well. i have been MIA for a little bit. sorry 'bout that.
we were pretty busy moving our stuff to our friend's house in tuscaloosa. we are so blessed to have the cutest house e.v.e.r. to live until the end of july. [thanks cat!]
internet hasn't been super reliable and therefore blogging went out the window.
we are in destin, FL for a little over 2 weeks at Greek Summit, which is a project with college students from around the southeast who are interested in growing in their relationship with the Lord and reaching their chapter/house for Christ. it has been an amazing trip so far and we are loving every second here.
God has been so sweet to Justin and I as we continue to process everything since the tornado.
we are leaving here at the end of this month to head back to tuscaloosa for the rest of the summer. on one hand we are so ready to be back and serve the city, but not sure if we are emotionally ready to be surrounded by the destruction and brokenness.
May 18, 2011
May 4, 2011
the new normal
i can't believe it has been a week since the tornado hit our town, these past few days have been a blur.
we are so grateful for our safety and sometimes this all seems so unreal. maybe tomorrow i will wake up, drive back to our town house in cedar crest and life will resume. but this is the new normal, cop cars blocking our neighborhood, bulldozers and cranes taking away the rubble and relief efforts around each corner.
as i think back over the past few days i realize how much i have to be thankful of. while we might have lost a significant amount of our possessions, but i can honestly say that i trust and know God more through this experience. i am learning that depending on others and allowing others to help us is a good thing and one God calls us to do. i am learning to praise God even when we don't see nor understand His plan and trust Him when there is so much uncertainty.
we were so thankful for our friends who showed up at our town house last thursday to move what we could salvage to a friend's apartment. i could not believe that over 30 people came over to move our things, felt very loved by our tuscaloosa community of friends.
we spent a couple of nights at jeff and rachel's house in northport before relocating to a hotel across town. we are so blessed to move out of this hotel and into catherine's house, a friend who is graduating and starting her job in birmingham this summer.
we are so grateful for our safety and sometimes this all seems so unreal. maybe tomorrow i will wake up, drive back to our town house in cedar crest and life will resume. but this is the new normal, cop cars blocking our neighborhood, bulldozers and cranes taking away the rubble and relief efforts around each corner.
as i think back over the past few days i realize how much i have to be thankful of. while we might have lost a significant amount of our possessions, but i can honestly say that i trust and know God more through this experience. i am learning that depending on others and allowing others to help us is a good thing and one God calls us to do. i am learning to praise God even when we don't see nor understand His plan and trust Him when there is so much uncertainty.
we were so thankful for our friends who showed up at our town house last thursday to move what we could salvage to a friend's apartment. i could not believe that over 30 people came over to move our things, felt very loved by our tuscaloosa community of friends.
we spent a couple of nights at jeff and rachel's house in northport before relocating to a hotel across town. we are so blessed to move out of this hotel and into catherine's house, a friend who is graduating and starting her job in birmingham this summer.
a sign i wrote [and didn't really like] that was in our closet.
we left it propped in the back of our house and someone else nailed it to the front of our house.
now we love that little sign and have it with us at the hotel.
psalm 34:3
"oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together!"
May 3, 2011
tuscaloosa
"For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come."
-Hebrews 13:14
"The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold."
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold."
-Psalm 18:2
May 2, 2011
4.27.2011
this post is going to be scattered, just like my thoughts. hopefully it will tell our story and help you understand how to help tuscaloosa and other places with tornado damage.
i got home from working on campus around 4. justin got home a couple minutes later and turned on the local news. and that's where i lost track of time.
justin jumped into action and put the coffee table in front of our sliding glass door, grabbed our comforter and pillows from upstairs while i grabbed Millie. we all huddled in the downstairs half bathroom. we couldn't have been in there but a minute before our ears started popping and we heard the roaring of the tornado. justin and i both started praying and holding on to each other. we felt the tornado try to suck us up into it's vortex, but we held each other even more tightly and prayed even harder.
once the tornado passed, we looked up and saw the bathroom wall was not there. we had been exposed to the storm, praise God for our safety. justin pushed open the bathroom door to find glass, debris and our possessions strewn around our downstairs.
the next couple of hours were plagued by fear, anxiety and lots of rumors. i wish i could remember what happened during that time, but i am thankful that we can't remember those terrifying details.
everyone at our complex was safe so we started walking around the cedar crest neighborhood to make sure others were okay.
we were so blessed by how many friends came to check on us and get us out of the disaster area.
it truly is by the grace of God that we are still alive, if we were anywhere else in our house we would not be alive today.
i honestly can't remember the next few hours and the past few days have been a huge blur.
i got home from working on campus around 4. justin got home a couple minutes later and turned on the local news. and that's where i lost track of time.
justin jumped into action and put the coffee table in front of our sliding glass door, grabbed our comforter and pillows from upstairs while i grabbed Millie. we all huddled in the downstairs half bathroom. we couldn't have been in there but a minute before our ears started popping and we heard the roaring of the tornado. justin and i both started praying and holding on to each other. we felt the tornado try to suck us up into it's vortex, but we held each other even more tightly and prayed even harder.
once the tornado passed, we looked up and saw the bathroom wall was not there. we had been exposed to the storm, praise God for our safety. justin pushed open the bathroom door to find glass, debris and our possessions strewn around our downstairs.
the next couple of hours were plagued by fear, anxiety and lots of rumors. i wish i could remember what happened during that time, but i am thankful that we can't remember those terrifying details.
everyone at our complex was safe so we started walking around the cedar crest neighborhood to make sure others were okay.
we were so blessed by how many friends came to check on us and get us out of the disaster area.
it truly is by the grace of God that we are still alive, if we were anywhere else in our house we would not be alive today.
i honestly can't remember the next few hours and the past few days have been a huge blur.
the front of our town house
our bedroom.
brick exterior wall is down.
wall is pulled away from house.
going upstairs.
my 'rolla. officially totaled.
last picture at our house.
April 28, 2011
tuscaloosa tornado.
this is going to be brief.
as you might have already heard a tornado did hit our home. justin and i are completely safe. our town house is destroyed. our exterior wall is gone and our cars are smashed by huge trees.
but praise be to the Lord for our safety and the safety of our neighbors.
continue to pray for tuscaloosa and alberta city.
pray for those who have it much worse and are without family members tonight.
we cleared as much as we could out of our town house and moved it to a friend's apartment. we are staying at our director's house in northport.
will update with more news/pictures/information when i get the opportunity.
check my twitter page for more up to date information and my Facebook has some pictures that other people have taken.
here is a link to a crimson & white article with more information.
as you might have already heard a tornado did hit our home. justin and i are completely safe. our town house is destroyed. our exterior wall is gone and our cars are smashed by huge trees.
but praise be to the Lord for our safety and the safety of our neighbors.
continue to pray for tuscaloosa and alberta city.
pray for those who have it much worse and are without family members tonight.
we cleared as much as we could out of our town house and moved it to a friend's apartment. we are staying at our director's house in northport.
will update with more news/pictures/information when i get the opportunity.
check my twitter page for more up to date information and my Facebook has some pictures that other people have taken.
here is a link to a crimson & white article with more information.
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