Well, I'm back!!
Thankfully the only effect we had from the "Sandy Storm" as Matt calls it was the loss of power.
Usually, our area of town does not lose power but we've been told and have experience first hand that this was not a "usual" storm. Last Monday, we got all the way to 11 pm when our power went off - technically a few hours before the worst part of the storm ended. Also, unusual for us is to be without power for very long. Not so this time. We were without power for 6 days.
At first being without power was an adventure, camping indoors. However, a few days into the "adventure" it lost its appeal. The weather here changed and got much cooler and sadly our heat was not accessible due to an electric "issue" with the damper. Thankfully we have a neighbor who is an electrician who was able to bypass that part so we were able to run the heat off an invertor, also loaned to us. We also received help from another neighbor when he got his generator.
When Friday came and we were still without power and there were reports of the temps dipping lower, we were blessed to be able to borrow a friend's generator (they already had power restored). Of course, generator's require gas so Dave and a few neighbor's became very strategic in their efforts obtaining it.
Sunday coming home from church we saw a group of utility trucks from Missouri working on a line down on Main Street which is one street over from our house. When we headed to our church's Trunk or Treat that evening, the trucks were gone but power was not restored. While at the event, my neighbor, Lucille, called and told me to try and turn on the lights.....we had power. You'll have envision the happy dance I broke into in that moment.
All this being said there are a few things I would like to specifically express:
1.) My husband is amazing. His workplace had no power so he was home all week and I know God knew I needed him here with me. Every day he was in action making sure we were taken care of and being of help to neighbors and friends.
2.) I love my neighbors. When you go through something, you pray it will bring your community together and in this case it did. Neighbor helping neighbor and then the Lodi community offering help with a charging station and warming center at the library and a Sunday meal.
3.) Oh my friends what would I do without you!!!! Words of encouragement, prayer, opening of your homes. Yes, we did tend to stay home for the most part but I cannot tell you how much each and every one of your offers were appreciated!!! Thank you!! To the Bergacs family, thank you so much for your contribution, I cannot say enough thank you's!!! The Cabrera's, thank you for our Saturday night diversion.....it was so needed and a blessing to my heart.
4.) Our families - Wessel & Papp and all our relatives - thank you for your concern and prayers. I know it had to be hard to be so far away and not be able to help but your responses to my texts and few calls gave me what I needed in those moments I reached out. There were many of you who we did not speak to directly but we heard of your concern and your prayers for us and we so appreciate it.
5.) Our church family - you may not have prayed for us specifically but when you prayed for church family in need you prayed for us and we are thankful. Yesterday being in God's house with God's people made the possible time ahead in the dark bearable. Pastor Bill's message was what I needed to hear and seeing my good friend Lucille get baptized provided unspeakable joy!!
6.) Governor Christie you are the man!!! I do not want to get into politics but I do want to say this man helped, is helping and will continue to help NJ get back on its feet and rebuild....I have no doubt of that!!
7.) The Missouri utility company that we saw fixing that line...thank you!! Thank you for coming to NJ and helping out people you don't even know. You left your homes and families to come help other families and for that I am grateful!
I could go on and on but I will stop with thanking God. In the days we were without power, the times of darkness that impacted me the most were the late night hours. It was so dark then and a thought brought to my mind over those six days in the midst of my being down and unhappy for my circumstances was how Jesus is the light of the world. What I learned from this experience is that I need to be the light of Jesus in this world. It can be seen in the simple things like letting someone go before me in a line, paying it forward and most importantly sharing the Gospel but it is important and vital for me to show that "light". After all, my life is not my own but His so I need to show that.
Please continue to pray for those effected by this storm. So many people have lost homes, businesses and in some cases family. What our family experienced is so minuscule compared to what others are experiencing.
As always, thank you for allowing me to share!
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