good to hear from you. I am so thankful to hear that the Lord has protected you and your family during this time of devestation. We serve a great and awesome God. A shelter and refuge He has indeed been to you. Take care of yourself and hubby and all the best with the recovery process. Blessings x
Thank you, Jennifer, for posting and letting us know you are ok. I too had been following the storm and praying for you and your family. Please rest and encourage hubby to rest too. I know that after a storm there is so much to be done, but I encourage you to do it gradually and keep mindful of your health. Hugs! Mary
Thank you so much for taking the time to give us an update. I was wondering how you and your husband faired in the storm. Praise God for protecting you both. I'm praying for both of you to get healthy and get everything repaired.
First and foremost - take care of yourself, Jennifer. No rush to post or do anything else unnecessary. I glad to hear the damage was not worse - but it still sounds as though you both have a lot of clean-ups and repairs, nonetheless. Thank you for that verse - I found it to be quite helpful to me this week. Take it slow, Carrie.
I am so pleased you got through the cyclone relatively unscathed. It certainly looked like it had the potential to be a terrible event. I hope you are managing to get some much-needed rest and stay cool in the heat. Sending love from my family to yours. xx
I am thankful you got through this okay. My prayers continue to be with you and all in your area. I live in a place that frequently has tornadoes. I know the fear that comes every time there's a tornado warning. My go to verse is 2 Timothy 1:7 "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." It's gotten to the point that the initial fear is short-lived and replaced with the feeling of perfect peace. Love and hugs.
Continuing to hold you and your community in prayer. So glad you are listening to your body when it tells you to slow down, but praying that your heart is touched by the healing hand of the Lord, as well as your husband's health for improvement as well.
Praise GOD, praise God praise God!!!
Dear Jennifer, so happy you and hubby are okay. Rest, we all need your beautiful words.
Prayers answered! Rest and restore!! Thank you for taking the time for us, your readers! :)
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