LOUISIANA’S RECOVERY

WE GOT POWER BACK YESTERDAY AFTER 7 DAYS WITH OUT POWER DUE TO HURRICANE LAURA. MY SON’S CAME TO OUR RESCUE THE NEXT DAY. WE ONLY HAD DAMAGE TO TREES BUT HAVEN’T CHECKED ROOF. WE LIVE IN NORTH LOUISIANA AND WE HAD ALMOST A CAT 2 STORM HERE. WE HAD NO IDEA HOW TO PREPARE FOR A HURRICANE NOT FAR FROM THE BORDER OF ARKANSAS. THE STORM WAS SUPPOSE TO GET TO US DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS IN THE DARK. IT KEPT SPINNING AT THE COAST AND CAME IN WITH A FORCE AND FAST. WHEN IT GOT 8:00 AM WE WERE GETTING WORRIED BECAUSE THE STORM HAD NOT BROKE UP MUCH. THE WEATHER MAN TOLD US THAT WE WOULD GET 70-80 WINDS AND EXPECT THE WORSE. THE THREE OF US GATHERED IN THE DEN TO WAIT. I’VE TOLD YOU THAT I AM A CHRISTIAN SO I WENT TO THE DOOR AND OPENED IT UP ENOUGH TO PRAY FOR THE LORD TO PROTECT OUR HOME AND PROPERTY. I STOOD THERE PRAYING TILL THE WINDS COMING TOWARDS OUR HOME FROM THE NORTH WOULD BACK OFF. TODAY, I SAW WHAT THE WINDS AT THE EDGE OF THE PROPERTY DID TO A TREE. IT SPLIT IT DOWN THE MIDDLE AND LAID IT OUT FOUR DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS. ONE PART OF IT TOOK OUT PART OF OUR FIG TREE. I CAN ONLY IMAGINE THE REST OF THE PROPERTY IN THE WOODS. OUR HOME WAS SPARED AND ALL VEHICLES AND BUILDINGS ON THE PROPERTY. THAT DAY WHEN I SHUT THE DOOR, I WENT TO THE OTHER DOOR AND TRIED TO OPEN IT. I THOUGHT I WAS NOT UNLOCKING IT. THEN I TRIED AGAIN AND WHEN I OPENED IT THE DOOR NEARLY GOT SUCKED FROM MY HANDS. BOTH DOORS WERE ANOINTED WITH OIL AND THE CHAIRS WE WERE SITTING IN. I PRAYED OVER EACH OF US AND WE PRAYED. WE SAT DOWN AND WAITED TILL IT HAD PASSED US. NO POWER AND THE RADIO I HAD WITH BATTERIES WOULD NOT WORK SO WE WERE LIMITED ON WHAT WAS GOING ON. THE WINDS BLEW ON AND OFF FOR HOURS. THE TEMPERATURE WAS HOT BUT OUR HOME HOLDS THE COOL PRETTY GOOD. MY SON THE NEXT DAY BROUGHT US A GENERATOR TO COOL ONE ROOM WITH THE BATHROOM AND CLOSET. THE TV DIDN’T COME ON TILL THE NEXT DAY. WE WERE IN THE HEAT BACK AND FORTH THE NEXT DAYS TRYING TO USE SOME OF THE FOOD TO COOK ON THE GRILL OUTSIDE. SO NOW WE ARE BROUGHT FROM A HOME WITH ALL THE BEST WAYS OF LIVING TO SURVIVING. WE NOW DIDN’T HAVE BUT 1/4 TANK OF GAS AND THE NIGHT BEFORE GOT TWO BAGS OF ICE. ICE AND GAS WAS BROUGHT TO US BY OUR SON TO KEEP US TAKEN CARE OF. NOW THE HEART WARMING PART OF THIS IS MY SON WAS TAKING CARE OF HIS FAMILY WITHOUT POWER AND HIS WIFE’S GRANDFATHER. TRYING TO FIND GENERATORS FOR HIS LOVED ONES TO KEEP THEM COOL, FED AND SAFE. HE ALSO IS OVER PART OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT TAKING CARE OF HIS MEN KEEPING UP THE TRUCKS. MY OTHER SON WAS WORKING LONG HOURS FOR THE SAME PARISH CLEANING UP THE TREES AND HELPING PEOPLE. THE THIRD PERSON WITH US WAS OUR GREATGRAND CHILD AND YOU CAN ONLY IMAGINE KEEPING A 4 YEAR OLD OCCUPIED IN SUCH A SMALL