Another Peek into Home

Thought it was time for a few updates on our home.

I was finally able to make progress on the library shelves! I love it when books have a home.

And of course my room would not be complete without a bookcase. I desperately needed one and didn't want to trouble dad with it. I found some left over pallets so this is what I came up with. 

The magnum opus of my bathroom decor. Vinyl sticker from T.J. Max.

View of my room. Still a few things left to complete.

My sweet brother building a playhouse for the kids. Before the storm he had build this amazing tree house for them and since we don't have any more trees he devoted himself to this project. 

We recently were able to finally complete the clean up of our back yard that still had leftovers of the storm and things we didn't know what to do with. Help from some good friends and a skid steer improved it greatly. Now for grass.

As this sunset portrays the beauty within the destruction I am constantly reminded of God's unfailing grace. He has been so good to us.



How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All men find shelter in the shadow of your wings. 
Psalm 36:7 

The Journey Home

After almost a year, endless work, many tears and longing for home ...our journey has brought my family to our beloved valley again.

We officially moved in this past Friday night to our dream, rustic home. I can't express the joy we all feel. Even though we don't have a routine and 'normalcy' hasn't exactly moved in with us, we all have a sense of peace about us again.


As we go through recovered belongings, it is bittersweet to find certain things that had value behind them.

While rummaging through salvaged keepsakes, I found our old clock that had been on the kitchen wall that was ripped away. It had stopped at the time of the tornado. It is now sitting in our kitchen as a memorable reminder of April 27th, 6:20p.m.
This is our spacious living room, dining room and kitchen.
It was very special to be sitting around our old table at our first meal Friday. To be united with home and make it ours again.
Mom and I can't keep ourselves out of the kitchen right now. It's so wonderful to have so much space. The salvaged, pallet counter-tops make it even more delightful.
And if the joy of moving home wasn't enough, my dear, wonderful parents surprised and blessed me and my sisters (we all play the piano) Friday afternoon by bringing in a brand new upright piano. Of course we had no idea about any of it. The delivery men arrived when I was downstairs and the timing was impeccable as I came upstairs just as the piano came inside the door.

I was so shocked and excited I started crying. (The delivery guys and some guys helping just stood there looking at me like "So it's a piano, what's the big deal?":D) Dad wrapped his arms around me and just smiled.
It is wonderful to have access to beautiful sounding music again. For the pasts six months we had been playing our salvaged electric piano that only half played and was no joy to play at all. It was by far, the most stupendous, wonderful gift to be given.

(I apologize for being so late on an update. We have not had internet for six days.)

More pictures and updates to come!

If you would like to see more pictures you may go here to my mother's blog.

Nearer my God to Thee

One of my favorite hymns played by one of my favorite artists.

Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!

E'en though it be a cross that raiseth me;

Still all my song shall be nearer, my God, to Thee,

Chorus: Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!

Though like the wanderer, the sun gone down,

Darkness be over me, my rest a stone;

Yet in my dreams I'd be nearer, my God, to Thee,

Chorus

There let the way appear steps unto heav'n;

All that Thou sendest me in mercy giv'n;

Angels to beckon me nearer, my God, to Thee,

Chorus

Then with my waking thoughts bright with Thy praise,

Out of my stony griefs Bethel I'll raise;

So by my woes to be nearer, my God, to Thee,

Chorus

Or if on joyful wing, cleaving the sky,

Sun, moon, and stars forgot, upwards I fly,

Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee,

By Sarah Adams

Crawford Construction Update

Well, it's been nine months since April 27th, seven months since we started reconstruction. God has blessed us in numerable ways I can't even count. Here is a bit of our progress...

Our house Christmas 2010

Our house an hour after the Tornado

And now

This is a salvaged barn door of my grandfather's that my mother painted/distressed and wrote a promise we forever hold in our hearts. This door is hanging in our house now.

Above is the framework for our fireplace foundation. The living room furniture will be centered around the fireplace.

The back deck addition.

The oak wains coating and trim lines all the walls upstairs.

