Thursday, October 15, 2009

Water, Water Everywhere

One of many many Buckets full of water






So yesterday was really fun! We had a pretty one-sided soccer game with Vivien, Megan, and the older Livesay kids, and then an intense game of ‘waterball’ in their swimming pool. Then after dinner as we were all relaxing with movies and laptops, it started to rain. Hard. Then water started coming in through Lisa’s balcony door and dripping from the skylights. Of course we all dropped everything and got towels to block the water. In less than five minutes we were up to our ankles in water upstairs. We were grabbing every available bucket and towel to try to fight the water that was coming in from everywhere, under cabinets, under doors, dripping from the roof. Our wet towel method was probably not ideal but we really had no choice, soaking the towel, wringing it out into a tub. Gallons and gallons and gallons and gallons. About an hour into the whole ordeal and it stopped raining. We got the whole second floor dry, including moving the couch and chairs, and moved onto the first floor. Needless to say, tons of water flowed down the stairs into the kitchen and then on to my room and the extra bedrooms. The guest room my dad stayed in has about a 4 in. step down and was filled completely with water. My bathroom also has a step down and was filled.

We are soo grateful to our housekeeper, Alex, for her hard work, and for Damienne, who came to live with us yesterday and cheerfully helped us clean. What a great first night for her huh? We were starting to get really silly and sliding around on our knees and singing “the Lord told Noah, there’s gonna be a floody, floody.” We even saw a rainbow and considered it God’s promise that this would never happen again.

When we were getting really close to being done I was just exhausted, and even though I knew we only had a little bit more to do I was all of a sudden really grossed out by the dirty water and the floating dead bugs. I could have sat down in the water and cried. I felt so helpless and weak. In 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 John writes, “’My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, I will boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. … For when I am weak, then I am strong.” So I will boast in my weakness too. I was really crabby, thinking, “Why me?” the whole time, and I didn’t do a good job focusing on God. However, through my weakness I know Christ was strengthened in me. On my own strength I could never have worked for three hours without crying or yelling at someone or giving up. There is no way that was me wringing out those rags and dumping water down the drain, I know that was Christ in me. Once everything was fairly dry, we turned on the water so we could shower the yucky water off of us and get in our dry beds. Showering with no towel to dry off with is a pain. Just saying.

When I woke up this morning, Lisa was calling my cell phone and asking me and asking me to plug in the refrigerator because she was called to a birth. Great timing new baby. But there was no power at all and a really annoying beeping sound. So I woke up Shane to go turn on the generator. I had this massive headache right behind my eye and the beeping was not helping, but that turned out to be our backup internet, so we left it on. We haven’t had to run the generator at all since we have been here, of course we had to the morning after the flood when Lisa was gone.

I know all of this is the Devil trying to get us down. And I’m trying to stay cheerful when inside I’m my worst crabby ever. God sometimes cracks me up! When I got in bed last night I flipped my Bible open to Psalms, because at a time like that, you wanna read Psalms. I opened right to Psalm 93, “The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up the roaring of their waves. The Lord on high is mightier and more glorious than the noise of many breakers and waves of the sea.” Haha good one Holy Spirit, you got me laughing.
Now I am facing a day filled with laundry and cleanup. God help me stay semi-cheerful at least. Renew my strength!

4 comments:

  1. wow what an adventure! you're so strong and selfless and I really admire you. im sure God is really pleased with you!
    look at these lyrics i was listening to this song when i read your blog

    I Believe in Love-Barlow Girl
    How long will my prayers seem unanswered?
    Is there still faith in me to reach the end?
    I'm feeling doubt I'm losing faith
    But giving up would cost me everything
    So I'll stand in the pain and silence
    And I'll speak to the dark night

    I believe in the sun even when it's not shining
    I believe in love even when I don't feel it
    And I believe in God even when He is silent
    And I, I believe

    Though I can't see my stories ending
    That doesn't mean the dark night has no end
    It's only here that I find faith
    And learn to trust the one who writes my days
    So I'll stand in the pain and silence
    And I'll speak to the dark night

    I believe in the sun even when it's not shining
    I believe in love even when I don't feel it
    And I believe in God even when He is silent
    And I, I believe
    No dark can consume Light
    No death greater than this life
    We are not forgotten
    Hope is found when we say
    Even when He is silent

    I believe in the sun even when it's not shining
    I believe in love even when I don't feel it
    And I believe in God even when He is silent
    And I, I believe.
    I believe

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  2. Good girl, turning to the Word!. Praying for your renewed strength and proud of your attitude through the deluge. Hugs!

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  3. My Hero! That is amazing how perfectly that Psalm spoke to your situation. Emily and I prayed for you this AM. If you think of it please pray for Em about an IHOP training program- that God would lead. Love...

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  4. Corrie, you are so amazing. I am so proud of the woman you are becoming. Way to maintain a cheerful attitude, how we chose to react to situations is a true sign of our character. Way to hold on to God, and let his light shine through you. Love you!

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