by Susan Brantley
The day arrived! We, (Wanda Gilbert, Connie Steele, Vera Ellis, Susan Franklin, and I), were actually in the car, headed for Destin, Florida. We were thrilled to be on our way. We knew there was a possibility of a hurricane, but we thought it would turn and go in another direction. We laughed and talked all the way down to the Florida state line.
Things began to change. It started to rain, and the clouds looked darker. By the time we got to the condo it was raining hard. We put our bags in our rooms and decided to go to the grocery store to stock up on food for the next few days. We did not want to get back out in the storm.
Finally, we got settled down and went to bed. It rained and rained and rained. Then the winds picked up. They were very strong. We looked out our balcony door to see the ocean. It was so dark and angry, and the rain was coming down in sheets. We were on the 11th floor, and our patio door could not keep the rain out. Our rugs were soaked in the living room and in Connie and Vera’s room.
All of a sudden, our condo started to sway! Then we felt the pressure building up. We thought the roof of the condo would blow off. We all began to huddle together. Prayer was our comfort. This scripture came to mind: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose,” Romans 8:28, KJV. As we continued to watch the ocean and the huge waves that were being created by the storm, it reminded me of the hymn, “Master, the Tempest is Raging,” especially the first verse that says, “Master, the tempest is raging, the billows are tossing high! The sky is o’ershadowed with blackness. No shelter or help is nigh,” [Songs of Faith and Praise, p. 189, Compiled and Edited by Alton H. Howard, Howard Publishing Co., Inc. Copyright 1994].
We survived to tell our story. We are not the only ones to survive a hurricane, but for someone who has never had this experience, it’s something I will never forget. We got home safely and got to tell our story to our families of what it was like to survive a hurricane. I look at it like when we were gathered together in our hallway, scared, God was with us—“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them,” Matthew 18:20, KJV.
We were also given a bonus—a sunny day at the beach. The water was calm and warm. It was truly beautiful. We got up on our final day and took pictures of the sunrise. They were the most amazing pictures I’ve ever taken. Ask me—I’d love to show them to you—God’s amazing creation.
We survived!