Our lovely pine ceiling that some wonderful friends put up. (Thank You!) My grandfather bought a saw mill after the tornado in order for us to make good use of all the felled trees from the storm so we are using most of the pines for interior wood.

Half of our kitchen above. The double doors lead to the porch. We are also finishing installing all the light fixtures. The story of how we came to get those is quite amazing. A man who worked at a lighting shop who heard my parents speak at a local church about the tornado, invited them to shop at this store. Mom and Dad went and picked out everything we needed.

Since light fixtures are not cheap in the least, mom and dad were careful what they picked out. Mom and Dad were somewhat suspecting they'd get a discount on the purchase.

As dad went to pay, the man who worked at the store told dad"You're good to go. You don't owe us anything." We had over a thousand dollars worth of fixtures given to us! What a mighty way to see God's providence!

This is my parent's bedroom we just finished painting. Three walls are white washed, then one wall was left natural and stained as an accent wall.

Our open library made with milled pine.

I want to thank everyone who wrote letters and gave gifts of encouragement. I couldn't personally thank everyone but you don't know how very touching it was to me and my family. And those who have come so often to help on the house, you have made this progress possible! The body of Christ has reached out in such amazing ways and we can never thank you enough.

With God's grace (and a bit more patience with our confined quarters:) we are hoping to be in our house by the end of the month.

"But they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."

Isaiah 40:31

"The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him. "

Exodus 15:2

Crawford Construction Update

I want to thank everyone for their prayers and assistance as we had continued working on our property this month. Progress is going very well on the house and work is running smoothly. We should be able to start the roof metal by the end of this week. God has blessed us with good, dry weather to allow the roof to be blacked in.

(You'll have to click on the pictures to enlarge them)

This morning I had the opportunity to get an aerial view of the valley and surrounding area. (It was a neat experience, but I still prefer being on the ground!) It was amazing to see the magnitude of the damage. The tornado was said to be 3/4 mile wide. This shows about a fraction of the width of the damage.

We've been able to clear most of the downed trees so our land is quite a bit cleaner. But we will be planting fast growing trees as soon as possible.

A big thank you to everyone who has helped make the rebuilding of our home possible! We could never have done it without you.

 " Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the  Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him." 1 Corinthians 7:17

Of Beams and Trusses

Today I went back home. The crisscrossing boards and beams now take shape of a house. And it was very encouraging to see.

It made me realize that life will resume normality, that we will have our lives back. We will work together and make our land better than before.

It will once again bear the name Paradise.
This is the foundation wall that gave us trouble. Dad ended up not tearing it out because it would be so tedious to avoid ruining the other foundation walls. Instead we had concrete poured inside the wall and installed re-bars for extra support, and waterproofed with tar. We can now cover it up and not worry.

Our journey is half way traveled. Though we still have many more months of painting, moving, logging, clearing, planting and cleaning to do. But if there is anything I have come to learn in this, it is:

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

It is a simple concept, but it takes more than flesh alone to daily apply it. God has indeed given us good things.

Wood Never Looked So Beautiful

I am joyful to say that our new home now has walls! Friday we had seven contractors come from Georgia to see through the framing of our house.

Before

After

Trusses arrive Wednesday; although a glitch has shown up in the progress. We discovered the basement foundation wall underground is bowed in from the tornado. The force of the F-5 shook the foundation so much, that if it had continued double the time it did, the basement roof would have most likely collapsed on top of us. So we are going to move ahead with the repair of that. Hopefully it will not detain our progress for long.

It is encouraging to see my grandparent's property buildings start going back up the way they were. Between volunteers and a construction crew called Extreme Ministries my grandfather's all purpose shop was up in about three weeks.

My family and I are holding up very well in our cozy cabin. Mom and dad have both had eye problems and have had to both get glasses but are now doing fine. Schedules have gone out the window as we are trying to find our new normal. Prayers would be welcome that we would continue to be patient and content in these final stages of restoring our home

God's amazing providence through these pasts months is still seen daily. The people that reach out, that drop jobs and leave their families and just pour out blessings on us is so profound. Thanks to everyone so much for prayers and giving.

