It is already 1 p.m. and I need to stay seated long enough to write this column. My list for today isn’t getting done like I wanted to. Daughter Loretta and her children just left for home. She came over this morning and we ate breakfast or rather brunch together.
First of all, I want to thank everyone for their birthday cards and gifts. It was greatly appreciated! How interesting to receive cards from over 20 states, Canada and Australia. Your words were all a great encouragement! Sometimes I feel like it’s time consuming to write every week but then when I hear your words of kindness it makes it all worthwhile.
Congratulations goes to nephew Joseph and Ruth! We were unable to attend their wedding in Decker, Mich., on June 11. We wish them a long, happy married life together with God as their guide. Joseph is a son to Joe’s sister Christine and Jake. He is the oldest of their nine children and is 30 years old. This will be a change for their family. Their daughter Anna was married in April and up until then they had all their children home.
Thursday night storms tore through our area, causing a lot of damage in the nearby towns leaving thousands without electricity. Daughter Susan and Ervin don’t have a basement but they have a mechanic’s pit in their pole barn where the former owner used to fix his vehicles. It is also cemented and has steps going down to it, so it is a rather nice area and a protection during a storm for their family. They heard the roar of the storm go over them. They had three uprooted trees down.
Two miles up the road from them, daughter Elizabeth, Tim and family took shelter in a closet. She said they huddled together and she gave the children something hard to hold over their heads. The walls shook and they heard glass shattering as their bedroom window blew in. Glass and broken frames were all over their bed. Only minutes before their girls were laying on that bed as the storm interrupted their sleep while Tim and Elizabeth were sitting in recliners in the living room until the storm calmed down. It blew glass all over their garage house.
After it passed and they stepped outside, they couldn’t believe the damage they had. Their buggy was on its side with lots of damage. The trailer home they had moved on their property (to store all their belongings from the house and garage that they didn’t have room for) was on its side with one end all torn open. The neighbor’s building across the road was thrown all over their yard and field. Trees were down and the yard a mess.
Thursday evening I asked Elizabeth if she needs help on Friday as they were hosting church services on Sunday. They heard of the possible storm and decided they would wait to set the tent up until Friday evening. Elizabeth said she had everything cleaned and Tim had the yard mowed and they had everything under control. Little did they realize what their place would look like Friday morning. Tim and Elizabeth had made temporary living quarters in their garage as their house was consumed with five different kinds of toxic mold. They need to tear down the house and build new yet. Both their barn and garage roofs need to be replaced from damage.
Friday morning, men and women started arriving to help. Food was brought in and once again we were thankful to be in such a caring church community. They salvaged what they could from their storage and the rest was hauled back to Tim’s field to be burned. The roofs were covered with tarp until they can be replaced. The windows were cleaned and the mud washed from the outside. The yard and field were cleaned. It was decided that someone else should step up and take church services for Tim on Sunday to relieve some stress.
Niece Emma and Menno volunteered to have it at their house. They had four other offers. How thoughtful!
Tim and Elizabeth’s food they bought, the tent, and the portable toilet they rented were all taken over to Menno and Emma’s house. All in all, we were very blessed that no one was hurt and everything else can be replaced. All the help was greatly appreciated!
Sunday was also Elizabeth’s 32nd birthday. After the first setting was served we surprised her with a cake and candles and everyone sang “Happy Birthday” to her. Our first born already 32! Unbelievable! We wish her many more happy, healthy years.
God’s blessings!