November 15, 2006 A Closer Walk
Today is Wednesday and I'm getting ready for an EBSS staff meeting (East Bank Storm Station), so I thought I'd take a minute and get this new entry started. So much is happening so fast, it truly is hard to write it all down. I can say that I see God all over this place. Being this close to Him daily is something I have never experienced. I'll never be far from Him again. Developing this truly "personal" relationship is a growth I had desired, but wasn't sure I could achieve, but when you are almost 1,000 miles from everyone you know with God being the only friend you have - you learn to depend on him like he is "real"....and HE IS! That's the most amazing thing to me, how very real He is to me now. We chat all the time, I see Him all the time.
Yesterday, I talked to a lady whose husband is paralyzed from having West Nile Virus, they divorced after Katrina. When her son overheard her talking to someone pricing the gutting job for her house, and knew they didn’t have that kind of money, he told her not to pay for that, that he could do it. He's 15!! He got his 13 year old brother to help. She said she was just so down, and felt like there was just no hope. I pointed out that seeing her 15 year old son’s heart was a gift from God. Most mothers don’t get to see their son be a man with that kind of heart and caring until they are grown.
Then I told her not to give up, that God was everywhere all through this. I told her that we could buy insulation and sheetrock for her and provide the labor to get the house done. She was so excited, she just couldn’t believe it. When I found out how little her house is and remembered that we had some sheetrock leftover from a job last week and that it's probably enough to do her house, I sent Warren over to measure her house to see if it is. When I called her to tell her that he was on his way over, she cried she was so happy. He talked with her and gave her advice on completing the gutting job, such as pulling out all the nails. She hugged and hugged him before she’d let him leave. Tomorrow he’s going to drop off the bleach for her boys to use to treat the house for mold. God is SO good. He had us call her on the very day she needed it the most!
Well, I’m still hoping to get photos up for you to see. I’ve taken photos of the teams working last week and of homes in the Lakeview area. Hopefully I can get my uploading issues worked out. In the meantime, go to www.flickr.com and put in patriciabondor as search. There are photos from this past summer as well as the ones for this trip. This trip is called “Now I can see the future”. In His Service, and only through him, humbly, Patricia