Good Morning Gorgeous,

It’s a brand new day. A fresh new start. A new day to rise and thank Jesus for the very breath in our lungs.

I am not sure when I will stop the hurricane updates. Maybe when we have power again. Or when the National Guard exits. Or when school resumes.

Maybe when there’s no more updates to give because life has resumed back to some normalcy, and the days don’t have anything to report.

For now, every day is filled with something new and worth remembering.

On day 8, we still have no power. That’s 8 days without a hot shower, a microwave, stove, or working fridge.

8 days of getting ice everyday to refill coolers and ice down drinks.

And I’m not complaining, just documenting.

God has been good through it all, and provision has come daily through all types of hands and feet of Jesus.

He really will provide all we need.

God is teaching me through all this. All of life’s trials can be used to either teach us and grow us up in our faith, and to prune away the flesh, and to cause fruit to bloom.

Yesterday, we drove to a few church distribution centers for water and supplies.

We loaded up my van with my family, Christy, Raegan, and our friend Mandy.

And the experience was humbling and so beautiful all at the same time.

We took the role of receiving, and that’s a tough role for many, myself included.

It felt like spiritual surgery as pride was removed and humility had room to grow as I pulled into the line and accepted water, batteries, and other supplies.

As we left the church and pulled back onto the road, I began to cry. I was so overwhelmed by the kindness of the volunteers, the receiving of things we needed, and the new feeling of being on the receiving end of that type of ministry. It was alot to take in all at once.

Humility is necessary in our walk with Jesus. This hurricane is teaching me to receive.

A precious friend has been filling water bottles for me each day and freezing them so that our food could stay cold when ice is hard to find.

Saying yes when you are in need is hard, but an important part of spiritual strengthening.

After that, we were blessed further by Barbecue Sandwiches.

And then another amazing provision!!! Our generator arrived! We ordered it from Amazon the day after the storm. We didn’t realize that Home Depot and Lowes would be getting so many of them in, so we opted for Amazon. And then waited. But it came!

Amazon also delivered a solar powered charger that I ordered! You place it in the sun and it is a flashlight and cell phone charger. I tried it out and it worked! It charged my phone to FULL!

And we ended the day making breakfast on the grill, and celebrating my mom’s birthday! My mom got power back! So what a great birthday present for her! Ours is still not on, but our generator runs the fridge, a lamp, a fan, and our keurig!!

And a few more pictures…. after lots of cold showers, I boiled water for a warm bath.

The boys played chess with a lamp instead of flashlight thanks to our generator.

And Chuck’s smile as he makes coffee on the keurig instead of the grill!

We ended the day feeling blessed to have a little power from the generator. Still no lights except for a lamp, no washer, dryer, air conditioning, hot water, or pool pump. BUT coffee and a working fridge and a few other items plugged in and every day is looking brighter!!

Through all of this, Jesus has filled me with a peace that could only come from Him. Before, during, and after the hurricane, He has continually refilled and refilled me with both peace and strength.

I keep telling Chuck, “This is the craziest thing I’ve ever been through.” Or I will just shake my head and say, “This is wild.”

But every day since the storm has gotten slightly better than the day before. Each day, things improve. Even if it’s just slightly. Things are improving. More people in town are getting power restored. A couple of restaurants are open. We have water. And we go back to church this Sunday! I can’t wait for to get back to my church family and worship our great God together!!

My friend shared this verse today, and I wanted to share it here. No matter what is happening around you, you can enter the shelter and rest of the Almighty!

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You Lord for Your provision through the storm. Thank You for daily manna of food and ice and heavy doses of supernatural peace. Thank You for renewed hope in the future. Thank You that we can trust in every promise You have made. We believe every Word. Lord, touch hearts and lives and open hearts to receive You as their Lord and Savior. Lord, I pray that our spiritual eyes would be opened to the fullness of the gospel as You intended it to be preached.

In Jesus’s Name, Amen.

Blessings and Daily Provision straight from Heaven,

Vanessa Lynn

And if you came across this post and you haven’t yet accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, may I encourage you that by choosing Him you receive eternal life in heaven, BUT ALSO abundant life NOW. Following Him is the most precious adventure you have ever taken!! All you have to do to get started is to pray and receive Him as Lord. The Bible says to confess Jesus Christ as Lord and believe with your heart the precious gospel message that Jesus taught. Repent of your sins which means simply to ask Jesus to forgive you and then choose to walk away from them and go in the New Direction that God is calling you to. Confess or speak that you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died for you, that He was resurrected from the dead, and ascended to heaven. And that you recieve Him as your Lord and Savior. That you are sorry for your sins and you recieve His FULL and complete forgiveness for every wrong you’ve ever committed. And that you are choosing to follow Him now and leave the ways of the world behind for the things of Jesus!!! And if you mean that with your heart, you are saved and set free to live a new life free of sin! The Bible says you are now a brand new creation! Old things have passed away and new things have come!!! The Bible also says that all of heaven rejoices whenever a person is saved!!!! Just imagine the party being held in heaven on your behalf right now!!