Showers of Blessings!

I have always been fascinated by nature's power.  When I was a little girl, I would kneel on the couch with my chin resting on the picture window sill and watch as a storm would roll in from the west.  I would watch for the flash of lightening, and count "one one-thousand, two one-thousand..." until the crack of the thunder would arrive.  I can remember once watching the wall of rainfall travel closer and closer across the farmer's field that stood opposite our  house.  High winds would blow the trees and for some reason I never feared.  The excitement of the storm seemed to supersede any fear I had of ending up in the Land of Oz!

 In my later years, when attending a teacher's conference in Pensacola, Florida, hurricane Erin happened to visit that region at the same time I was there.  While the hundreds of teachers at the conference were huddled in the hallways of their buildings, I was sneaking back into my 6th story dorm room to catch a glimpse of the most powerful storm I had ever been through.  After all, what is the fun of being in a hurricane if you can't see what is happening outside?

A view of the flood at the beginning

The same view as the waters finally slowed

More recently (as in yesterday) I once again witnessed God's creation in all its power when a flash flood washed across the campus at the boarding school where I am working this summer. Accustomed to living in the area, I knew that a flash flood in Eastern Kentucky is fairly common...but this was an uncommon flood.  It lasted hours and left a landscaping nightmare behind when the deluge finally ceased.  It left behind silt, mud, rocks and debris; and found its way into several buildings on campus as well.  Cleanup from this mess will take a while.  It quite literally changed the landscape of this end of campus.

Still..in the midst of the storm (and its aftermath) as much as I am awed by the power of nature, I am far more impressed by the power of God working in His people.  I watched teenagers kick off their shoes, roll up their pants-legs, and wade into the muck with shovels to dig out the sidewalks and concrete entry to the dining hall.  I saw others wading through the silt and dirty water in the church basement, hauling out drenched carpets and soggy books.  I watched administrators bailing water from step-wells with waste baskets to keep basements from flooding. They were not concerned that their job description did not include menial labor, nor were they concerned that their dress clothes would be ruined.  I watched small children helping to bail water and carry things out of flooded areas. And do you know what the most amazing part was?  They were having FUN!  Drawn together for the benefit of God's ministry, students extended their daily job training cheerfully and put their backs into a task that most would deem highly unpleasant and adults shed their daily tasks to pitch in where needed. 

A lot of water that doesn't belong there!

 And the blessings don't stop there...a local church heard of our "disaster" and a work team arrived less than 24 hours after the flood to assist in the cleanup.  Prayers have been lifted, and God has answered in a mighty way.

Bailing water out of the church basement entrance

So today I am in awe of the blessings that happen when God's people pull together.  We have had our share of showers this week (in fact, even as I write this the showers are falling on the decimated grounds we are working hard to reclaim).  The greatest showers, however, have been the showers of blessings we have experienced in a time of need.

                                           God is so good to us!