Cardboard Testimonies

WOW!!! I saw this on someone's blog and can't stop watching it. Can I relate to some and add many more. What would your cardboard testimony be?

Progress

*** I just want to let everyone know how awesome the city of Houston is. I went back to my aunts neighborhood to check on them and see if anyone needed help. I go and see not only people helping their neighbors but Firefighters helping saw down these huge trees that are in the ways of the road and on houses. They were going down every street checking on all the residents. It is awesome to see people glorifiying God despite the difficult circumstances. Have a great tuesday.

the ARCH of Briar Grove.

UPDATE 9.16.08

***Okay so this is the ARCH. I was blessed to meet this elderly man named Ray. He was so sweet and in such good spirits. The tree landed right infront of his house. I was thinking how fortunate he was that it didn't crush his house until he took me to his backyard and began telling me his story. He moved down to houston after Katrina. He told me that he has been through several but Katrina was enough for him in New Orleans. His neighbors were joking that he brought IKE with him. But as he walked me back there he was telling me how he had been in his attic putting things up and to control a leak when he heard a huge crash. It was a tree that came crashing down through his back part of the house. He and his wife are living in the front of the house as of now although it has been raining and still no power. The picture below is the back side of Mr. Ray's house.

Okay, this poor house was the worst I saw in my aunt's neighborhood. The tree that starts at the left bottom side of the picture extends all the way to the top right. That is how long it is. Not only one but two 1/2 trees are laying in this house crushing all 4 sides.

***UPDATE***

All the pictures besides the homedepot are from my aunts neighborhood. Every other house is destroyed by the huge HUGE pine trees that came crashing down, not into one house but 3 houses at once because they are so big.

Okay, so I am sitting at the SUBWAY in and out of internet service. I will try to get everything on asap. Just want to remind everyone to continue your prayers. I still don't have power and that has been since last thursday. I have been speaking with others and there is a family with 3 children who still have no word on their daddy who refused to leave Galveston. They lived in the area that was domolished. They are pretty upset. Just continue to lift everyone up.

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I just wanted to post that title before I forget it. I will explain tomorrow. I need to find a plug to charge my camera and computer. I will post with pictures. I headed to my aunts house today and it was really sad. House are destroyed and that is only a handful of people compared to the entire HOUSTON. 4th Largest city. PRAY PRAY PRAY! K. Must get going. Curfew is only 40 mintues away. Don't want to get a fine.

Check back tomorrow.

Katherine

What is that STENCH?

Hey everyone. Okay probably just caroline. Not sure really who reads this considering I have had like 3 people ever comment. Anyways. Update on the life of Katherine.

So still no power at all and no water. I did get water for a few hours but do not want to take chances. They say to boil it because the water is contaminated. Last night I did sleep pretty well considering I have been up for days. I passed out but woke up drenched in sweat again. What is that stentch? Well, the mixture of ME, my breath, toilet and spoiled food. YUM!

You might wonder how I am using internet to post this. I have been driving around Katy to find some motel to steal from them. So I am sitting in betweeen the comfort inn and Hampton Inn in my car. Of what I have seen in katy it is a ghost town. Maybe a few places are open. Getting something to eat besides my goldfish and warm grapes would be nice. (I do have more to eat) But seriously how many people can you get in a waffle house? lol LET'S SET A WORLD RECORD!

I would post a picture of my lovely face but I'll spare you. It just looks like my hair is plastered to my head and the bags under my eyes people just a lovely color of purple.

The winds when IKE came through were sooo stinkin strong. Just admazed me. I wanted to see how powerful so I opened my front door and stuck my hand out to see and I lost my hand. I was watching people out there and they were being blown around like a ragdoll. They are, well lets just say STUPID. anyways. I am going to go because people are looking at me weird.

Love you all!

Standing in the glow of a SUNSET

It is now 7:30pm and the wind has picked up alot more. I was on the computer and saw this orange and pink glow out of my windows. This is what I saw. God's beauty is amazing today in such a chaotic time. Made me get away from the crazyness of the news to step outside to just stop and enjoy.

The wind has picked up alot.

If any family is reading this. I am going to blog until my power goes off. My computer will have full battery but not sure the internet will work. When my power goes out I will turn off my cell to save battery. Love you all. Stay safe.

More Pictures

Ranch hands relocate 1,600 head of cattle from low-lying land near High Island, Texas to higher ground.

The waves braking over the seawall onFriday.

A big wave crashes into the seawall.

A fire destroys a house as water threatens Galveston Island homes.

In the face of Hurricane Ike

The winds are picking up. It is now 5:30pm on Sept. 12, 2008 The first picture is off of the 2nd floor balcony which my apartment is located. It is facing towards San Antonio going West.

