Greater Glory

Here are some photos I’ve been able to take of the aftermath of Hurricane Ike.  Many of these are not high quality, but I was taking them while it was still raining. Also, some of the worst damage I have not been able to get pictures of.  When people’s lives are disrupted, it is not polite to go around taking pictures of the damage. Also, sometimes it’s simply not safe.  (For example, the two downed power poles in the middle of the road or the stop lights blown down into the middle of intersections–to stop driving in the middle of the road to snap a picture, when there are already no traffic lights is just not a safe thing!)

The building next to ours lost some siding. As far as we can tell, that’s the only structural damage to our complex. Notice the debris in the parking lot. That is mild compared to most roads in our part of Houston.

This damage to the covered parking structure is the only other structural damage to our complex.  Overall, we have been spared!

We have a line of trees just behind our building.  One fell, missing our building by about 3 feet. Praise God for sparing us from having to deal with any water damage!

Our apartment community had landscaping put in just last weekend. Most the small trees were destroyed.

Our swimming pool is not usually this full!  Imagine even bigger trees looking like this palm.  I’ve seen a number of pines decapitated around northwest Houston, sometimes even falling on people’s houses. I’ve also seen several roads blocked by the tops of large oaks that have fallen into the streets. Some lanes are blocked by street lights that have been blown down and are lying in the streets.  I’ve also seen several lanes on streets blocked by utility poles that were completely knocked down.  In several places, I’ve seen evidence of shattered electrical transformers.

Since we are on the third floor, wind was a higher risk than flooding. However, the wind did blow this water into the hallway. We were concerned that it could seep under the floor into our master closet, so we swept this water off the walkway.  There was more than it appears to be in this picture!  I definitely need a new broom now.

This water is located behind our building.  Our area of Houston received approximately 12 inches of rain in two days.  Some areas received as much as 15 inches.  Praise God for sparing us from the worst of the storm!

Thanks again for all of your prayers.  We are glad that the pictures of “our damage” are not more severe.  Praise God for His faithful care of us!

Andrew and I are very blessed. After a mere 36 hours without power, we are pretty much ready to get back to life as normal. Not so for the rest of Houston.

There are still approximately 1.5 million people without power. Galveston, Port Arthur, Beaumont, Surfside Beach, Seabrook and other coastal locations in Galveston, Chambers, Orange, Brazoria, and Harris counties are devastated.  We have a city-wide curfew from 9 PM to 6 AM between now and Saturday morning.  People are waiting in line for hours at the grocery stores and at gas stations. Unfortunately for many, there is little way to keep their food cold.  For those without power (which was us for a day and a half!) the only option is to keep coolers and ice chests full.  Sadly, ice is extremely difficult to come by.  I was very frustrated this afternoon when I had tried 5 or 6 different stores and no one had any ice. Thankfully, my family members were praying, and we were among the first to have power restored.

Keep praying for others, though.  A member of our church lost part of her roof and has suffered some water damage.  Andrew and some men from the church were able to go over and help her out a bit this afternoon.  Andrew’s boss had four trees go down in his yard, one on top of his house.  I have seen several houses and cars with trees on them in surrounding neighborhoods–and we are in an area that suffered very slight damaged comparably!  People in Galveston and south east Houston have not always had access to food and water.  Our pastor’s family is without power and running water.  Many people in Houston will likely be without power for days or weeks.  In the Texas heat, that can be disastrous!  Thankfully, we should have a “cold front” this week, and the temperature should be in the 80s. Pray that we do continue to have cooler weather to alleviate some people’s sufferings.

Despite the fact that power at our house is restored, we are still affected by the disaster.  All of Houston is currently using bottled water or having to boil our water before drinking it, and we are doing the same.  Thankfully, we were able to get a decent supply of bottled water on hand ahead of time.  I spent most of the afternoon cooking up the vegetables and meat that had been frozen and was now thawed. Thankfully, we were able to share with our pastor’s family for lunch today. We still have lots of leftovers, though, which we will eat throughout the week.  If power goes out again, we will have to use the ice chests again, but cold food is better than no food!

Our regular routines are affected as well, and we will not be returning to life as normal tomorrow, and perhaps not for a while.  My school is still without power, so classes are postponed for an indefinite period of time.  We will return to school after power is restored–which could take weeks.  Andrew had a business trip to Las Vegas scheduled for tomorrow. His flight has been canceled and Hobby Airport remains closed. I believe that Bush Intercontinental is closed, as well.  His office is flooded with 12 inches of water.  Thankfully, his boss had the foresight to put their big projects onto benches, so they have not lost much work. It will take a while to get back to business as usual, though, since it is just the two of them to clean up the flooding and restore everything to normal.