AREA. WE DID GET UP EARLY IN THE MORNING WITH IT COOLER AND COOKED EARLY OUTSIDE TO EAT. KEEPING THE CHILD WAS THE HARDEST PART. SO I’M ENDING THIS WITH THE REST OF THE STORY OF THE SON HELPING SO MANY PEOPLE. HIS 4 YEAR OLD ONE OF THE MORNINGS THAT HE STARTED OUT TO HELP HIS CHILD CAME RUNNING OUT SAYING DADDY DON’T LEAVE I’M AFRAID YOU ARE GOING TO DIE PLEASE DON’T GO. HE STAYED AND TALKED TO THE CHILD TO TRY AND ASSURE THAT HE WOULD BE OKAY. HE LEFT THEN DROVE DOWN THE ROAD NOT FAR FROM HIS HOME ON A CALL. THERE WAS A TREE THAT HAD FALLEN ON A VEHICLE WHERE HE HAD TO CUT THEM OUT OF IT. HE LOOKED AND THERE WAS HIS PASTOR FROM HIS CHILDHOOD IN THE VEHICLE. EVERYONE WAS OKAY BUT WENT TO GET CHECKED ANYWAY. DID THE LORD WARN THIS CHILD OF DANGER TO HER FATHER TO MAYBE SAVE HIS LIFE. BOTH ARE CHRISTIAN MEN SERVING THE LORD. ONE AS A PASTOR AND THE OTHER SAVING PEOPLE’S LIVES. MY OTHER SON WAS HELPING TO CLEAR UP THE PARISH THAT HE WORKED IN. TAKING TREES OFF THE ROAD AND CLEARING DEBRIS FROM AREAS THAT WERE DANGEROUS. THE WEATHER DURING THIS TIME HAS BEEN EXTREMELY HOT SO IT HAS BEEN HARD ON ANY OTHER THEIR WORKERS IN THIS AREA. MY SON WAS KEEPING THE VAN COOL FOR THE WORKERS WHEN HIS CREW BEGAN TO HOLLER TO MOVE THE VAN FAST. DON’T ASK OR LOOK DRIVE FAST FORWARD. THE VAN JUST GOT BY FAR ENOUGH BEFORE A TREE FELL WHERE THE VAN HAD BEEN. THE LORD SPARED ANOTHER ONE OF MY CHILDREN. THE CREW AND MY SON WERE ALL SAFE. ALSO ANOTHER MIRACLE OF A FRIEND OF MINE HAPPENED. I HAD TALKED TO HER THE NIGHT BEFORE HER POWER CAME BACK HOME. IT WAS ALMOST 2 DAYS AND I COULDN’T REACH HER. WHEN SHE CALLED, SHE TOLD HER STORY OF THE LORD SAVING HER LIFE. SHE HAD GONE TO THE STORE IN TOWN FOR FOOD AND MEDS. THE HEAT INDEX HAS BEEN REALLY HOT. AFTER LEAVING THE STORE, SHE GOT INTO HER VEHICLE TO TURN ON THE VEHICLE AND PASSED OUT. HER DAUGHTER GOT WORRIED WHEN SHE DIDN’T RETURN ON TIME. SHE CALLED A FRIEND TO COME GET HER TO GO TO THE STORE AND CHECK ON HER. SHE HAD LEFT HER PHONE AT HOME. WHEN SHE GOT TO THE STORE , HER MOTHER WAS SLUMPED OVER THEIR STEERING WHEEL, FOAMING AT THE MOUTH. THEY CALLED 911 AND THEY GOT HER BACK WHERE SHE COULD GO HOME. I ASK HER HOW DID SHE SURVIVE IN THAT HEAT AND WHY DIDN’T SOMEONE FIND HER. SHE TOLD ME SHE HAD PARKED OVER IN A SHADY PLACE THAT WAS QUICKER AND EASIER TO GET IN HER VEHICLE. SHE TOLD ME THAT SHE SHOULD HAVE DIED BUT THE LORD WAS WITH HER AND PROTECTED HER. PEOPLE IN THIS AREA STILL DO NOT HAVE POWER BACK ON. FOR THOSE THAT ARE STILL OUT OF POWER, I PRAY THAT YOUR POWER IS RESTORED SOON AND WE GET OUR STATE BACK TO GOING AGAIN.

OUR COUNTRY IS GOING THROUGH BAD TIMES. IF THERE WAS EVER A TIME IN YOUR LIFE TO GET RIGHT WITH THE LORD IT WOULD BE NOW. I PRAY THAT YOU WILL GET SAVED AND PRAY FOR THIS COUNTRY AND JOIN OUR FIGHT FOR OUR COUNTRY TO GET BACK TO HOW AMERICA REALLY WAS.