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A Life of Joy and Blessings
What a week! Hurricane Helene’s arrival on September 27-28, 2024, will live in infamy for many of us on the Florida coast. For Longboat Key and our immediate area, we dodged storm after storm for many years before Helene gave us a rude awakening of the terrible power of nature’s forces.
Among our Chapel family, no physical injuries were reported. However, a number of our people experienced very significant property damage. Several lost their homes, and many others have lost vehicles, boats, BBQ grills and everything else.
While shopping for the Chapel’s cleaning equipment at a Lowe’s Improvement Store yesterday (Monday, 9/30), I bumped into one of our Chapel family members. She told me that her home was nearly gone. Her vehicle was totaled. As we spoke, I could see the extreme pain in her eyes. I could feel what it means to be completely helpless and not knowing what to do or where to turn. She teared up while we spoke. I teared up after we parted ways.
The pain experienced by our friends and neighbors won’t dissipate easily or anytime soon. We are thankful because we weren’t physically harmed, but it’s easy to forget that part as we attempt to clean up the incredible mess, drain the bank accounts, and negotiate with insurance companies (if we were fortunate enough to have insurance).
For those who were able to dodge the impact of the storm, please continue to pray for all those affected. If you want to help in a more specific manner, you are welcome to contact me directly and I’ll try to find a way that you can help (No specific needs at this point). One way that you can help is to make whatever financial contributions you can to the Chapel. If we can help distribute something to those in need, we certainly will do that to the best of our ability. Send a check or go to the website and give it electronically. It’ll help.
The Chapel sustained significant damage at both the main building and the Lord’s Warehouse thrift store. The cleanup is immense. The work in front of us is massive and it will take all of us to get it back in order. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to do all of it ourselves. We will need professional help to get us back to full capacity. But it’s going to take some time.
The main building of the Chapel had at least 12 to 18 inches of (standing) water throughout the first floor. This includes the Sanctuary, which means the carpeted flooring is in bad shape. (The water did not reach the stage.) However, the Narthex (lobby), Shook Fellowship Hall, and the kitchen might be spared with lots of our own elbow grease.
The Lord’s Warehouse certainly got hit, as the water lines on the outside of the building are 4 feet high. That’s right. Forty-eight inches of water. This, too, is going to receive some professional assistance, but, just like the main building, we’ll have much of our own cleaning to assist in at The Warehouse, as well.
The Chapel Gardens? Yeah, that’s another whole story. But rest assured, we’ll get it cleaned up and growing again.
This is a terrible disaster, but there is great hope. God is amazing and we often witness the greatest blessings amid tragedy. God did not send a storm to punish His people. God loves us. God wants us safe. God wants us to experience a life of joy and blessing, especially when difficult times emerge.
From where will joy come? From where will God’s blessings emerge? Some will come from us. Some will come from people around us. But lots more will arrive from completely unexpected people and places. God is very creative, and though our prayers for storm protection may not have turned out exactly the way we had hoped, we can be confident that God is already with each of us, guiding and directing our steps so that we can experience a life of joy and blessings.
Stay safe and pray for each other.
God Bless, Brock.
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