A FEMA Contractor's Hurricane & Disaster Evacuation Tips That Can Decrease Your Loss

Hello! For those who don't know me personally, I have been a disaster housing inspector, under contract to FEMA for the last 10+ years. I'm also a Licensed Practical Nurse. I've been in the homes of over 900 disaster victims and have observed first hand the devastating effects of hurricanes and tropical storms. I've also lived in Florida and experienced hurricanes from a resident's perspective as well.

As I write this I am on standby for deployment once Isaac makes landfall. It is from my past experiences that I have drawn some valuable information that I want to share. It is my hope that these tips will help decrease people's loss or assist in their recovery.

This post is intended for anyone in the path of a tropical storm, hurricane, forest fire, etc. If you are in an evacuation area, PLEASE consider taking with you any applicable items from the following list. A few are necessary if you must file an Insurance or FEMA claim. They are marked with an ***. The rest you will not want to lose if your home is heavily damaged or destroyed. Some will say that my list is over-kill. I disagree. I've based it on what I've observed from hundreds of people suffering loss.

The easiest thing to do is to keep a list taped inside the cupboard or closet door. Have a suitable tote designated as the evacuation tote and know where everything is. If you do have to evacuate, just go down the list, pack it into the tote and you're done. Planning  ahead alleviates a lot of last minute anxiety and decreases your chance of forgetting important items.

I have seen the unfortunate results of people who did not take these items with them. Obviously what you take depends on your method of evacuation and the amount of room you have when you're leaving. Remember though, a little discomfort from being cramped in the car is worth it compared to the pain of the loss of many of these items and the ability to recover more quickly because you have the documents required to apply for assistance. Please read down to the bottom for a few additional tips.

Important documents: 

1. Birth certificates
2. Marriage license
3. Divorce decree
4. Child custody/Child support papers
5. Social Security cards
6. Immunization records
7. Passports (include your Yellow Fever Immunization document if applicable)
8. Mortgage payment book***
9. Copy of rental lease***
10. Current Utility Bills***
11. Homeowner's Insurance - full policy papers, not just your agent's card***
12. Auto Insurance - full policy, not just your agent's card***
13. Auto Registration documents***
14. Health Insurance cards***
15. Banking documents: checkbooks, Debit or Credit cards
16. Tax Records, Payroll stubs, W-2 forms***
17. Food Stamp or public assistance records
18. Bankruptcy papers
19. List of all creditors
20. Student Loan paperwork
21. Specialty License or Certification records (nursing license, real estate license, etc.)
22. Safe Deposit Box key and info (Banks don't keep a spare copy of the depositor's key from what I have been told by my bank. If your key is destroyed you will have a very difficult time getting your items)
23. Contact info for important people (family and friends)
24. Your Journal
25. List of family physicians & contact info
26. List of prescription meds (If you can get a printout of your meds from your pharmacy or doctor to keep on hand it is even better. If your pharmacy and/or doctor's office is closed or destroyed you may need these to get refills. Not all pharmacy computers are linked, and a new pharmacist won't know which "little white pill for my pressure" you are supposed to be on.)
27. Important school records (HS or college diploma, transcripts, acceptance letter, Homeschooling records, etc.)
28. Tickets for upcoming events/travel that you would have a hard time replacing if they were destroyed (Season tickets, next spring's cruise, etc.)
29. Pilot's flight hours log - Any pilot knows the importance of this logbook
30. Aircraft maintenance log
31. Other legal documents
32. Copyright paperwork
33. "Only Copies" of manuscripts, poetry, lyrics, artwork, original recorded music. It is heartbreaking when you have taken the time to create something and the only copy in existence is destroyed. 

Medical Items:

1. All of your prescription meds currently in hand
2. Extra prescription glasses & the written eyeglass prescription
3. Medical equipment that you use regularly (glucometer, BP cuff, CPAP, etc)
4. Feminine hygiene items
5. Over-the-counter meds likely to be needed

Electronics:

1. Cellphone and charger
2. Laptops with powercord
3. External drives
4. eBook readers
5. Tablets
6. The CPU from your desktop if you can't afford to replace it and your data is not backed up in a remote location.
7. Expensive software (Don't forget the Key Code)
8. Digital Camera with SD cards
9. Video camera
10. The kids' Wii, Gameboy, Nintendo, etc
11. GPS unit

Pet Items:

