Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Outdoor Wednesday .. The Flood 09

A few weeks ago as most of you know .. Many counties in Georgia were devastated by floods. Parts of the county I live in were hit hard .. many roads are still closed today due to damage.

This is a story of Faith.. and of a message that was preached at our church the Sunday before the flood. This photo below is of our Church.. and was taken just 2 hours after our Pastor spoke of God’s promise to Noah. I had been sick for over 2 weeks at that time and missed Church for the second Sunday in a row.. so I missed the message. As I was on my way to my Doctors office for my breathing treatment .. I passed by our Church and this is what I saw. A huge rainbow over the Church. Course I stopped and snapped a few pictures and when I got home Jeff told me that it was a sign .. he wasn’t sure of what but he called our Pastor and shared the photos and story with him.

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See the beautiful rainbow… well what you can’t see is the river located just behind the Church.. just beyond those trees runs The Yellow River. An hour later the skies opened up again and began to pour.. poured nonstop for the next 36 hours.. The Yellow river turned mean and nasty.

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The River was raging … water was rapidly rising.. and roads suddenly became flooded.

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That’s the corner of our Church in the photo below .. and Jeff is walking around checking on the rising water.

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The water rose and continued to rise … feet by feet .. minute by minute .. til the road behind the Church and the lower parking lot was covered.

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Only inches away from the playground it was spared.. but the small Church building.. used as storage and for food ministry wasn’t so lucky.

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Another shot of the flooded road behind the church and the edge of the playground.

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Today all of the water is gone .. but the road was damaged and is still closed. On the day Jeff & Ashley went to the Church to take all of these photos ..  I didn’t go .. because I had seen the rainbow that covered the Church just days earlier .. and that was all the promise I needed that the Church would be spared… and it was.

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This next photo I shared with everyone a few months back.. It’s the Porterdale Mill Apartments and the Yellow River runs directly beside it.

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This is what it looked like after all that rain.

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The river was so loud .. it sounded like a train.. I can’t imagine how scared the people were living in those apartments were.

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The next 4 photos were taken from the patio area that overlooks the river.

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This is a photo of the area where we sent a friends ashes down the river.. This is what it normally looks like.

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That same area .. as close as we could get.. after the rain.

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God’s Promise in the Rainbow:
“Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Then the Lord said in His heart, "I will never again curse the ground for man's sake, although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done. While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.”
(Genesis 8:20-22).

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Happy Wednesday Y’all … Be sure to check out Susan and all the others participating this week at A Southern Daydreamer.

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Hugs,

Debbie

28 comments:

  1. Wow Debbie! These photos really capture the power of that water. How wonderful that you saw this rainbow and that your church was spared.
    Blessings...

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  2. OMG! Unbelievable! Hope you're dry for a while now!!!! God Bless!

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  3. An amazing post, Debbie. Living near the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, we've seen up close what flooding can do. With our recent rains, we've been watchful.

    The rainbow over the church is incredible.

    Thank you for sharing this.

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  4. Just amazing pictures! What a scary looking raging river! I can't imagine being in those apartments. I like how you had faith in the rainbow! Very touching. And glad that you were spared and damage to your church. Thanks for sharing these pics and I hope the worst of everything is over for you. Happy Outdoor Wednesday : ) Sherri

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  5. Incredible photos! Even when the waters rage...God is near. The rainbow was such a special reminder of His presence and His love.

    Blessings,
    Jane (Artfully Graced)

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  6. Debbie, these are the most dramatic pictures EVER! I can't believe you got such amazing shots. And God's providence is truly the most amazing thing of all. Thanks for sharing this with us. I praise God that you are safe...

    Happy OW!

    XO.


    Sheila :-)

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  7. This is the first post that has given me goosebumps...whew...what a story and some mighty great photos!!!

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  8. Oh Debbie!
    God's promise that your church would be spared from these floods and it was so. Praise God.

    I don't watch the news much, so I hadn't seen any of these pictures as such. They are very scary, and I am so thankful you all are okay. Your home was spared praise God.

    I pray you are feeling better sweetie. Keep us posted. I will be keeping you all in my prayers. Country hugs and love, Sherry

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  9. These photos are amzaing-- shows how wild and strong nature can be.

    I agree with you -- i bet the people who live in the apartments had to be soooo frightened.

    Enjoy your week... and stop by and say hi if you have a moment.