In case you’re wondering, here are some specific areas of concern for prayer:

• Pray for wisdom for the authorities who are still searching for survivors and who are trying to organize the distribution of relief supplies to those most affected by the storm.
• Pray for all of those affected by the storm, particularly the residents of Galveston, Port Arthur, Orange, Beaumont, Seabrook, Clear Lake, Surfside Beach and other coastal towns in Galveston, Harris, Chambers, Brazoria, and Orange counties.  Many have completely lost their homes.  Pray that they will communicate effectively with insurance agents and have quick resolutions to their claims.  Pray for those who have not yet been allowed to return home to assess damage.  Many are trying to find hotels with power and shelters in which to stay.
• Pray for the families of the few who have died.  The current number of confirmed fatalities is 9.  Many others  are still missing, but may be found alive.  At least two of the deaths were children. One boy died when a tree limb accidentally fell on him as his parents were preparing for the hurricane. Another died after the hurricane from carbon monoxide poisoning from a generator that was used incorrectly.  Pray for these parents as well as other family members of these boys and others who have died.
• Pray for the elderly who are particularly susceptible to heat, as many of them are without air conditioning due to the power outages.
• Pray for children who do not always understand the dangers of downed power lines in flood waters.  Pray that as families are getting back in to assess the damage to their homes, these children will be safe. Pray also for their emotional response to a crisis that will turn many of their lives upside down.
• Pray for those with medical conditions that are dependent upon electricity for treatment. Thankfully, most hospitals do have electricity and/or generators at this time, but there are others in home care that are suffering as a result of the storm.
• Pray for the safety of all citizens, as many remain without power.  We are under a city-wide curfew from 9 PM to 6 AM the rest of this week, but looting and other crimes are more likely to occur after dark and in extreme circumstances such as those facing us now.  Houston is the 4th largest city in the United States, so all of the issues facing us are magnified by that factor.
• Pray for the comfort and encouragement of all believers affected by the storm.  The Bible teaches that when one of the body suffers, we all suffer with him/her.  Pray that these people will be able to respond to tragedy in such a way that they are lights to those around them who have  no hope.  Pray that the body of Christ in Houston and throughout the United States will truly function as Christ’s body, providing physical help to those who are hurting.  As Jesus said, when we serve the least of these, we are serving Him.
• Most of all, pray that through all of this, the name of Jesus Christ will be lifted high, and that people who have lost everything will find shelter and comfort from the One who controls the wind and the waves, who can not be washed away, and who stands as a strong fortress amid the flood waters.  Pray that many who are seeking help and comfort will meet Jesus and gain something far more valuable than a repaired home or monetary settlement. Pray that many will seek God and find him in the midst of this tragedy.

In addition, here are some specific points of praise:

• Andrew and I have been spared the worst of the storm.
• The death toll is much less than expected, despite the fact that 60% of the people of Galveston did not heed the mandatory evacuation warnings.
• In most cases, despite the long lines, there is a sense of community as people come together to help each other out to return to normal. An elderly couple in our church had a specific praise.  They had a neighbor whom they don’t even know come by on Friday to cut the branches off their large tree to prevent them from falling on their house.  He knew that they were not physically able to do so.
• We had a visitor to Houston who is now “stranded” here come to worship with us today.  His presence in our church service was encouraging. His prayers on our behalf were heartfelt, and we enjoyed the fellowship that automatically comes from being a part of the body of Christ.
• Our church building sustained no damage other than a current lack of power and running water that will be easily resolved, even if it takes a few weeks.
• If the power outages in the church’s neighborhood continue beyond the next few days, the church plans to get a generator and ice chest in so that they may provide free ice to the community to minister Christ’s love to the lower-income people in the area.  The prayer is that this type of service and relationship to the community will open doors to leading many to Christ.  Praise God that Andrew and I have found a wonderful group of believers who take God’s commands to serve the poor very seriously!
• Our church body was able to come together and help to meet each others’ needs.  Before we got power back, a church leader had given us a small, one-eye propane stove to use to cook up our thawing meat and vegetables so that it would not spoil and we wouldn’t have to throw it out.  Men were able to help those with damaged homes, and one church member who already had power gave one bag of free ice to anyone who needed it.  She was our only source of ice until our power came back on, so it was a very real need!

Thank you for all who have been praying for us this weekend.  We recognize how blessed we are to have emerged from this storm unscathed.  As always, to God be the glory; great things He has done!

