Well, this is what we saw almost 3 weeks ago... it started raining on a friday, and didn't stop until sunday. The one picture is from our front door to the right, the other front door to the left. What a wild roller coaster we have been on since!
I cannot BEGIN to thank all the people who have helped us and our neighbors over the last 2+ weeks! SO MANY churches mobilized and knew JUST what to do before we even had a THOUGHT about what we were going to do!
As fast as the water came (2 inches every 15-20 min really) it went- left the house at 10:15 am, were able to return by 5:30 and stay the night! Some on our block were not so lucky and lost 95% of their homes! By the time the "clean up" was done, studs, floor joists and ceilings were left! :(
Both schools principals came by Monday to check on us- along with guidance counselors, the FCA leaders, teachers and faculty! It was just amazing to see them there! You don't realize they KNOW what is going on. Monday night the PTO from the elementary school came by and we were talking, she said "we have a grill and some food we are going to do for you guys" I told her they could set up in our front yard. That was all it took for God to do his work!
We started trying to do things on our own that day- Scott's parents showed up at 7:30 that am to help get the big furniture out, the heavy area rug, etc and shop vac up the mud. I think that night friends who had been calling all day to come help us and we turning them down just came over and ignored us! LOL
The next day one of my daughter's friends' dads came over (he's a contractor) and he set us on the right path of what to take and what to leave..... thank goodness it was not in our MAIN living area, just the family room, dd14's bedroom, and the laundry room. While Scott was back there with him, I was out front working with the grills, food, and trying to get people to take a break from the emotionally and physically draining work they were doing. That day we had volunteers TAKE food to people so they would eat. We had to do that some the next day too. People learned after that!
Tuesday night the Mayor, our Alderman (a woman!) and several other people came and stood in our front yard and talked about what was going on with the food- the mayor asked if port a potty's and tents would help, so the next morning they set up 4 tents and 2 potty's for us! The rest of the week was a blur! Volunteers would come to find out where to go, where a need was, donations were dropped off at our house to be disbursed to the people on the block- including 2 pallets of bottled water and tons of cleaning supplies! We ended up with many tables, coolers, chairs in our yard as well as 3 grills going from 10 am to about 7 pm every day. Food to be grilled was provided by Publix grocery store, and other food was brought in by local restaurants and just dropped! not to mention all the food/drinks/clothing/etc dropped by just PEOPLE wanting to help! If we had a need, it was immediatly remedied! God provided for our every need.
Every night someone would ask me "who is going to help you tomorrow" "God will send them to me" I would say- and every day someone who was amazing would come! "what food is coming tomorrow" "God knows" and sure enough, just the right amount of food was brought! By Thursday we started getting non-perishables, which before then we couldn't have thought about, but by that time, we could think about it! God knew our needs and when to provide everything! It just worked SO perfectly!
I have become known by many names now..... Jenny the red head (my new hair color!), Jenny from Facebook (I was updating as often as possible to help the relief efforts), "command central" was the name of our house! LOL People are still contacting me wanting to know how to help, or asking me for help (my neighbors) and I am glad to do it. When other areas opened up in Hendersonville, we made sure that they were taken well care of, just like our street! Our community has been AMAZING!
Tonight the kids' elementary school's PTO put on a fundraiser to aid the 16 families in the school affected by the flood. Originally the fundraiser was going to be the weekend after the flood, but they cancelled it to do this instead. It was SO amazing to be there and see all of them and KNOW they were doing it for MY family!
God sure has taught me a million lessons these last 2+ weeks, and I'm not sure if I will ever really understand all of them or even realize all of them, but I am so glad I was able to help out in the small way that I did.
I'm not telling you all this to toot my horn, but to account to you what a wonderful community I live in, how they have blessed us, and those on our street, and my small part in it! I'm so glad God could use me and my family this way! I feel so blessed! Even more than before the flood! :)