    TTFN~~ Claudia ♥ ♥

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  10. Despite the raging water, you still captured the most captivating rainbow!

    We explored the Mountain Park this time.

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  11. Hi Debbie, those are really strong currents! I hope everyone was safe.

    Ebie's Outdoor Wednesday.

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  12. WOW! Living in the Arizona Desert rain is very rare. It only takes 30 minutes of hard rain to have flash floods I can't imagine what 30+ hours of rain would so to us. You would think the ground would be so thirsty it would just soak it up.
    Those apartments are creepy! I would NEVER live in them after seeing that! What scary photos! I would have been packing my stuff so fast it would have made your head spin.
    The rainbow was amazing, but I especially was impressed with the water going right up to the fence of the play ground and stopping...that was amazing. LOVED the post and glad the church suffered minimal damage.

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  13. This is a fabulous post. I loved seeing the pictures and am so glad the church itself is safe. God's covenant with us by the rainbow is another reason for the name of my blog :)

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  14. Wow! That is amazing. I am glad your church building was spared. :) Happy Wednesday.

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  15. Morning, Debbie. Your photos actually show movement! Good job!

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  16. Wow....I'm totally speechless!!!

    My post for Wednesday is now published. Click Here to join me. I'd love for you to stop by today.

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  17. I'm sure the rainbow has special meaning for all the people with whom you worship. Your photos of it and the raging power of water are amazing. Thanks for sharing all of this with us. Have a great Outdoor Wednesday.

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  18. Amazing photos!! Oh the drama, my heart is beating really fast! I just love the rainbow in the end reminding us all of God's grace. But its heartwrenching for me to look at.

    I know it all too well. Last spring our whole town battled the "Red" river that flooded at over 24 feet above flood stage. We sandbagged for weeks straight trying to stave off the water. We were evacuated from our house and fled town with visions of Katrina looming in our mind. While many lost their homes to the flood, many more of us were spared!

    So glad your church was spared and no significant damage was done :)

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  19. O, Debbie, just reading HIS promise and seeing your pretty church and the amazing rainbow made tears come to my eyes. This is such a strong, beautiful post...save it forever and ever!
    Your phots are just awesome and SHOULD end up in a magazine.
    Thanks for this post, dear heart.
    xo bj

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  20. Amazing photos! The power of Mother Nature is certainly a force not to take lightly. The rainbow is one of the most beautiful I've seen. Glad to hear the church was spared. ~ Sarah

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  21. Hi Debbie,
    Wow! I didn't realize you were so close to all the flooding. It sure is scary to see just how powerful the water really is. Thank goodness your Church is o.k and not to much damage except your storage shed.
    Your photo's are amazing and really do tell the story well.
    I hope you are feeling better now.
    Big hugs,
    Elizabeth

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  22. Hi Debbie, that just gives me chills! How amazing is God and His promises! So glad that your church was spared!

    The pics of the river show such a powerful transformation, from peaceful to raging! That must have been unnerving! Hope you are feeling much better! ~Rhonda :)

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  23. Oh my goodness, I am in awe of the power and fury of nature. God is truly in charge and we may not always understand the why's, but He is all powerful and promises to never leave us. I love the rainbow at the end as a reminder of God's faithfulness. Beautiful photography. Thank you. Kathi

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  24. Many Thanksgiving Blessings to you and your family….Hugs and smiles Gl♥ria

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  25. Hello Debbie,
    Boy it has been so long since you last posted I pray all is going good for you and your family. I wish you many blessings, hope to see a post and hear from you soon.
    Blessings,
    Jolyn

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  26. Wow!!! What a post!!! It brings tears to my eyes to see how God protected your church...and I grieve for those hit by the floods...This post was such a powerful testimony...and your photography is magnificent! what a beautiful blog! I've seen you at Robynn's but this is my first visit!! So glad I came...you truly touched my heart! ~Janine XO

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  27. Hi Debbie,
    I'm so worried about you...I'm missing your posts...your beautiful photos...and wondering what your Christmas table saceps looked like. Most of all I'm praying all is well with you and yours. Wishing you a VERY Merry Christmas...a Happy New Year...and all of God's blessings.
    ~Hugs
    Liz

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I am always happy to know who's visiting. Thank you all that take the time to leave a comment... I really appreciate every comment and try my best to respond.
Have a Blessed Day!
~Hugs
Debbie

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