I will be sure to post on the house progress when we re-assume construction.

Rise to Bless you Still part 1

As the early morning sun caressed the foothills of the Appalachian mountains that Thursday, it revealed utter devastation as far as I could see. The trees that once casted shadows lay piled in a heap, roots jutted into the air. Instead of birds and critters stirring in the full green boughs, there was only shards of metal and rooftop timber, and remains of homes lying in heaps of rubble among the few remaining bare treetops. Power lines draped the fallen trees and the air smelled of splintered wood.

Part of me was glad that night was over; the other part resented what daylight revealed.

That night held so much change in such a short amount of time.

That night brought so much disaster and terror. Before the roar it was calm. A slight breeze swayed the treetops, gently sailing clouds in the sky. Then the blue cloak became black.

I can still replay everything that took place, every detail that won’t stop playing in my mind. All I could remember at first was the noise and pain.

As our house was shaking, the sound of glass shattering, ears popping and children screaming, all I could cry in my heart was “Lord you are sovereign, whatever happens I will still call you my Lord.” But there was still the lingering and devastating feeling that we were going to die. My heart was coming out of my chest as my parents wrapped their arms around me and my baby brother  as everyone was crying out prayers.

Then the door was opened after it calmed. My father’s words were ” Prepare yourself for this.”

My home was gone. My grandparent’s home was gone. Everything on the farm was gone. In thirty seconds beauty was stripped bare.

I used to call Shoal Creek Valley home. My family of eleven was in the tornado that day April 27th. Twelve lives were lost in only six miles of the valley. In our basement were four families. Crammed in two rooms were 37 people. 27 were children. They were all our friends and family in Christ. The basement was the only thing left standing.

Rise to Bless You Still Part 2

“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38, 39

My grandparents survey and mourn the rubble that was their beloved home of twenty-three years. My grandfather built that home with his own hands. My grandmother raised all her children, fed them and nurtured them within those comforting walls. It was my childhood home for four years as well.

At first the shock of losing our homes didn’t sink in. We were just elated to be alive and too exhausted to worry about anything but rest and a place to stay. Then as the days wore on and we got a closer look at the devastation, it sunk in. Tears didn’t come at first like I expected. Just a feeling of emptiness set in. A feeling of loss, ruin, and not knowing what to do next.

As I went through the rubble of what used to be my home, I would find little treasures, objects that held memories. My tears fell on the scarred wooden floors. Everything familiar I had loved gone. My country paradise would never be the same.

But when the day came to say goodbye to our dear friend Mr. Thomas Lee, who had saved his family and his son’s life by sacrificing his, my grief over possessions disappeared. I felt guilty for grieving over replaceable things. Restoration is at our fingertips, but lives are not replaceable. I still have my family, my father and all people dear to me that were in that tornado.

This Bible verse suddenly held a completely different meaning to me- “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21

If you had seen my home before and after this tornado, you might wonder why my family and I are not bitter, resenting that our treasures and beautiful home were taken without warning. But how could I dare to be bitter towards God when He had just saved my life and those I loved?

My treasure is my family. Not just the family with my last name, but our family in Christ. Those that were with us in that basement, those that we clung to as we prayed for each other’s safety. Those that reached out to us in our time of desperation. It didn’t matter what denomination, they all came to reach out a helping hand. We must look beyond what turns to dust and destruction.

We often cling to possessions too dearly. We must be content to let go. This time in my life has been the biggest test and trial in letting things go. But God has shown me the bigger picture. He has given me such a tremendous peace about what will happen next.

Rise to Bless you Still part 3

Mallie and Kyla

As the storm raged, I could hear my siblings crying out for mom and me. I was broken-hearted. I couldn’t get to them. I couldn’t hold them or tell them that God would see us through. I couldn’t dry their tears and rock them. I just sat helplessly, shaking and praying that those stairs (we had placed the children in the safest place in the room and it was the closet under the stairs) wouldn’t collapse on them. Or what if something happened to all the adults and the children survived? What would they do without us? I had so many what ifs and doubts reeling in my mind.