1. Pet food
2. Litter
3. Water bowl
4. Pet meds (heart worm meds, flea & tick stuff, etc)
5. Veterinarian records - including vaccine records, contact info, etc

Miscellaneous Items:

1. Family photos (at least digital copies) - When I serviced applicants in New Orleans after Katrina that was one of their big heartaches. Walking through their mold covered homes and seeing all of their family photos destroyed.
2. Expensive jewelry - leave the costume stuff at home, but grab great-grandma's 1-carat engagement ring or your $10k necklace.
3. A good flashlight and fresh batteries. Power may be off when you return to your home. Having a good flashlight will allow you to enter and assess for any damages.
4. Toilet paper. Laugh if you want, but remember past news footage of traffic backups that lasted for hours? It's bad enough having to relieve yourself along I-10, but think of not having your Charmin there to ease the pain? :-)
5. 3 days worth of clothing for each family member. Yes, you might be able to return the next day...but that's what some of the Katrina victims thought too. 
6. You may leave in flip-flops, but pack comfortable closed-toe walking shoes. When you return you may have to walk through debris to get to your house. I have heard that many minor after-hurricane-related injuries are due to people wearing improper footwear when walking through storm debris.
7. Your child's favorite toys or stuffed animals. If your house suffers heavy damage, "Fluffy" the rabbit, that scrungy security blanket or a Gameboy might bring extra comfort to your child.
8. Extra batteries for any battery operated items.
9. Your Bible, Torah, Quran, Book of Mormon or whatever other religious writing you hold sacred. 
10. A good book to read
11. Firearms (to prevent damage to them) - know your state laws about transporting firearms. Keep gun locks handy for transport. Keep them unloaded and ammo separate from the guns.
12. Water (and water purification method like AquaMira, iodine tabs, filter, etc. if available)
13. Cooler with food that may spoil in the fridge
14. Snacks/food for the evacuation trip
15. Sleeping bags/blankets & pillows
16. Towel & washcloth
17. Toiletries

Before Evacuation:

• TAKE PICTURES of your home inside and out. Make sure the date and time are set correctly on your camera and turn the times stamp ON. Photograph any important or valuable items that you may need to file a claim on. Include serial numbers in the photo if possible.
• Record Make, Model and Serial Number on any electronics, firearms, etc. 
• ATMs and banking may very well be disabled. Have cash on hand for gasoline, etc.
• Fill your gas tank IN ADVANCE of an evacuation call or landfall (even if you aren't evacuating). Stations may be closed due to power outages after the storm. 
• Remember, dressers and tables will float and tip over in flooding, so if you are in a flood area, placing valuables on counter tops or on upper shelves will better protect from flood waters.
• If there are things you can't take that could be damaged by water, try to waterproof them by sealing them in large Ziploc bags or garbage bags if possible.
• In flooding areas, elevating items at least 12" off the floor can be the difference between losing all of your first floor furnishing and saving some of them. 
• Move items like TVs, etc. away from windows that might be broken from blowing debris.

Upon Return:

• TAKE PICTURES of an damage IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING the disaster. Make sure the date and time are set correctly on your camera and turn the times stamp ON. This will aid in filing insurance claims, etc. In a large-scale disaster, an adjuster may not be able to get to your home before clean-up is started or completed. 
• Mold sets in quickly, don't wait to start cleanup. That's why pictures are so important.
• Save receipts from items you purchase for cleanup, etc. There is no guarantee that you will be reimbursed for them, but No Receipt = No Reimbursement for sure in most cases.
• If you have had FLOODING, when you clean up or tear out sheetrock, LEAVE A SPOT showing the HIGH WATER MARK. It can be in the closet, behind the bathroom door, or where ever, but it helps us tremendously when cleanup has already been started. As an inspector I have to measure the water line and record the height in order to spec out damage. 

Evacuation is costly. Officials have a tough call to make when they order an evacuation, and they are usually criticized no matter what the outcome is. If an area doesn't get hit hard people are upset and feel they wasted their time and money for nothing. There aren't any easy answers, but preparation will ease the frustration no matter what the storm (or other disaster) does.

2012-02-05 10:30 local time. On our way from Entebbe to Jinja. It's a beautiful day. Blue skies. Not too hot yet. I feel like I'm at home. Not so much of wanting this to BE home, but rather that it has the familiarity and welcome feel of home.

