Thank you for your prayers from the Gibsons (Guest Post)

We left our home and my photography studio last Friday, Sept. 12th knowing that it may be the last time we saw any of the items left behind, what we left behind was just stuff, nothing that can't be replaced, nothing of importance. Just so you know our home is less than 1 mile from the bay and my studio is only 1 block away. We truly anticipated the worst but prayed ceasingly for the best. Our family along with 2 other families left for the far west side of Houston to stay at a hotel with the hopes of returning the next day if Ike took a turn like he had done all week long and following other hurricanes (Eduard and Gustav) in recent weeks. This time it was our turn to face Ike and the southern coast of Texas took quite the hit. The island of Galveston, Tiki, Crystal and Surfside were almost completely wiped off the map. The images you see now are just so breathtaking it is too much to fathom. As we watched the news all day on Friday waiting to see where exactly Ike would come in at (being 230 miles wide, who cares at this point we were definitely in the path) but the eye was set to come into Galveston and head straight up the bay where we are. So again we began to pray (I have seen the hand of God in other natural disasters this was my first hurricane and I hope to be the last). Friday night was very long and full of anticipation, anxiousness and so many other emotions, too numerous to list here, the power went off and on several times and finally off for good around 3:30am. Now we really don't know the path of destruction because we can't see anything so another set of faith and trust came into play. We started calling friends we knew who still had power asking them to tell us what they saw on the news so we knew what to do next. Our backup plan as always when we have to evacuate is to go home if we can or go to San Antonio to Rick's parents if we can't. We have always been able to go home but this time was different and I think we were all in denial. We packed up our families and headed west to San Antonio where we have been ever since. Our husbands went home on Tuesday to find the good, the bad and the ugly. One of our friends home is completely unlivable, the other faired well with just some small easily fixed problems, and our home had not damage at all, other than lots of leaves and debris and algae in the pool, easily fixed. My studio, just 1 block from the bay, everything around it is severely damaged or completely gone, the water came right up to our doorstep, the awning outside my windows fell up against my windows and NO damage whatsoever!! Talk about seeing the mighty hand of God work, I do not know how or why He spared my home and my studio but He did and for that we are so grateful. A very good friend of mine who is 12 miles further inland lost her entire studio, again I don't know why or how. She is not a Christian and I have spent a lot of time with her just living my life out in front of her, I talked to her the day she went back and she told me the damage and I immediately offered her my studio for anything she needed. She was so humbled, this is a great opportunity for me to show her love, after I get home tomorrow I will be going to help her with whatever she needs (please know I am not tooting my own horn here). My 17 year old son went home yesterday to tarp roofs, cut trees and help wherever is needed. Today he gathered up some friends and went and handed out food, he is truly an amazing young man. He could be sitting at home playing halo with all of his friends (one of his favorite pasttimes) but instead he sees an opportunity to go and serve others and share Jesus with them. What a joy for a parent to see their child go out on their own, not being asked, and recruit friends to go and serve and love on others with the love of our Father. I hope you take something from this long letter, if you've gotten this far, to find a way to praise our Father no matter what the storm in your life is. Take the time to show someone else the love of Jesus, that is what He called us to do! Take the time to realize the things in life are just that, things. They can be replaced, but our lives and our hearts and souls have one chance to make a decision to follow Jesus. I guess I will leave you with my favorite verse I really try to live by, it is very simple....
....the harvest is plenty, the workers are few. Luke 10:2
are you ready to go and plant, water, sow and harvest?

Please continue to remember all of those who have been affected by Ike and other natural disasters, there are many lives torn completely to shreds and many of those lives do not know the one true hope, Jesus. Pay attention to those around you, they just might need a little watering, sowing or maybe you have been the one called to plant or harvest a seed.
Striving to serve Him first,
Steph