Still Waiting....

Framing Begins on the Crawford's Home in Shoal Creek Valley

Waiting is always difficult, more so for myself than for others, perhaps.  I watch my friends in the Valley wait, and they wait so patiently and with such contentment.  Their hope is in the Lord and they are continuing to take refuge in Him as they wait.

Some are waiting on the Lord for direction on what He would have them do, where and how He would have them build their lives again.  Others are waiting on plans, materials, finances, and help with labor.  There are so many important decisions to be made when trying to be a good steward of limited resources. Still others are waiting on insurance companies to come to agreement on payment even as they continue to discover more damage to their homes.  What seemed like just a few trees on a roof now reveals devastating structural damage that will require more tearing out, more money needed, more time to wait before beginning.

The Crawfords are so excited. They were able to begin the framing;  to finally start the process of rebuilding their home this past week.  Their joy over the initial progress was unexpectedly met with the agonizing discovery that at least one of their original foundation walls is cracked and bowing.  That foundation wall that so miraculously protected them as they took refuge within their basement the night of the tornado, apparently took more of a beating than they had originally realized.   The forces of the EF 5 winds that tore through the valley coupled with the dynamic pressure changes that exploded structures in its wake, not only ripped away the entire ground level floor of the Crawford home leaving behind a barren slab, but also moved or stressed at least one of the foundation walls to the point that it is structurally compromised and must be repaired.  So for now, the framing is on hold until the foundation can be secured.  More money, more time, more waiting.

Our friends in the Valley are amazing while they wait.  They willingly and without hesitation stop work on their own projects to go and help their neighbors.  Word spreads that someone needs help putting on a roof, and neighbors arrive forfeiting their own plans to give time and energy to someone else.  There are smiles on their faces and the joy of the Lord in their hearts.  They are truly grateful for all that the Lord has done and all that He has provided and they willingly sacrifice to honor Him.

The Valley families are enduring trials beyond the obvious losses about which you and I are aware.  You rarely hear them mention their struggles because they are more focused on the goodness of the Lord and how they can best serve others rather than thinking too much about their own difficulties.

Certainly they are grieving the tremendous losses they have experienced; the loss of one greatly loved and respected, the loss of home and belongings, the loss of beauty and familiar lush landscapes.

Many live in "camp-like" situations.  They are displaced, their belongings are in a myriad of places, and their family routines are lost to the tyranny of the urgent.  Each day brings new challenges and requires taking a deep breath and making adjustments to their "new normal".  In fact, simply coordinating 11 people to share one bathroom is something which is rather stressful.

Of course there are other things they won't tell you: (because they don't complain), loss of income, emergencies and ER visits, twice flooded basements, horrendously busy schedules, lack of privacy and quiet, eye infections and new glasses, responsibilities to care for ailing, out-of-town parents, automobiles breaking down in route, hospitalizations, doctor and therapy visits, finding places to store gifts given graciously, children nervous during frequent summer storms, paper work required in triple with deadlines of tomorrow, lack of shade in the summer's heat, life altering decisions to be made, headaches from mildew stench, unexpected company, caring for farm animals, traveling to and from the work site to check on things, sharing the stomach virus, and many other struggles.

Some Husbands (and eldest sons) have been able to go back to their jobs.  These breadwinners leave early in the morning and return home just before dark, tired after a long, hard day's work. They are greeted by families who are enduring stressful, often cramped, unfamiliar situations who have need of their attention, their leadership, and their encouragment. These men daily face the exhausting pressures of juggling both full time employment and being the full time decisions makers and construction managers of their homes.

Other husbands have lost their source of income due to the tornado's devastation. Tools of the trade are gone, hay fields are full of debris, and the work that once was the source of provision for their family is no more. These men still labor daily, from sun up to sun down, often not even on their own property, but without financial remuneration.  They, too, are greeted at the door after a long day's work by families under stress, with needs for encouragement, who hope to see progress, and for them the pressures mount. They are living by faith, helping others, and waiting on the Lord.

I share these challenges our friends so quietly are facing so you can pray more specifically and with better understanding.  I can testify that their hopes are in the Lord and they daily take refuge in Him.  The grace of the Lord is evident in their lives and in their reactions to their circumstances.  But this does not lessen the reality that many of these families face difficulties that neither you nor I know nor can imagine.

• Because things always cost twice as much, and take three times as long as originally planned; and because these families are still realizing costly damage they didn't even know existed, let's remind the Lord, through prayer, of their needs for His physical provisions.  
• Let's continue to pray for their endurance under hardship, for their spirits to be renewed daily with the Word of God and in their experience of God's goodness and faithfulness toward them.  
• Ask the Lord to multiply the emotional fortitude needed to consider it all joy when encountering trials of various kinds, and where there are losses and disappointments along the way, beseech the Lord to replenish their hearts with the riches of His marvelous grace.

Thank you for your giving spirit and thank you for being willing to pray.  Our dear friends in the Valley are still waiting, grateful that the Lord is faithful to meet their needs.  Let's encourage them this week that we stand with them and that we are praying for them.  We will not forget.