Santa Rosa

When my wife and I returned home from our three year stay in Oklahoma where I attended Bible College, we felt that we would never leave California again.  It’s not that we didn’t enjoy our stay in the Sooner state.  The people were wonderful, the church was terrific, and the job was good.  The only thing that tended to drive me bonkers though, was the extreme weather and the flat countryside!

So we came back to the mild weather, beautiful hills, and mountains and nearby seaside draws of our home in Santa Rosa, California.  But you know… after a short while we took notice that things weren’t the same as before we left.  As I’ve mentioned in other blog posts, our former network of family and friends had drastically changed and somehow the city itself seemed to be different.  Then a few years later when the Lord clearly spoke to me about moving to be near most of our kids on the other side of the country, it just felt right!

So here we are a little over three years later and we’ve never looked back for this is home to us now!  But then something happened that served to evoke in me some feelings that I never knew were there.  I received an early morning text from my sister on Monday morning asking how Piper was and if we were going to be okay with the approaching hurricane Nate coming up from the gulf.

After texting back and forth a few times she asked us to pray for them out in northern California as she said they were surrounded by fires.  Well, I didn’t get too concerned as that isn’t unusual for that area of the country this time of year.  At least that what I thought until I went online and starting perusing through some north bay area websites…

I have to admit that I was horror struck as I began to see pictures of areas of our hometown where we used to live.  Where we raised our kids.  Stores, hotels and longstanding local landmarks that we frequented and/or passed by on a daily basis were totally burned out!  I told my cousin whom I immediately sent a text that it looked quite apocalyptic!  I thought that this couldn’t really be true… could it?

I can’t fully explain the shock, hurt and emptiness I have felt as I’ve looked at all the horrific pictures and read the news updates.  It’s been a little difficult to get current news out here, but I seem to have enough contacts through Facebook, email and texting to keep me in the know! 

I guess that the old hometown still holds a prominent place in who Piper and I are.  We may be 3000 miles away, but we’ll always be Santa Rosen’s at heart!  All those places that we simply took for granted when we lived there are all a part of our personal history.  It is hard to see it gone and more importantly, it is very difficult to see many of our friends from our old homeschool group and church having to go through the personal hardships of losing their homes and belongings.  Our hearts and continued prayers continue to go out to them and their situations.

My sister, her husband and two dogs have been evacuated from their home since Sunday night.  I just spoke with her and as far as she knows their house in the Oakmont area is still safe.  I haven’t heard from my brother as yet today.  I did hear from my cousin though (whose home is safe in Bennet Valley) and she reported that his neighborhood in Sonoma is now under mandatory evacuation.

So… we continue to keep watch and we continue to lift the entire situation to the One with the ability, strength, peace and love to carry each of them through until the morning of the new day.  For each of you in the midst of this situation, I encourage you to lift your voices to the Lord and let this be your prayer:

“Hear me speedily, O LORD: (for) my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit.  Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.” (Psalm 143:7-8 KJV) 

Know that none of you are alone nor in a hopeless situation.  You have friends surrounding you in prayer and the Lord who is holding you close to Himself.  He will carry you through this and you will see His lovingkindness in each new morning!

Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might… and as you are, keep asking yourself… “Who am I expecting to carry me through today… as well as in the days ahead?”