There are 16 of us on this trip, not counting Pastor Rick. A good team full of people I have come to know and love over the last couple years. They are full of love for God and for people. They are genuine, and I like that.

Team members:

1. Pastor Rick Sadler
2. Mz Candy Sadler
3. Mz Glasell Williamson
4. Grace Moyer
5. Christie Lipscomb
6. Dennis Hansen
7. Terri Hansen
8. Dr. Jim Masloff
9. Jeanne Masloff
10. Rocky Stanley
11. Pastor Jackie Carver
12. Glynda Carver
13. Pastor Todd Childers
14. Dr John Cramer
15. Terri Evans 
16. Bonnie Bates 
17. Sandi Bird

2012-02-04 Journal Entry

We are less than an hour out from Entebbe. It's been a long flight...obviously...made seeming longer by the lack of sleep I had this past week. However, it has been fairly uneventful once we actually got assigned to a flight.

Our Air France/KLM flight was delayed on its way in to Dulles, so they were going to send us on Continental. After standing in line at Continental's desk, we were told that that flight was delayed as well.
...Back to KLM which finally sent our fearless leaders to Turkish Air. We thought they were going to route us through Istanbul, but a short time later they told us that wouldn't work either.

So then we were sent over to British Airways to take the 9pm flight. When we hit the BA counter it was about 17:15. The woman there states she can't put us on the 9pm flight, but that we had to get on the flight that was boarding "NOW". ...The gate closed at 17:55 and we still had to check 16 people's bags, get through security, and get to our departure terminal! A seemingly impossible task. I had a problem going through security.

I didn't take my money belt off because I've never had to before. We, with the body scanners you have to, OR you have to go through a "private security screening". They got pretty serious with me, even after I realized what they were seeing on the scanner. Get partly undressed and get patted down, have them fill out a report in the computer, & have the supervisor "clear" me.

I managed to convince them that I wasn't a terrorist, quickly redressed and headed toward the terminal with another straggling member of our group. "Somehow" (...God) we all made it on the plane, although our luggage was supposedly going to travel on the later flight to Heathrow...supposedly still arriving in time to make the Entebbe connection. We'll see! :-)

On the road to family and adventure

2010-09-07 12:17pm

It's Day 1 of my 16-day adventure that will take me to New Jersey, Connecticut and Montreal, Quebec much of that by Greyhound. Okay, so maybe adventure is a little bit of a stretch for part of the trip, as I am going to NJ to work as a nurse taking care of my Aunt Rose while her daughter is on vacation. And the CT part of the trip is to take my aunt to see my mom (her sister)...well, that actually may be an adventure as putting the two of them in the same room for any length of time will at the least provide an interesting viewing experience for my cousin Sandy and I. Hopefully it will not escalate to a volatile situation as they are both old and set in their ways. LOL!

It's now 12:23pm and I am 1 hour and 12 minutes away from pulling into the NYC Greyhound Terminal. I have a 2:20 layover in there, and need to find WiFi to fix a PayPal link on the church website. I'm hoping I won't have to stray too far to find WiFi...

Thus far the bus ride has been uneventful. I've sleep much of the way as I started out at 1:45 a.m. from Roanoke.. I've only had one transfer so far, in Richmond, VA and will have the transfer in NYC as well. Then on to Easton, PA where my cousin Sandy will pick me up at the bus station. We're currently passing an Newark Airport on the left along with signs for the Holland Tunnel. That helps me to be a little more oriented as I was pretty clueless to location up until this point.

Going to hop off now to conserve battery life for the web stuff I need to do, but it's easier to remember thoughts if the3y are freshly laid on virtual paper as they take place. Frankie and LC are with me, my faithful traveling companions who have been to 4 continents with me. Til later....

2:44 pm On a smaller bus line's bus that is an affiliate of Greyhound. They got me on a bus 2 hours earlier than my originally scheduled bus, and there's free WiFi and electrical outlets, yay! 

Just another Bird Family canoe trip

So Troy, Jed and Clint decide to go canoeing yesterday in the Roanoke River. Clint has no canoe experience, it's a two person canoe...and there are no life jackets. Well, the first time the canoe flipped, Jed's glasses got kicked off as Clint's foot creamed him in the face. Mind you, Jed's previously lost two other pairs of glasses. One in 2007 in the same river and one in 2007 in the Everglades in Blackwater Creek. He still hasn't learned to wear a sports strap on them when he's around water...

