Hurricane Helene took me by surprise. My mom gave me my only warning on Thursday evening. Helene would hit us on Friday morning, September 27th. I saved some water in pitchers. That’s the only preparation I made.

Friday morning, our power went out at 6:15 a.m. The power company had it back on at 7:15 a.m. The winds and rain were heavy, but things seemed to be fine for the most part. At 10:00 a.m. our power went out again. A huge oak tree had fallen on the power line leading to the house. No one else on our road was affected, so we were put at the bottom of the list for repairs.

Our power remained off for one week. It was restored on October 4th at 2:00 p.m. We were lucky.

We were pretty quickly shut off from the world. Our internet stopped working. I could receive messages on my cell phone, but couldn’t send anything out. My cell phone soon died from lack of being able to charge it. My husband was able to keep his charged by his truck adapter as he went for food and water. He could also contact our family at those times and we were assured they were fine. I couldn’t find out how my friends were and had to totally trust their care to God.

Here are the lessons I learned from Helene:

1. Matthew 6:25 (NLT) is true— “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday Life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?” After a few days, we had to throw out everything in our refrigerator, freezer, and deep freeze. We had only the water, I had saved in pitchers the night before. I couldn’t cook anything. But, although the restaurants had trouble at first staying open, and being able to take either cards, or cash, it eventually all got taken care of and my husband was able to get up town for food for our meals. Only one day, did he have trouble finding water, as it was selling out rapidly. We had flashlights, candles, and a swimming pool full of water for flushing the commodes. Lesson learned—The LORD supplied every need we had and Psalm 91 is totally true.
2. We were cut off from the world. Not until I went to my weekly Bible study on the following Thursday and charged my phone at the church, did I learn of the true devastation that had occurred for the people in the mountains. And there was peace in the not knowing. I have difficulty sleeping most nights, but those nights with no power, darkness came early, and I slept every night a deep peaceful sleep with no worries. Not until I knew of the devastation, and started watching news did I start having trouble sleeping again. Lesson learned—stop watching the news so much and be concerned for what is going on that I can actually do something about. The world belongs to God not me. Psalm 24:1 (NLT) says, “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.” When I mind my business and take care of only what God has given me to care for, I sleep much better.
3. I learned quickly how to take a pretty good bath with one 16 oz bottle of water. It took three bottles to wash my hair. I could put on makeup by LED battery operated lanterns or candlelight. I didn’t need to miss my Bible study, just because my power was out. And they fed us there, not just physical food, but spiritual food. Lesson learned: Don’t stay home and focus on your lack when things get hard. There is always someone a lot worse off than you. The Bible study is where I learned of all the devastation. They encouraged us to share the gospel with anyone we could this week, because this situation makes more people hungry for answers.
4. I still did my Bible reading at 5:00 a.m. like normal. I just did it with a flashlight. The lesson for that week was about 2 Timothy, and Paul’s encouragement for Timothy. Paul wrote, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV) The interesting thing was that Paul wrote that verse, sitting in a prison, waiting to be executed by Nero. One of our study questions was— What were the conditions of his cell? 2 Timothy 2:9, 4:13, and 4:16 answers that question. He was chained. He was cold, he asked Timothy to bring his coat. He had nothing to do all day, he asked Timothy to bring his books and papers. Everyone abandoned him in his time of need when he was brought before the judge. Lesson learned: I have nothing to complain about… EVER! PAUL WAS CHAINED. He couldn’t take pool water and flush a toilet. He probably had to use the bathroom pretty close to where he stood or sat. I doubt he was given water to bathe with. Even if he did get his papers and books, there was probably only a small portion of the day that he would have had light to read, and it was probably dim, coming from a tiny hole or small window. He was cold. He was alone. Who fed him? (The restaurants fed us when my husband went for food, it was always there in some form.) Paul’s food was probably barely enough to keep him alive. We learn that after all of that, Nero beheaded him. Yet, in Philippians 1:21 He had written, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” He gained a heavenly home that is above anything we could ever dream up. I pray that all the ones that are experiencing such devastation right now, turn to Jesus for salvation so that no matter what happens on earth, one day, it will all be gain.
5. Reading became my pastime over the days with no power. I couldn’t do laundry, dishes, or cook. I didn’t want to work in the garden since I get pretty dirty doing that and had no way to get a good bath. Lesson learned: Reading is better than watching TV. If you have a good library, you can learn all sorts of things and get encouragement to live with faith and hope, as you see what God has done for people in the past. The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder was a good read as her family contrived to stay alive during a winter where supplies couldn’t get through. They nearly froze and starved. Almanzo Wilder, and Cap Garland sacrificed their lives to go for wheat for the town to live on, and barely made it back before the next blizzard hit. By reading, you learn from others how to be courageous and have a good attitude when things are not going very well.
6. My refrigerator that I complain about all the time of not being big enough to hold our food, is actually more than big enough. I had stockpiled too much food in the deep freezer, regular freezer, and refrigerator. We could never have eaten all of that. And now, it’s all gone. I went to the grocery store on Saturday. Many of the shelves and refrigerated sections were bare in Ingles. But I was able to get what I needed for a few days worth of meals, and it was enough. Lesson learned: My refrigerator is plenty big enough and I don’t ever need to keep more than a few days worth. 1 Timothy 6:8 (KJV) says, “And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.” (And I had enough clothes, towels, and washcloths for us to make it through the week without having to wash.)
7. And finally, it is imperative that we tell others about God and warn them of the future for the world. God loves and pursues, but if you continually reject Him, He eventually leaves you alone. Many blame God for devastation, but God made a perfect world. People brought in the death and destruction through sin, by choosing Satan and evil over choosing our only hope, which is God. I don’t know how anyone faces situations like what has happened in the North Carolina mountains without God. In Revelation 16 when the seven bowls containing “God’s wrath” were poured out by angels during the Tribulation, no one repented of their evil ways. Horrible malignant sores broke out on everyone who were worshiping the beast and his statue instead of God. Then they were scorched with fire from the sun. In Revelation 16:8b (NLT) the Bible says, …”they cursed the name of God, who had control over all these plagues. They did not repent of their sins and turn to God and give him glory.” In Revelation 16:18b (NLT) it reads, “And a great earthquake struck—the worst since people were placed on the earth.” Verse 20 (NLT) reads, “And every island disappeared, and all the mountains were leveled.” Then hailstones fell on the people and Verse 21 ends with, “They (the people) cursed God because of the terrible plague of the hailstorm.” I definitely don’t want to be cursing God over matters on this earth, when He is the only one Who can truly help us. As bad as the devastation is in North Carolina, it cannot compare to what is recorded in Revelation as the world we know comes to an end and Jesus comes back to rule and reign on earth. Lesson learned: There is no other side I would rather be on than the side of Christ who gave His life for us. And I pray that others will figure that out and turn before it is too late. Helene is just a small taste of what is to come.
8. Bonus Lesson: Slow Down. Rest. Enjoy what you can.

JESUS CAN BREAK YOUR CHAINS!

I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return.” Philippians 1:9-10