What a WEEK!

This week has been an incredible journey for me, and through it all God has shown me several things. My work week began with dealing with the aftermath of a double homicide in Butts County last weekend. Through several phone conversations with the victims family and meeting with her daughter and son-in-law, God has shown me again why He has placed me where He has. No matter how frustrated the day-to-day gets, I'm there for a reason, and that reason is so I can help people like this.

Early Thursday morning middle Georgia was struck by tornadoes - incredibly powerful tornadoes. Butts County was hit by storms a couple of times over the last few weeks (though nothing like as strong as this storm), and storms raged in North Carolina near the homes of Bert, Stephanie, Alison and Stephen, and I thought, as I do most times "wish I could do more to help" as I prayed for those affected, gave a little money, etc. When those kind of tragedies occur, I occasionally think "if I was able to go..."

Shortly after I arrived at work on Thursday morning, I got a text message from my friend Wanda Moncrief. She had decided that she was going to take some food to Griffin and asked if I wanted to ride with her. Thus began our 3 day journey. Something (or someone!) made me suggest Barnesville rather than Griffin. I know that Griffin had been hit hard, but felt like since Barnesville was smaller and more cut off from media attention, they might not get as much help.

Our original idea was to take a few cases of water, some sandwiches, and a few other items, drop them off and leave. We were feeling pretty good about ourselves! I for one never realized when I sent that text to Wanda saying that I'd go with her just what the Lord had in store for us, but by the time we left that afternoon, I knew that whatever it was, it was much bigger than either of us knew!

Wanda began to work her phone and send me updates by text.....WOW! First she found out where we could go in Barnesville. The first indication I had of this being bigger than we planned was her next text...."I've gotten $69 in donations and Fredalyn Reeves is bringing stuff to the house to take." I thought, "that's good". So, asked her to stop by the office on her way to Sam's, and I took a little money of my own, got a couple of more donations in the office, and got us up to a little more than $100. I was feeling pretty good about myself and Wanda.

Over the course of the next three days, we colledted over $700, many cases of water and food. We had restaurants, individuals and stores in Jackson, McDonough and Monticello donating cole slaw, chicken, tea, ground beef, desserts, diapers, wipes and I don't know what else. God has revealed Himself through it all. With the money we were able to purchase not only everything we needed for their dinner Saturday night, but purchased the items they needed for breakfast today, and at the end, we handed in $270 in cash to further help

He gave us strength and stamina that neither of us knew we possessed. He showed Himself in small, tender moments - a few of which I'll share. It was overall one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I want to say I look forward to another opportunity, but of course I don't want another storm like this one, or this much hurt and damage.

I was blessed by the little girl who came into the gym where we were serving volunteers after school on Thursday. She looked to be about 6 years old, and came in with her mother. They apparently had only a few minutes really before they had to be somewhere else, but she wanted to stop and help. I got the impression that this was her idea, and that her mother was like so many of us with small children, on a schedule and needing to get to the next stop. Anyway, she wanted to do something....so, she helped an adult volunteer put tablecloths on each table, and then she left. She had done a part, and who knows? Maybe it lit a fire in her.

I was blessed by another little girl, maybe 8 years old, who came in Friday with a bag filled with ziploc bags of cookies that she had made herself. And by the family who came from Covington with a couple of HUNDRED sack lunches - sandwich, apple, chips to pass out through the SA canteen.

And, I was blessed by the National Guardsmen - over 200 of them who had volunteered to come to Lamar County. When I first arrived, I thought "they're all old!" (like my age and older), and then thought that was because the young ones were overseas. By Friday, 175 more had arrived and they were all ages, from all over the place (saw at least 2 I knew from Jackson) there to do whatever they needed to do.

This is getting long, but I want to share one more thing. We worked with an incredible S.A. worker, Wanda Browning. As we were setting up on Thursday, she wanted table covers in the worse possible way. My initial thought was "that's sort of silly, but whatever....". And, when the table covers were donated and brought in - they were THANKSGIVING ones, and I had the same thought. But one of the first soldiers who came in said "HEY! we've even got table cloths!" We had been warned that they would leave their blates, etc strown around, make a real mess, but they didn't. I don't know if it was the presence of those turkeys on the cloths or what, but they cleaned up after themselves! Wanda B. later told me that she wished she had flowers for the table - and you know me. I started wishing for it too. Saturday morning before I went to Barnesville, I did my usual Saturday morning thing, and went to yard sales. God was at work again. The first yard sale I went to had 5 bud vases for sale for 10 cents each. Guess how many tables we had set up in that gym? 5, of course. So, they got flowers on their tables last night, and today.

It was such a rewarding experience, and I saw God's hand over and over. I thank Him for using me and blessing me with all that I saw and experienced.