Andrew and I are here in northwest Houston, awaiting the arrival of Hurricane Ike.  School was cancelled today, so we spent last evening and this morning making sure that we are ready.  Since we rent, there’s not much than we can do physically to our apartment complex, but this far inland (approx 100 miles), we should be okay.  It is very likely that we will have power outages, though, and we’re not sure how long it could last.  We’re still fine right now, but we have nonperishable food available, ice, a big cooler, and lots of drinking water, just in case.  We also have a bathtub filled with water in case we need it to flush toilets.  It reminds me of the Philippines!

I’ve never been in town for a hurricane.  I was in Greece when my family survived Erin in Pensacola, and we left town when Opal came through later that year.  So, this is a new experience for me.  It definitely makes me sad to see the pictures from Galveston.  I love visiting that town, and I was hoping to take Amanda there when she visits in November.  That may not be possible now, depending on the extent of the damage.  Pray for the safety of the people of Galveston and southeast Houston.  (Www.weather.com has some great pictures and videos of the areas I’m talking about.)

We have a new Apple store in the mall closest to our apartment. So, instead of having to drive 45 minutes to the Woodlands, Andrew was able to go in after dinner last night and have his faulty ipod Touch looked at.  For a little while now, the headphone jack was malfunctioning so that you couldn’t always hear the music/audio when the headphones were plugged in. As you can imagine, this was highly annoying at times.

So, Andrew went in and told them about the problem. They duplicated it, but the problem couldn’t be repaired in-store.  So, they gave Andrew a brand new Touch.  But they were out of stock of 16G models, so they gave him a 32G model free of charge.  Once before a couple of years ago, Andrew was having a problem with his ipod Shuffle.  He took it in just before the year’s warranty expired, and they gave him a brand new one.  But in this case, the upgrade is what I find most impressive. I’m sold on Apple’s customer service!

I am so excited that I am now an aunt! I have been expecting Josh and Abigaile’s baby so eagerly that I bought his Christmas presents before he was born! I wish very much that I could have been in Tennessee with the rest of my family to welcome little Stephen Elijah into the world. Julie sent me pictures and I’ve texted Josh, but it’s not the same. I know that God has called Andrew and me to be in Texas right now, but I sure hated missing out on this special day. I love my life with my husband, and I have so many things to be thankful for here in Houston. I have developed some friendships among the ladies that I have Bible study with and that I teach with. I have the privilege of listening to Beth Moore speak every week. She is an amazing teacher! I have the opportunity to talk with my sister-in-law occasionally and minister to her. I am happy here in Houston, but sometimes I miss my family, and days like yesterday (when Stephen was born) certainly make me miss them more. I know I will get to see the new little one at Christmas, but he’ll be two months old then! God’s ways are best, though, and I know that what He is accomplishing in and through me must be of enough eternal significance to make the distance from my nephew worthwhile in the long run. I am jealous of the two aunts who are close enough to develop a special relationship with him, though!

In other news, I am surviving in school. About a month ago, I made a decision that this job was not going to kill me and that what didn’t get done in a decent amount of time, didn’t get done. I’ve been making an effort to sleep more, so even though I’m still battling headaches and sinus infections, I’m feeling much better about life. I do not always feel as if I have enough time with Andrew, but I make sure to take at least 24 hours of rest on the weekends.

Last week was Spirit Week, so it was a busy week and largely unproductive in the classroom. The kids were so focused on their costumes and special activities that they weren’t able to concentrate well. As 9th grade class sponsor, I spent about 2 hours every day after school helping to decorate a hallway for a competition that we didn’t win, even though I’m convinced we were the best (not that I’m biased or anything). As a result, I got behind in the grading. I had extra work, but I was still going to sleep at night. So, this week has been very stressful. I’m largely caught up in about half my classes and woefully behind in the others. In addition, I still have some projects that need to be graded as soon as possible. I think that the weekend will be the earliest that I can get those done, though, so it will be a long weekend. It will be worth it, though, if I can get caught up and have an easier week next week.

I’ve made progress in building relationships with several students and several classes, but there are others that continue to try my patience. Keep praying for wisdom for me and that God will give me his love for these students. I have missed writing this blog, but in my efforts to manage my time, this is one thing that has slipped. I’d like to make it a habit to do both my school work and my personal life–this blog, fixing dinner for my husband, cleaning house–well.