The second picture is on the third floor balcony facing towards Houston going East.
This picture is of the Forcasted Maximum Sustained Wind Data from the Office of Emergency Management. This is highlighted for my zip area in Katy, TX.

IKE

This is the view from my balcony of my apartment around 12pm today. The wind was starting to slowly pick up and I heard nothing but silence. Kinda crazy considering I live right off of I-10. I did get in my car today to go to the store for last minute things before IKE comes. My parents are FREAKING just a LITTLE! They are so funny but seriously Mom and Dad I taped my windows so therefore my fort will not blow away. :0)



I decided to go around my apartment to see what everyone is doing because I just moved here and have never experienced all the excitment. So these are a few pictures I took. Notice the one with the boards over the windows. I took the picture and stopped to look at it and zoomed in and noticed this scary man looking at me through his window. So I started to walk really fast because it scared me and he came out and said, "YOU TAKE PICTURE!" I said in a cowardly way, "Yes, I thought it was interesting." Haha. He probably thought I was going to get him in trouble because we are not suppose to nail wood over our windows.

Right now it is 3:10pm. The wind is picking up and I felt a few sprinkles.

Ephesians 3:20

Beginning Idea- This was colored by Marie in 04)

I was in the hospital when I began sketching out the flower and there was this elderly woman. She was beautiful but weak and fragile. Everyday she would watch me color and paint and she would always comment that they were so beautiful. She always said that she wish she could do that. I would ask her each day, “Would you like to color?” She always responded with, “NO that’s for children!” Our relationship grew throughout the week I was there. She would quote scripture to me and have me look it up and read it for her because at times she couldn’t remember it all. She was around 80 or so. I saw this woman come alive more and more every day. At first she was resistant to anyone’s touch and anyone’s help and I too was as well. She wouldn’t eat at all and the nurses would just leave her alone. She was growing weaker and her color just fading away. God drew me to her. I began to talk to her and LISTEN to her. As she began to trust me she let me help her. I cut her food for her and opened the containers for her as she desperately tried to put the spoon in the soup. She would cry because she was loosing her independence. She couldn’t even do the basics of feeding herself because her poor body and hands just shook so much. God spoke to me so much then, that now I can see the meaning behind it. He showed me through this woman that I am his child and that I am dependent on Him. My whole life I was doing all I could do to be independent. 1 John 3:1 – “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God.")At the time I was struggling and extremely depressed and my relationship with God was fairly new. The words that came from her I know were coming from God. It was the night before I was leaving and I was doing my usual routine, coloring and painting. She looked at me and told me how beautiful I was and talented and that God has plans for me. I asked her again, “Marie would you like to color with me?” This time she said yes. I drew the flower and she chose her colors. Her hands were barely able to hold the crayon. She began to cry and weep. I said, “Marie, what is wrong?” She replied, “I can’t see it. I CAN’T SEE IT.” Right there I knew God was very real. My struggle from the beginning was “but I can’t see Him.” How can I trust if I can’t see him? (2 Corinthians 5:7 – “We live by faith not by sight.”)Right then I knew I needed him. She couldn’t eat because she is blind. She couldn’t see to color because she is blind, almost to the point of total blindness. I hugged her and said don’t worry Marie I can make it darker. (“I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.” Isaiah 42:16) So I went over it with thick black sharpie. She colored it but struggled because she kept going out of the lines. She kept saying over and over, “I can’t do this. It doesn’t look good!” I loved the fact that I was able to speak those words she spoke to me everyday, "It is beautiful. You are beautiful Marie!” The next day, I checked out and as I walked out her daughter was there. Something we had prayed about because Marie mentioned that she didn’t have support. Her daughter came up to me and shook my hand and said," Thank you so much for helping my mom. We never thought we would see her smile again. (Come to find out she was in the hospital because she tried to end her life). I looked at her and said, "It wasn't me but Christ. God gets all the glory. Your mom has touched my heart and her love for Christ truly has impacted my life." God is such an amazing Savior, not only did he give hope and life in an 80 year old he too brought life back in me at 19. He touched two lives at once by bringing to strangers together who were in need of His resurrection. He works his purposes like the way he said he would. It was the hardest goodbye. I am constantly thinking about this little old woman who taught me so much of her wisdom in such a short time.
God is such an amazing God for all that he taught me the two months I was there and the amazing thing is I am still learning so much from it now that it has been almost 4 years.




(These mosaic crosses were inspired by God and a beautiful elderly lady, Marie.)
I don’t know why I felt like sharing this, I just feel drawn to. I never have told anyone about the meaning behind it. Here is a picture attached of Marie’s artwork. I still have it till this day and can't hold the tears back when I look at it.

May you all be blessed!

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us..." Eph. 3:20