I've finally made it back home. I worked from Sept. 22 - Oct. 1. Took a day off, and worked Oct. 2 - 6. It's obvious that the plant had damage from multiple tornadoes; roofs and walls were missing, cooling towers lost shrouds and fans, and one Hi-line tower fell down. We took the brunt of the storm.
It had to be God's hands holding the roof on the building where we stayed, his hands keeping the walls upright. It really got bad around 23:00 Friday. I went to bed and slept soundly until 02:00 Saturday when we were awakened for some emergency. Soon after that the lights went out as our last unit tripped offline. Powerplants aren't meant to be in the dark. I couldn't sleep after that. The rest of the night was filled with loud banging and the wind howling all of which was loud enough to be heard through the earplugs I was wearing. When the sunlight started filtering through the rain and clouds Saturday morning I was just thankful to be alive.
Psalms 9:10 says "And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee." I can honestly say that I put my trust in Jesus Thursday as I left for the plant. I trusted that he'd keep our home safe and strengthen the preparations we made, I trusted he'd keep Amanda and our little dog Ace safe wherever they went, I trusted he'd keep all the men at work (and me) safe; he was faithful. On Sunday as we headed toward Moss Bluff to check on our houses I had a peace that everything would be alright.
God didn't spare me because I'm living better than others. God didn't damage others homes, or take them completely, as a punishment. The peace that I had was not that I'd have no damage. The peace I had was that God was my provider and strong tower. It was only that he would meet all my needs according to his riches in glory.
Earlier in the year a big change was on the horizon at work that would have really affected Amanda and I. For months I was angry about the change and got mad about it every time it was brought up. One day a friend of mine told me that this change was not a problem but a chance for me to put my trust in God and see that he would provide. That humbled me, changed my view, and got me on my knees.
Through all of this God proved he'll always be my provider, my deliverer, my redeemer, my strong tower, and my ever present help in times of need.
I thank him for that daily.
Jake
