Keeping Tabs - Hurricane Sandy

#Sandy

The last week of my life has been nothing short of adventurous. All week long, hash tags of “Sandy” like the one above filled my Twitter and Facebook news-feeds.

Reading w/ my niece and nephew after Sandy

After looking at 8 different apartments, I drove to NYC on Saturday afternoon to spend the weekend with my family as we awaited the storm. I was prepared to help them "de-flood" the basement or help my brother (just two blocks away) with his family and home. Although my apartment is still without electricity, the category 1 hurricane barely affected both Bronx homes. Unlike most of my staff team and student leadership team, we had lights and heat and good clean water all week long. Many of my friends in New Jersey were not so fortunate. I knew God was building my prayer life this year but this is way more than I or anyone else expected. With the television and news stations on practically 24/7, all my family and I could do was watch and pray. Literally.

The Holy Spirit placed it on my heart to keep my New Jersey friends informed via text message. If they turned off all of their phone services except text messaging, I could at least keep them posted on what was happening, tips on how to survive, and warnings from the government that were all over the news. Most of them turned off their phones for most of the day and then turned it on to receive my many messages about what’s good to eat in their fridge and where they can go for warmth or electricity. I’ve never felt more like a news reporter. Some of my friends were able to charge their phones in their cars but now gasoline is another issue hitting the coastal sister states.

My new used Toyota Yaris 2007 (35mpg)

Last night my dad spent 3 hours on a line with Nadine to fill up her vehicle and two red gas tanks to bring home. That morning, my brother borrowed my car to take my sister-in-law to the doctor and later in the evening, my cousin borrowed it to take his son to work in Long Island. God is SO sovereign & good! He knew I would need this car in March after my accident (February I was in a car accident that totaled my last car) and He knew it needed to be gas-efficient and low-maintenance for my job. I don’t usually have much, but I was SO EXCITED to give and; share what I did have, my car. Being able to share what God gave me with two family members who are not sure of God's love was especially rewarding! It made me think of how rewarding it can be to give, whatever we have.

One Facebook status of mine said:

:( People fighting for gas, looting stores, cutting people on line for public transportation, cursing drivers out and fighting for gas... NYC, what happened to United We Stand?
:) But thank God for the people who put extension cords out for their neighbors with no power, brought food to those in need, blankets for those who are cold, and other random acts of kindness.

2 Corinthians 8:1-15 demonstrates how extreme poverty and severe affliction can result in an abundance of giving (verse 2). Although some people resorted to doing evil, many others were helping their neighbors and friends just to get through the devastating event. It’s interesting how in severe affliction we begin to give of what we barely even have.

THINK ABOUT IT:

It feels so good to help! So good to give of what one has! Even if I barely have anything, it always feels GREAT when I can help someone else out. What doesn’t feel good is when I can’t give at all or when I’m scared to surrender what I do have for others in fear of running out. Yet every time I give, the joy of giving overwhelms the worry or anxiety of what I will have.

Jon, Joe and Mario at Fall Retreat

A perfect example of this is a Kean Cru student leader named Mario Fernandez. A fairly young believer in love with the Almighty Sovereign King of Kings sacrificed his own comfort in his dry (although without electricity) home to go to his best friend’s house and help empty the basement of rain. Sitting at home where he had nothing to give but prayer would’ve been completely understandable, but Mario chose what was difficult and surrendered his comfort for what ailed his heart… his friend’s comfort. Jonathan Lopez, Mario’s friend & another Kean Cru leader, had water almost to the first floor of his home while four homes on his block exploded. Mario isn’t an expert in removing water from a basement, but he’s a friend capable of movement and decided to give of himself to help his brother in Christ.

Thanks for your prayers and concerns!

If you're interested in experiencing this type of joy and giving out of whatever God has blessed you with, you can visit give.ccci.org & give of what you feel led to 0597677 or email me at edithann.morales@cru.org 

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