This experience has made me realize the most important things in my life. Not that I haven’t realized before, but sometimes I take things for granted…blessings that I don’t thank God profusely for that I should. My parents, the people that have given an oath to God to bring me up in His statutes; the family that loves me. Do you know what it means to be loved? To truly feel an undying love every day? I don’t know how I would live without that love. I could have lost it forever.

My siblings. Those beautiful faces that greet me each morning with a smile that says they’re happy to see me. Little Mallie’s hugs that nearly squish you. Little “Kyla moments” when she comes up and asks in her dainty high pitch voice “Bria, you wanna have a girl party?” Ellia with her bright blue eyes that smile all on their own. Avalee with her cute curls that bounce when she skips. Alexa with her gentle and serving spirit. Ashton and his artistic and visionary ideas. Brooks with his quiet but surprising intellect.

I used to be prone to look at things in a negative light. Now God has given me the ability to see the positive. It makes life so much more joyful! If I could rewind the storm, the only part I would change is the dear lives lost. But as for the rest, it has been such an amazing journey. I wouldn’t trade a day of it. The people that have reached out. Complete strangers that know nothing except disaster has struck Shoal Creek walking up to me and asking what they can do or if they can help with kids or get food for us. It has been beyond overwhelming to witness what God has done through such heart-wrenching disaster. He has taken the scattered pieces of destruction and made a beautiful masterpiece that needs displayed forever. My journey has been unforgettable, but it’s not over yet.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding.” Job 37:5

“…we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.”Romans 5:3,4

“It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes.”Psalm 119:71

“…And whether our tomorrows be filled with good or ill
we’ll triumph through our sorrows and rise to bless you still: to marvel at your beauty and glory in your ways, and make a joyful duty out sacrifice of praise!
O God Beyond All Praising

Blessings

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise

(Song on the player in the sidebar) Laura Story

Jesus Draw Me Ever Nearer~ Video

My mother and I put this together just as a reminder of God's unfailing love through the storm. (Alpha Ranch is my grandparent's property and they live right next to us.)

Crawford Update

It's almost been over a month since the storm and considering our situation those long weeks ago, we are doing very well. The body of Christ has not ceased in pouring blessings as we tried to find a place to temporarily live while rebuilding.

We have recently been blessed with a fifteen passenger van, and as you can see we were in desperate need of one.

Also a small but very cozy cabin that is only three miles from our grandparents.

And my dear friend and history teacher brought a bookshelf full of classics and all sorts of history. (Thank you Mrs. Diamond!!!) I think our bookcases

with the books is what I'm mourning the most possession wise.

What I'm most thankful for our here in our little nook in the forest is the beauty. There are trees! And flowers and birds chirping, and green lush plants. And it's also on the river so we've had the blessing of being able to swim and have fun on the water.

Ashton and Alexa have had fun catching the river fish.

Ashton speared this carp with a, uh (cough) three-pronged metal tikitorch holder. :) Go figure how he did it! It was just really near the shore and he was wading and grabbed the nearest thing available.

And Alexa caught both of these aligator gar with a net as she was wading.

We are now in the process of drawing blueprints to start rebuilding. Again we have been showered with blessings concerning construction for the house. A whole crew of volunteers from Extreme Ministries has offered to see us through construction as soon as it starts.

It has been quite challenging to try and redesign a house, although it's now reaching the fun point. Mom especially is getting really excited about new ways to decorate and things we can change that weren't convenient before.

The Lee family is settled in a very nice, large house with multiple acres for the children to play on. The other families that were with us that night had minimal amount of damage to their homes and are slowly getting back to normal.

THIS is the Lee's blog if anyone wants a place to get updates on them. Please still be in prayer for their family. If you read Mrs. Lee's recent post she tells about the three older kids that were injured and their progress.

Thank you again dear friends for all your labor and support. You will never know how much it has meant to us.