Dear Family and Friends:
Christmas 2010 was the most unusual Christmas The 7 Storey's have ever encountered. In the hustle and bustle of Chrismas programs, shopping and preparing for the holidays, our province experienced an unusual rain storm! When we should have been dumped upon by huge piles of snow here in the North, we were instead being soaked with torrents of rain all over the Maritimes. There was flash flooding in several different area's and unfortunately it hit home, literally. I had actually started a blog post right before Christmas, but never got the chance to finish it so I decided to just post a new one.
We had gotten so much rain that our basement flooded badly. It destroyed our furnace, hot water tank, our Tristar vacuum cleaner among other house hold items. Some things were sentimental and just can't be replaced. It was difficult mourning the loss of those things but that's exactly what they were, things. Due to the mild temperatures, we were ok at home for a few days. We only had a couple of small heaters as a source of heat. We huddled around them in the living room but as the temperatures dropped lower, we were forced to move out and live in a hotel for a few days until a furnace arrived. Through it all, despite the fact things were in chaos and it was so close to Christmas, I was so thankful that we were safe and alive. It could have been so much worse. My cousins who live about an hour away ended up with over 5 ft of water in their homes and now are homeless as the flood destroyed all of their things. Currently, as I write this, my brother is still living in a hotel waiting for repairs on his home due to flood damage that was discovered after Christmas. My cousins are still dealing with the uncertainty of their situations as well. I ask that you keep these flood victims among many more in your thoughts and payers because a lot of people lost everything during what should have been the most joyous holiday of the year. We were fortunate to get home 2 days before Christmas and were scrambling at the last minute to get things prepared for our 5 children. I have to say, that it never ceased to amaze me how God provided and took care of my family through this disaster.
When funds were low and we only had one gift to give to each child as Christmas Day drew closer, God provided. When I wasn't sure if I'd get any baking done for company, God provided. When we weren't sure how the children were going to get from the little town we were staying in, to the country where their school was due to one vehicle, God provided. When we didn't know where our next meal would come from or snacks for the children's lunch, God provided! When we thought we'd have to take care of all the damages all on our own, God provided. I could list many examples of how God came through for us as we were tossed to and fro from all of this. He definitely is our JEHOVAH JIRAH... OUR PROVIDER! I want to say again to all of our Angels who helped us during this difficult time of our life a huge THANK YOU! We love and appreciate you all. Our prayer is that God blesses you abundantly for your giving. I love how we can depend on God to move in any given situation and lean on his word. We certainly held on to these scriptures:
Psalms 37: 23-26
23. The steps of a man are established by the Lord when he delights in his way
24. Though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, the Lord upholds his hand
25. I have been young and now I am old yet I have not seen his righteous forsaken nor his children begging for bread.
26. He is ever lending generously and his children become a blessing.
If you are currently facing a disaster of your own, I encourage you to lean on these promises. God will provide and he does have a plan. He cares! One of my favorite quotes is "Sometimes He calms the storm and other times he calms his child. You can have peace but it only comes when you begin to be thankful for your situation and start trusting that he is going to work it all out for the greater good.
When the children told us this was the best Christmas ever, all I could do is weep. It touched my heart deeply to see them wrapping up some of their toys for other young flood victims who lost everything! We truly saw the spirit of giving this Christmas Season every where we went and our lives were changed because of it.
I remember one particular day, I had the girls with me at the mall. I had some pocket change so I told them I'd get them a hot chocolate and treat myself to a coffee. We were standing in line behind a sweet little lady that has taken a shine to our family. She lives in a seniors complex and has no family here. They all live over sea's. She was using a Tim Horton's Gift Card to pay for her coffee. The girl waiting on her informed her that there was nothing left on it. My daughter looked at me and said exactly what I was thinking, "Mommy, lets buy her drink" I smiled and took the last $10 out of my wallet. I believe that God compelled me to reload her gift card. My girls eyes got huge because they were aware of our flood situation and that funds were extremely tight, however I didn't hesitate. Not only did I want to obey God but I wanted to show them that it is more blessed to give than to receive. I used it as a teachable moment. You should have seen them a couple of day's later when I opened a Christmas card and inside more than double the amount I gave this dear lady plus a Tim's Card with the exact amount I gave her on it! To them it was a complete miracle and greatly increased their faith in God. So, I encourage you... give if you can and trust God because he will see you through. If he did it for us, he'll do it for you because He is no respecter of persons. He treats us all the same and loves us beyond what we could ever imagine.
GOD IS ALWAYS ON TIME AND HE IS GOOD!!!
We got to visit with family and spent the rest of our holidays, doing some flood aftermath clean up. We also got to spend some time with my precious Mother who was really missing Dad this Christmas. Dad was out west due to work and wasn't able to come home. As I mentioned earlier, it was the most unusual Christmas ever but I echo what my children said... It was also the BEST one ever!!
Love and Prayers;
The 7 Storeys