Hurricane Ian – An Ongoing Journey

 Acts 17:26 ”And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place,”

With delight we found our new dwelling place - a rare “annual rental” home on Sanibel Island in Florida. We moved in July to begin our retirement years on this beautiful tropical island. Still, Sanibel Community Church (SCC) was the main reason we picked Sanibel for retirement. They were missions minded, had expository teaching and solid doctrine, with fantastic church leadership. We thought we would serve out our days there.

 

We wanted to buy a home on Sanibel, but with historically high housing prices, it seemed like the Lord was telling us we needed to wait. After Hurricane Ian struck, we thanked the Lord for that guidance. We had nine amazing weeks on the island before Ian destroyed island life. We lived 1 ½ miles from the ocean and the water was 6 feet high on our street. Needless to say, we lost most of our household possessions. The hurricane destroyed the bridge to the island, so with the inability to get to any valuables, mold quickly set in. It has been 5 months since the hurricane and half the island is still without power. The devastation was massive as 150 mph winds blew with storm surges of up to 12 feet. The hardest part was that the storm blew the people we were in fellowship with out of their homes and most will not be able to return to those homes. During our short island time we had quickly bonded with our new church. We became family, calling each other brothers and sisters.  

 

Since the storm, we have slept in 12 different homes across 5 states. God provided each home through His people, and we are thankful. But with so many homes, it can be disorienting. Where is the bathroom in the middle of the night? Where do we forward our mail? 

 

We did not even have a fork to eat with, so how could we move into a temporary unfurnished place? God provided with a unique ‘God story’ as only He could do! I met a kindhearted young lady at a church retreat in the mountains of North Carolina 13 years ago. As God would have it, I lived not far from her parents at the time in Ponte Vedra, FL. Our friendship turned into a mentoring relationship as we visited each other in both NC and FL. I lived in NC for a period of time during our friendship. Now for the kicker. When Covid hit in 2020, my mentee’s mom left FL for PA to care for her 102-year-old mom by pulling her out of assisted living to protect her. After all, how long was Covid going to last? How long was she going to live? In 2021 my mentee’s dad left FL to join his wife in PA to help care for his mother-in-law. That left their furnished place in FL unoccupied. Well, grandma just turned 104-years-old last October.

In an action of extreme generosity, they offered for us to find refuge in their FL home. We have never been so thankful for a roof over our heads as we now have. We pray for grandma often! God put our living location into motion 13 years ago through His people. God is totally in control and He provides for His people. 

 

Where and when will we settle to close out our retirement years serving our Lord? We don’t know, but we seek to walk by faith as God knows exactly where and when according to Acts 17. That gives us peace. Our displacement is His placement. We want to learn all we can on the journey.