The sound of men’s voices and a power generator starting woke me up at 3:15 this morning. I knew then it had happened—the ice storm had come.
From my window I saw silhouettes of trees limbs matted with ice, and I heard the occasional crash of heavy laden limbs falling to the ground. And in the darkness, I distinguished many of the men on the hill scurrying from building to building; starting generators, stoking boilers, clearing paths, and cleaning up fallen limbs and power lines—just another instance of our community coming together in a time of need.
At His Mansion, we live and work everyday as a family. But often we forget how vital we are in one another’s lives until a crisis or emergency falls upon us. Stan Farmer reminded us at breakfast this morning how much we really do need one another. Every person here has an important part to play, whether it is putting food on the table or preparing enough wood to heat 20 buildings all winter long.
I was blessed to hear how one of our staff women awoke with her husband at 3 am this morning and made food for the men who were laboring together in the icy cold. It may have seemed like a small contribution, but it was a precious gift to those who were nourished. What a welcome reminder! No matter who we are or how we are gifted, we are all needed, we are all valuable, and we are all integral members of the Body of Christ.
–ML
I was one who was out there at three in the morning and at 68 considered myself too old to be doing this except that Lee Oliver, who is three times retired and five years my senior was the general leading the charge! There’s no substitute for a lifetime of experience and so few coming along have the depth of experience that our older veterans have. I too, was blessed to see young and old shoulder to shoulder in the cold icy night.
Comment by stan farmer — December 13, 2008 @ 10:36 pm