I’m too tired for fancy words or lyrical prose.  Our apartment building caught fire last night and burned.  It was a complete loss.  There are 28 adults and seven children that are now homeless.  We were not home when the fire started.  It was God’s providence that we were elsewhere.  The kids were with their dad and I was at church.  I posted the following on my Facebook page:

Dearest friends and family,

My heart is bursting with the outpouring of love and support you have shown me and my children in the last 24 hours.  We are still in shock as we come to terms with what is happening to us as a result of the fire.  We were not at home when the fire broke out.  Around 8:15 a friend came and pulled me out of choir practice and told me what was happening.  I was convinced that they had made some mistake, that it was not my apartment building that was in flames.  Surely they were mistaken.  I made my way to the apartment complex with a host of friends leading me on and letting me lean on them the entire way.  “Take me as far as you can get me,” was my plea to them even though I already knew at that point that the firefighters wouldn’t allow us to come very close.

The kids are doing as expected.  In shock, but resiliant.  They are staying with their father for the time being and I am staying with my best friend in her guest bedroom.  Our immediate short term needs have been met.  As of now we are still searching for long term housing.  Our lease was due to expire in August and I had already begun to look and see what was available.  My hope is that we can find a home, townhome or condo in the Hidden Oak/Fort Clarke school zones or in the Newberry area – our budget is tight – under $1,000 per month would be ideal.

The one thing that continues to circle around and around in my mind is this:  God is faithful.  God is faithful to those who love him, who fear him, who serve him, who honor him.  God has showed up and has wrapped his arms around me and my family.  One thing I’ve never felt an ounce of is dispair.  I know that we will be taken care of and that things will once again return to normal.  You have all been Jesus to me.  You have reached out, prayed, and loved on me.  We have already received an abundance of donations – food, clothing, etc. – and are appreciative in ways that I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to put into words.  Thank you.  From the very fiber of my being…thank you.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/elledubya

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 20th, 2010 at 9:30 pm and is filed under The Fire. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.