Ding dong the storm is dead!!

If you have been paying attention to the news at all lately, you most likely heard about Tropical Storm Emily (one of these days, they will start naming storms with less common names).  This storm made everyone at the World Wide Village office mightily nervous.  Why?  It was headed straight for Haiti!  An island country that has already endured more in the past few years than any geographical region should be allowed to endure was about to get pounded by a natural disaster...again.

Ever heard the phrase "Don't tell God how big the storm is, tell the storm how big your God is!"?  

There is more power to that phrase than you know!

We were nervous.  We checked news reports, blogs of people who were on the ground, checked in with WWV interns who are on the ground, whatever we had to do in order to stay on top of the most current news.

AND we told the storm how big GOD is!  

So here's something to think about - how often do you think "all I can do is pray"?  Oh c'mon be honest, you know you have at some point (I said the same thing to my husband the other day while stressing about the storm).  All I can do is pray.  Why is that an "all"?  Praying is tapping God on the shoulder and saying "Hey, I can't do this but I trust you to."  It is letting the Creator know there is something distressing happening that He needs to deal with.  Praying is telling God "Hey dude, that thing that is breaking your heart?  Well, it's breaking mine to.  Now that we agree, can you do something about it?"

At World Wide Village, one of my privileges is to publish our weekly newsletter.  This newsletter covers many things, from the latest thing we are fundraising for to focuses on individuals impacted by our work, to successes and joys about working with God in Haiti.  This particular week it was hijacked to ask for prayer.

Thanks to Veggie Tales, we all know that "God is bigger than the boogey man".  Well, yesterday we counted on God to be bigger than a storm.

AND HE WAS!!!!  AND HE PROVED IT!!!

There were hundreds of people praying for Haiti yesterday.  The result?  Tropical Storm Emily reached the mountain range of Hispaniola (the island that Haiti and the Dominican Republic share) and fizzled out!  I'm going to make a Star Trek reference here (blame my hubby -- he's been watching "Star Trek: The Next Generation" like its going out of style): it was like Haiti was cloaked!!  The storm got to where it could do significant amounts of damage and then suddenly dissipated. 

I DARE you to explain that without bringing God into it.  Oh sure, the storm hit a mountain and you scientists out there are going to try and say that mountains kill winds.  Sure.  But plenty of tropical storms/hurricanes have gone right over those mountains.  Sorry, but my God is bigger than your doubt too.  

After hearing that the storm had lost its power, I could almost hear God whisper "I've got it handled."  

Now, Haiti did not get off completely free and clear.  Torrential rain still fell and wind still whipped its way across that gorgeous country, but nothing compared to what was expected.  Right now the concern is that the rain that did fall will make cholera spread further (it is waterborne, after all, and extra uncontained, contaminated water = extra cholera bacteria).  

BUT hundreds of people DID NOT die from flooding. Children were NOT ripped out of their mother's arms by huge waves.  Mud slides did NOT take out huge swaths of tent city.  Tropical Storm Emily (I have a coworker named Emily, hence I cannot just say "Emily" here) hit a wall of prayer and God's power and was stopped.  One thing I saw said it might reform on the other side of Haiti, but that very little damage is expected.  Take that, weather.  God created you, God can stop you too!  [insert appropriate kung fu reference/sound here]

Now, please excuse me while I very gracefully go do a happy dance.  = )