The canoe ended up flipping two more times. The third time they flipped it, everything went sailing out. Clint tried to retrieve my Nalgene that they'd borrowed, but he got into trouble when he stepped into a deep hole. For some reason he'd been carrying a coil of rope that he'd retrieved from the water. As he bobbed up and down yelling for help he tossed the coil of rope...down stream. Moments later he managed to make he managed to flounder to shore. That left Troy to retrieve the rope and the Nalgene which by this time had drifted out of the main current into an eddy.

Unfortunately there were some "over-the-head" spots between Troy and the eddy, but with paddle in hand he managed to swim over to the shallower area. But then there was the submerged tree...After grabbing the wayward rope, Troy took a step and his foot jammed in between some roots.

The current there was swifter and twisted him around, causing the leg to lodge in the roots. Then the rope got tangled around his arm and leg, and...still clutching the Nalgene and the paddle he got pulled under. At this point he was certain he was going to die. And it was a distinct possibility but for God.

Somehow he managed to free himself and by that time Jed and Clint had gotten the canoe upright and paddled down to Troy. Troy tossed everything into the canoe and hung on the back of it until they got it to a flat area along the walking trail. Once on shore they discovered that my Dry Bag hadn't kept Troy's phone dry...

A seriously bruised and bleeding Troy turned to Clint and said that it wasn't usually like that and hoped this trip hadn't scared him from going canoeing again. Clint sincerely and enthusiastically replied, "Heck no! I definitely wanna go canoeing with you guys again!" ...Just a normal Bird Family Adventure! Now if Jed would quit losing his glasses in the river!

Bird Family Christmas - Happy Birthday Jesus!

Wishing you all a joyous holiday season! We had a great Christmas. Probably the best one in recent years. For once we were all in the "holiday spirit"...which translates into putting up a Christmas tree and decorations. In recent years I just haven't felt like it. Even the house fire at Zip's house on Christmas Eve didn't dampen our spirits. If anything, it made us even more aware of the blessing of family...and more thankful for God's protection on us.

We all got together Christmas morning at the home that Troy, Rachael, Jed and I share. Zip and her children had spent the night so all 10 Birds were in the same place. I'd had great plans of making Christmas breakfast for everyone, but my 3 oldest grandchildren went across the alley to play with friends and my 2 youngest grandchildren went to spend the rest of the morning with their dad. I still cooked pancakes, but for a much smaller group than first planned.

Anyone who knows us knows that our Christmas giving is always low budget. Number one, we don't have a lot to spend. Number two, that's not what Christmas is all about. I'd told my kids not to get me anything...yeah, right.

I got a cool LED camp light and a camp toaster from Troy and Rach. Both very appropriate and appreciated gifts. My old camp light had died, and I used to have a camp toaster but had lost it years ago. The girls gave me a little wooden elephant...one that I'd given them after one of my Uganda trips :-). Zip, A and Caspian gave me a beautiful plaque that they'd made with A and Caspian's picture on it.

I When I got to the present from Jed I unwrapped it. It was a cute little change purse. Now, I love change purses, zippered pouches, etc. so I was excited. It was something I knew I could use. I could feel something inside so I asked Jed if it was phone bill money. I was surprised to actually find a wad of bills inside. Again I asked if it was phone bill money. He told me to read the note.

I started to cry. This is what it said:

There was $200 in the change purse...a gift of love from my son to me toward me upcoming Uganda mission trip taking place in February. As I was crying and speechless Jed grinned and said, "Score!" Zip told me that it had had the desired affect...it made Mom bawl like a baby! They will honestly never know just how much that wonderful gift touched me. It let me know that my kids believe in me and in the call of God on my life to do missions. I have the best kids in the whole world!

I'd planned Christmas dinner for around 4pm. (I didn't know Zip would have to leave before then...) We had a couple friends coming over and one CouchSurfer I'd met online in one of the groups. We'd never met him before. He was a student from Egypt studying at Virginia Tech and didn't have anyone to spend the day with (although I don't think he would normally have celebrated Christmas anyway, being Muslim), so I'd invited him to join us as a part of our family.

What a treat! Amro was a hoot! He fit in with our motley crew perfectly and we all had a blast. Pete from Troy's band had joined us as well as Jean-Phillipe (an "adopted" son of mine). Amro blessed me with a cool set of statues of the pyramids and the Sphynx. We all laughed and talked for several hours. What a great chance to make a new friend! I appreciate the opportunity that the internet and various social networking sites affords to be able to meet new people and make new friends.