Andrew and I have put down a deposit on another apartment. We plan to move over Thanksgiving break when I have a week off. The complex is brand new; we’re excited about being the first tenants. We’re also quite excited about the large closets and the large kitchen. We will likely still have to use a storage facility for things like Christmas decorations and some travel souvenirs, but it will be nice to have more space in those areas that impact our daily lives the most.

Andrew is still planning to start school again in the spring. Pray for him to have time to apply as well as wisdom as he begins to balance work with his studies.

Thanks for all of your prayers and friendship across the miles!

So far this weekend, my primary activity has been sleeping.  I guess that my many late nights over the past few weeks have finally caught up with me. I have been getting an average of 3-5 hours of sleep per night during the school week. I desperately try to get more sleep, but there always seems to be some urgent planning or grading to be done.

My weeks are pretty busy, with Bible studies on both Monday and Tuesday nights. I enjoy both and would really like to continue attending, but it does make my life difficult. We’ll see how everything plays out over the next few weeks.  I’m hoping that I can adjust and have more time to sleep and be with my husband. I know that second semester when I don’t have as many classes to prepare for that it will be easier, but I’m hoping for some relief before then.

I have not been able to get as much done on the weekends as I would like.   I do spend at least 24 hours resting (I believe in the Sabbath…God gave us the injunction to rest for a reason. As our creator, He does know what’s best for us. I work more efficiently if I only work 6 days a week), but because of that, I never seem to get enough school work done. Today I was able to get the laundry done and part of the housework, but not enough to make myself feel entirely comfortable.   I did have the “distraction” of a youth workers’ fellowship tonight (Andrew is helping with the church youth group), so I could have gotten some school work done then if not for that commitment. It looks like it will be another long day/night tomorrow.

I covet your prayers for good time management. I feel that I am doing the best that I can, but I am not resting much, so there must be something more that I can do. I’m really hoping that I do not have to give up my Bible studies. I do need my time for fellowship and spiritual renewal as well as time for work.

This past week was better than most, but I still didn’t rest as much as I would like.  I hope that I can be really productive tomorrow so that I can rest a bit on Monday night.  On a positive note, most of my classes are going well.  There are some days that my 9th and 10th graders are particularly challenging, but there are enough positive moments so that it’s not entirely overwhelming.  My 6th graders almost always give me a headache from their energy, but at least they’re mostly sweet tempered and are having fun learning drama.  I am looking forward to second semester when I don’t have to teach them, though!

We had Parent-Teacher Conferences yesterday. After some of my negative experiences with parents in the Philippines, I was very nervous about this, but it was a largely positive experience. I only had one mother who was very critical of me, and at least my meeting with her was right before lunch so that the tears and anger could be vented before another meeting.  Most of the parents weren’t enthusiastic, but a few were. Overall, I did feel a lot of encouragement and respect from them.  I’m sure that I will continue to have meetings with parents as I adjust to the workload and students here, but at least so far most issues have been resolved with good spirits on both sides.

So, despite the length of time since my last post, life here is going fairly well. I am looking forward to my week off for Thanksgiving break in November, though!  With this school calendar, there aren’t many breaks during the school year.  I’m definitely going to need God’s strength to make it through.  Thanks for all of your prayers!

Andrew and I enjoyed a wonderful day at Schlitterbahn, Galveston Island yesterday.  We had originally planned to go to the original park in New Braunfels for our anniversary in July, but the rain prevented that.  So, Andrew took me to the park about an hour from here on the other side of Houston as a birthday present and a way for me to relax this holiday weekend.  I very much enjoyed the water slides, but my favorite part was the lazy river. I enjoyed just floating and relaxing. Andrew and I were also able to talk while we were floating. It was a lot of fun, and I left feeling very relaxed, albeit tired and sunburned.

I was able to get a good night’s sleep last night, and although I’m planning to do some grading today, I also plan to take a nap.  The extra day in the weekend will make it possible for me to enjoy rest as well as get some work done.

Thank you, Lord, for providing breaks when we most need them!

I have heard from my mother-in-law, and they have arrived safely in Manila. They had a rough check-in here in Houston, so they were concerned about the Seattle-Kyoto leg of the trip, but things went smoothly. They had an exceptionally easy immigration experience, so that is a matter for praise!

She is having a hard time adjusting to being in the Philippines without either of her children, and after two years in the States, she is also experiencing some culture shock. That is made worse by the fact that they used to live in Davao and are now living in Manila for the first time in years. So, pray that the adjustment will be smooth, particularly that they will find a good house at a reasonable price.

I have cried several times because I will miss them very much, but I am excited that God has blessed me by allowing me to marry into such a wonderful family. I am looking forward to seeing my own mother at Christmas, though. I am happy in my life with Andrew, but sometimes a girl needs a mother, and now both of mine are far away. At least Mama and I can reasonably talk on the telephone together!

