We did everything we could, but it wasn't enough!

Boarded up windows, moved furniture around inside, brought patio furniture in, cleaned up debris, and all the "prep" that should be done considering the hurricane expected. But, it wasn't enough!

We prayed, anointed the house, prayed some more and walked the land. But, it wasn't enough?... Or was it?

There are times I must remind myself that God told His own Son "no", and if He hadn't, there wouldn't be eternal life & salvation only which is through His son, who is my Savior, Jesus Christ.

When I study the scriptures of Jesus praying in the Garden of Gathsemane, it encourages me that God's shoulders are big enough for me to be blatantly honest with my prayer requests, desires, discouragements, and hopes, yet it is extremely important to include "not my will, but Yours be done".

Why? Because this life is temporary, and eternity with our Abba Father matters most.

After preparing for "Milton", I could have never imagined what would take place next..

My husband worked day and night preparing, kept a close eye throughout the beginning & during the storm, making certain of the necessary functions being that our property has a well and septic that must continue working due to the specifics of our home.

Unfortunately, there came a point when we knew our preparations weren't enough. A huge tree fell on our home, the wind/rain damage was occurring too quickly. So, in the middle of the hurricane, we fled from our home to our car to escape.

"Something/someone" had told me to have life vests ready and to grab all my most important documents to have for a quick exit if needed.

Our neighbor showed up after he heard an extremely loud crash to see if we were okay.

We were so very grateful, but knew time was of the essence, and we needed to get out of dodge due to the waters rising.

We began speeding out of our driveway as the neighbor was tossing cinder blocks aside that barricaded our property gate, which was placed by my extremely prepared husband for further protection and to divert potential water.

Another neighbor answered a frantic call from Grace, our precious 15 year old, as she began to cry out for help. Before she could complete her first sentence and without hesitation, he exclaimed, "come on over!"

After being at our neighbors for some time, he knew it was wise, due to the rain/wind damage that was occurring, to flee his house as well.

The girls and I put our life jackets on and the unknown was frightening.

We opened the front door to the home and glared at waters that were rising & moving quickly across his yard.

Jessie picked up Eliana to carry her, and I formed a chain with the girls as our neighbor led the way. The water was chest deep on me, so the girls could barely feel the bottom. As we trekked across the yard, now turned to a deep, rapidly moving lake the forceful current became stronger. I heard Hannah, our sweet 10 year old, desperately pleading,

"mommy, I'm slipping and can't hold on". She and I screamed ahead to our neighbor, who at the right moment" turned to grab her other hand.

We finally reached my car and due to the water we could barely open and

close the doors. Water filled the car as I prayed for God to make it start. The waters were still rising and Jessie was able to barely shut the door because of the current.

The girls were crying hysterically, which had occurred several times during all of these events. But a voice I'II never forget is Eliana, my baby, crying out "I don't want to die like this mommy".

There was a moment that I felt like the mother, who chose to remain calm and read to her children, as the titanic was sinking. Although, in my case, there were moments I was crying out to Jesus in a not so calm way.

Surprisingly, our car started, and Jessie was able to get us safely to the next road over on higher ground. Though, he couldn't see well through the fogged windshield & mirrors, due to the water filling my car….we made it!!!

We were greeted at the doorstep by the most precious couple with warm, dry towels and were given comfy pajamas to change into, and hot tea to warm us. Tears streamed down my face at the loving, hospitality shown.

Our family was able to rest for the remainder of the night, knowing we were finally safe.

...So, the preparations weren't enough in the end, but did God even hear our prayers, were they not enough?

Eliana had begged to take a moment to pray over our home again before our first escape and later, at our final destination, with tears in her eyes she said, "mommy, I'm sorry I didn't have enough faith"

I embraced her and reminded her that God hears every prayer, collects our tears in a bottle because they are so precious to Him. And, finally, I reminded her that God also told His son "no", because He had a better plan, an eternal plan. Though we may not see it now, we must trust who God is. He is a loving Father. He doesn't cause tragedies, but at times He allows it because He knows the fruit that we bare after the trials that come. We begin to look and be more Christlike and friends, that's what really matters in this life!

Friends, we have faith, we prayed hard, And..Our prayers WERE enough.... We prayed GOD'S WILL BE DONE after we expressed our desires to the Lord…..and we see His hands in it all including..

*That “something/someone” that told me to have life jackets ready for a hurricane in central florida. THAT WAS GOD!

*As we escaped our home, there was a short delay as Jessie was scrambling to grab some necessities, and I remembered to grab all important documents. Had that delay not occurred, the tree that collapsed to the ground could have been in us. THAT WAS GOD!

Our neighbor showed up at the perfect time to throw the cinder blocks out of the way for our vehicle to escape. THAT WAS GOD!

Two days prior to the storm, our other neighbor had decided to hunker down at home, which gave us a place to escape to and one that God would use to save Hannah's life. THAT WAS GOD!

Our neighbor turned back to grab Hannah's hand, just in time, before the current swept her away. THAT WAS GOD!

My car started at the moment we needed it to for our second escape, yet now isn't turning over and may need a whole new engine . THAT WAS GOD!

OUR FAMILY IS ALIVE & SAFE! My friends… THAT WAS AND IS GOD!

So, though our humanly preparations failed and our hearts are grieving with not having a home, having our car & most of our belongings destroyed, we will continue to choose to trust God, know He hears our prayers.... Even if it doesn't turn out how we think it should, we will be grateful for every moment God blesses us with as a family.

I'm taking time to stare at my girl's faces a little more, knowing it could have all been completely different and maybe I wouldn't have been able to gaze into one of their gorgeous sets of blue eyes after this horrific day.

I know this road will be a long one, and frankly I'm unsure how it ends, but we will do it together and trust God! We know the fruit that will come from this process & the Christlikeness we will bare more of, will be worth it... Especially for our Abba Father, King Jesus.

Our family is asking for your prayers as we learn to navigate during this season of unknowns and new normals. Also, if you feel led to give, anything helps. We are needing to purchase another car because mine was totaled. However, thank God it drove us enough to get to a safe place during our 2nd evacuation. Thank you.