Our Own Tsunami

The photos in the Sun Herald http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/ remind me of Maggie's trip to Sri Lanka. She returned with news footage of the tsunami rolling in, and of people reaching out to their loved ones who are being washed away in the massive brown flood waters. That was what Noah's Flood was like. Oh, my! May God, in judgment, show mercy.

Emily, please tell Lucy that her prayers for our generator were heard. This morning God graciously and somewhat mysteriously "healed" it. The boys lifted it into the car and we drove to town, and after getting behind a long line of cars waiting to get gas at a Shell station, we pulled into a rental place to turn around. The service man there looked at the generator and said it was fine! Now I can use the computer and refrigerator, and even have a light bulb hanging from the kitchen ceiling. What a blessing. Our next prayer is for gasoline. Our dear Michelle is coming to visit tomorrow and will try to bring some from out of town.

The Red Cross is helping refugees in chuches here. The roof of our church has a hole but should be fixed soon. We do not have water or power at our house, but PTL the pool is still slightly cool after the hurricane and we can jump in after sawing wood and raking pine branches in the 95 degree sunshine.

Today the boys lined up a row of pails of pond water they hauled from the end of the dock for flushing. This is a new and smelly expeience for us, but we are so very blessed when we think of others. A man staying with neigbors told me today that his newly landscaped mobile home in Biloxi was washed away, and an elderly couple, the lady, a cancer patient, said their home was listed as one gone also. In their seventies, they are homeless. She is afraid her doctor's office is also gone.

Today was a hot one again in Mississippi as we are reaching back to the knowledge we accummulated before Y2K; how to cool your house by opening up in the morning and closing up the house in the afternoon, how to preserve water as you do dishes, flush toilets and wash clothes and hands, siphon gas and light an Aladdin lantern and hand ignite a gas stove.

Well, I must sign off to save gas....Oh Bob has just run by me to grab his wallet . He just heard that the Texaco station down the block has gas - first come first served. "Please be patient, folks! "

Hurricane Katrina

We know you are praying because we are fine. God be praised. Yesterday was pretty wild. Bob went in to the hospital for a few minutes than came home, the same today. I am borrowing power from our neighbor's generator for a quick note to you. We had 2 tall pines fall. Our neighbors lost 7. (It was 'interesting' to watch from the sunporch where the boys sat on the floor playing Old Maid until the water covered the floor : ) The trees did 'not come nigh our dwelling' or the shed, Praise to the Lord.

We did have a mess in the pool, but the boys deepsea dove to clean that, and Rob will climb on the roof to replace the chimney cover. Our house is sturdy and brick, and I still have some stored food, so when we run out of fresh, we'll be ok. And the water in the pool will do for flushing. I had filled the tubs for drinking and we have a gas stove and lots of oil lanterns and Coleman lanterns praise God.

There are hundreds of power poles bowed to the ground or snapped and miles of line down in Mississppi, the worst our poor Mississippi Entergy has ever seen. It took many years to get power to this state... and in one night....well, here we are. There are long, long lines at the stores that are open. Most aren't, there are few ATM machines and little gas - long lines wherever there is gas - none near us. All the endtime and Y2K senarios.

Rob and James and I just returned from Wal Mart where we heard there were generators. As we pulled in to the parking lot, the big truck pulled out. He sold all 60 in 15 minutes . We do like our power : ) We shall just have to sit around telling more goofy Halpert jokes about the cowgirl that swims and What ticks on a wall? : )

The situation at the coast is terrible and very sad, but without TV we know less than you. Our neighbors' boat likely is up on the freeway. A major bridge is out and a couple cassinos are either gone or badly damaged. I wish our government would think twice about standing by while Jews are being evacuated from Gaza or wherever. We always have to ecvacuate Americans before a get a hurricane whenever we curse the Jews. Please pray that the levies don't break and send more water into New Orleans which is below sea level as you know.

Thanks soooo much for your calls and prayers. I did not realize how comforting it is to have folks check on you at a time like this. We are hot hot hot and tomorrow will be 95 I hear. But sweat is good, right? : ) Maggie's school, Belhaven, is closed till Tues so she may head to Texas or Alabama with a friend till then - doesn't feel like bringing friends here where there is no water (NO SHOWERS!!!) or electricity - Can't imagine why.

Two poles down the street snapped and our dear elderly neighbor's are stuck in their property, but a nephew snuck in with a generator. They are hot but praising God, safe and laughing. All the neighborhoods have trees down everywhere. The boys and I sawed apart a tree blocking our street, and they have been having a great time working on those in the backyard. I was on the phone with the insurance company and heard a loud Wha-hoooo! from back. Oh no, it's Peter again!! I dropped the phone and ran. There was Peter astride the tree and Rob and James were bouncing him up in the air like a wild bronco .

Well they are barbequing hotdogs . So I will go.

Lots of love to you all . We love you so much and value you all the more at the thought of ever losing any of you as has happened to so many down here. God is good. Keep praying for the refugees.

Sylvia/Mom

Victorious Sons of the Kingdom

Having all three boys in football is a paradym shift for a mother who has just raised several daughters. It is good for the spirit, though, which according the God's word, says all believers are "sons of God." He is shaking dust from our hearts and unclogging our ears to remind us to be more 'feisty in the Lord'. Psalm 148:5-9.

Yesterday Peter came in from practice with a quiet little smile on his face, because Dad had told him that he hussles more than all the other boys.

James, on the 6th grade team, grins ear to ear. His wet hair sticks every which way and he points to his feet and says, "Mom, do you know why my socks are soaking?" Of course I know why. It is 100 degrees again today, and he hussles too.

Then when big brother strides through the door, he flings his drenched practise jersey into the washing machine and dives into the pool.

They love it. I love it too, because they understand when I say "Be strong in the Lord," and "Praise be to God, who ALWAYS causes us to triumph in Christ Jesus.

As a friend who ministers in the jail says calmly with a smile, "We place our foot on the devil's neck, press firmly and twist." We are God's people.

God's hand is resting upon us and His Word is strengthening us as hurricane Katrina appraoches. School is out, and 'so they say' will be the electricity soon, but we shall see about that. We love our tall Southern pines and believe that they, and we, and our reservoir dam will be fine.

We believe the folks down on the coast who were unable to evacuate will be protected. We believe that Jesus is Lord of all.