PS–Julie, Am I doing a better job of keeping my titles and entries upbeat?

This weekend I am much more positive than I have been on the other Friday nights of this school year. I have begun to see some progress in a couple of my English classes and small baby steps in my Bible class. I have at least a few students eager to see more of the amazing truths of the Old Testament. At this rate, though, it’s going to take us forever to get to the Bible study skills portion of the course. One of my objectives is to make sure they know key themes, people, and events of the Bible, though, so that’s what I’m teaching them! Keep praying for my students and me, though, to quickly settle into an effective routine. The Bible class is still pushing the limits of acceptable behavior, and one English class is truly trying my patience. The sixth graders are also difficult to manage, but at least they’re usually respectful, something I can’t say of my 10th graders. And at least they’re having fun in drama!

I have a lot of work to do this weekend, but just knowing that I have three days instead of two makes it a little better. Andrew and I are planning to spend some time together at a water park tomorrow. This is somewhat of a belated birthday present for me and somewhat of a you-need-to-relax-so-I’m-getting-you-out-of-the-house-to-do-something-fun gift from Andrew. We were able to celebrate my birthday Monday night only briefly with a dinner at TGI Friday’s. (He also gave me a gift–MacGyver Season 1 on DVD. I love Stargate SG-1 and Richard Dean Anderson’s role in it, so he thought I’d appreciate this earlier show that made his career. So far, I’ve only seen the pilot. I liked it, though.) So, tomorrow I’m taking the day off from work because I need it and because it’s sort of my birthday. I’ll probably work Sunday afternoon and most of Monday, though. As long as I get some time to relax with my husband, read a book, and watch MacGyver on Saturday, I won’t mind the work so much. I’m also hoping to get the laundry and some housework done.

Thanks to Andrew, there’s not much work left to do. He hasn’t had much work this week, so when he got home early on Thursday, he cleaned up the random piles on the floor, washed the dishes and cleaned the kitchen, vacuumed the floors, and fixed me dinner. The difference was amazing! He is such an amazing husband. Due to my school work, it’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve been able to clean the house. That “small” gift spoke volumes to me of his love and care for me.

Even though I will spend many hours working, the extra 24 hours before I have to return to school should help me bring some balance to my life. I am ready for at least a small life outside CCS. Andrew has been wonderful to put up with me this far. I hope to find a manageable routine soon so that I can start doing things like fixing dinner for my husband again.

Although I haven’t heard from them yet, my in-laws should have arrived in the Philippines by now. It was an emotional time Wednesday night and Thursday morning, but I survived. I will miss them much, but I am grateful to have my husband here with me. He has been a rock for me during this emotional, stressful week. I am looking forward to spending some time with just him this weekend! I pray you all also have blessed, restful, productive times with friends and family.

Well, tonight was probably the last time that I’ll get to spend time with my in-laws for the next two years.  We went to dinner as a family along with the Richardsons, who are taking David and Doris to the airport tomorrow.  We hung out for an hour or so at the Richardsons’ house, and then said goodbye. Naturally, I cried. Andrew is fine, and they’re his parents, but I bawled like a baby on my way home.  Oh well, such is life as a “feeler.”  Sometimes I think life might be easier as a “thinker,” but I know it has its downsides, too.

On the bright side, Andrew and I are now a two car family again.  We have purchased a minivan from the Nichols.   Right now, it’s not really a necessity, but it helps them out, and we have the option for the future if Andrew doesn’t always have access to a company truck.

School is still requiring most of my time and effort, but there have been a few bright moments.  Yesterday two of my tenth grade football players were the best they’ve ever been, but they backslid today.  But today, my ninth grade Bible class was the best that they’ve ever been. If ever it can just happen all on the same day!  Today I had a sixth grade drama student actually throw something at another student who was onstage.  I couldn’t believe it.  I can’t even imagine teaching in a public school.

Still, I do occasionally see a light in a student’s eyes, and I’ll know that I’ve made a connection with them.  That’s what I love.  I do wish that it happened more often, though.  I am trying to be positive, though, since my sister lovingly reminded me that the titles of my posts were sounding the same–depressing.  I do have a long road ahead of me, a fight to establish my authority in the classroom, but I am happy to be where I truly believe God has lead me to be, even if I am overwhelmed most nights.  I love the prospect of a three day weekend!

Continue to pray for me and my students, and pray that my in-laws have safe travel to the Philippines!