Francy's New Morning

  Steve and Samaritan's Purse volunteers surprising my daughter with her finished room. October 29 th is the anniversary I never forget. Not my wedding day, but the day of the biggest storm to pummel our city of Long Beach in 2012. Stepping on crunching leaves and smelling the crisp fall air sweeps up memories of all the days that followed Superstorm Sandy. We lost a lot in one day. Flooding destroyed our home. We had to rip up floors and gut the walls to prevent mold growth, and we tossed out everything wet, from furniture to photos and paintings and clothes. Our boiler was submerged, so we didn’t have heat or hot water. Gene and I had five kids and my mother-in-law to worry about. Hopelessness felt endless as if our home would never be the same.   One year later as we still walked on plywood floors, Tall Steve showed up with Samaritan’s Purse volunteers and his huge smile. He was one of the team leaders whose mission was not only to help people rebuild their homes, but to...

Long Beach Boardwalk, (rebuilt after Superstorm Sandy destruction)  What happens when a home is built on a narrow strip of land between the ocean and the bay? Nothing…until the Day.   The Day of the perfect storm When wind, high tide and full moon collide The ocean greets the bay The narrow strip of land                  Submerged.                                                  The Day divided time,                                       ...

             A new screen door, siding and roof fixed, railing rust removed and repainted…these are just some of the jobs accomplished by Samaritan’s Purse volunteers over the last two weeks.   Imagine coming home from work each day to discover something else new or fixed or redone by the hands of angels. That has been our life since Samaritan’s Purse ministries started rebuilding our house in November 2013 from the damage left by Hurricane Sandy in 2012.   It’s been a long time getting back to normal living, but a time God has used for pruning. You can’t go through a storm like this and be the same person. Every time I ride my bike by the bay, I picture the water rushing in; I pass the recreation center that was used as a temporary donation and supply center with lines of people out the door; trees slant away from the ocean as if running from the surge of the storm; some homes were abandoned, unable to ...