I hope everyone had a wonderful a day as we did. Wishing you all a relationship with the One for whom our celebrations are about! Jesus is the Reason for the Season.

Uganda 2010: Pre-mission trip journal

MySpace-Countdown-Clocks

First pre-mission trip entry:

I'm in Charlottesville tonight. I attended the introductory meeting for the mission team with which I'm traveling to Uganda in February of 2010. It will be my 3rd trip to Uganda, and I'm totally psyched for it. This time I'm going with Mission Link International, headed up by Rick Sadler. He's been to Uganda approximately 40 times if I understood correctly. And he and his wife Cathy are preparing to move there in the not too distant future.

I was excited about meeting the team, which ranged in age from 17 to retirement age. Close to 30 people in all. The majority were veteran short-term missionaries, with many having been to Uganda 5+ times. Everyone was very friendly and outgoing. I felt at home with the group immediately. There was a group here from Smith Mountain Lake, and one of the ladies suggested that I meet them part way next time and ride up with them.

I'd heard a lot about Pastor Rick from Rocky, who's traveled with Mission Link before. The things that I was mainly impressed by were his passion for evangelism and discipleship and his willingness to sacrifice his own comfort to take the gospel to the nations. You can tell by listening to him speak that his heart is so full for the call God's placed on his and Cathy's lives.

One of our assignments was to start journaling right now, before we ever set foot on the plane. So I'm doing just that with this post.

As I was listening to Pastor Rick review the trip information, one of the first things that struck me was, “Wow! I'm not responsible for any of the logistics of the trip. I don't have to try to make sure everyone's on track with finances....I don't have to schedule planes, vans, housing or anything. Boy, that feels weird!

We're going to be based in Jinja, but the various teams will be going to different villages every day. We'll all have an opportunity to work on medical, construction, puppet ministry, evangelism, and prison ministry. I'm so excited that I don't know if I'll be able to sleep tonight. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the medical missions aspect, but the prospect of being able to go into the prisons and the streets to minister is absolutely fantastic! God is awesome!

On the road to Connecticut by way of Yonkers

I'm sitting at a McDonald's in Woodstock, VA listening to the sounds of two of my grandchildren playing with their mom in the play area. It's around 8pm and we're really far behind on the schedule that we had set for the day. My daughter, Zipporah, and I are on our way up to see my mom in CT. I only get to see her once a year, and I try to plan the trip to spend her birthday with her. Normally I do the 12 hour (one way) drive by myself, but this time I'm blessed to have one of my children and two grandchildren with me.

We're hauling a heavy load, including a bunch of stuff strapped to the roof of my overburdened Kia Sephia. We left Roanoke at 4pm and had to stop three times because of the roof load. Finally gave in and bought a couple big ratchet straps and now the load is fine. Kia Sephias are not meant to have stuff strapped on top...hence no built in luggage racks. I snagged the one bar from on top of Troy's truck and stuck it on top of my car. Everything's lashed to it.

Our destination tonight is Aleena and Ali's in Yonkers...an 8 hour, 400-ish mile drive. We've done only 140 or so miles of that. Still a looong drive yet. The kids have been good, and since the roof issue has been fixed it's been an enjoyable ride.

We'll be posting more soon. We've got lots of stuff on the itinerary including a sunset stroll across the Brooklyn Bridge.

A Short Update

Don't laugh, it will be short! I haven't posted anything since January so I want to give a quick rundown on What's Up With The Birds...

Troy is running for House of Delegates in Virginia's District 11 (Roanoke City & the City of Vinton).

Rachael completed her CNA training and is awaiting her State Boards this month.

Jed's working for the US Census Bureau.

Zipporah's first real music video, "No, No, No," was completed a couple months ago. You can find it on YouTube by searching for "Zipporah Bird music video".

I'm preparing for my next mission trip to Uganda July 28-August 17, 2009.

All five of my grandbabies are wonderful and a blessing.

South of Sanity plays at Icthus Fest in Kentucky on June 13th, 2009 and will be in a big Battle of the Bands in Knoxville, TN the last week of May.

More later!

Night Hike to MacAfee's Knob

A couple nights ago Jed and I decided to do a night hike up to MacAfee's Knob. We hadn't had any mother-son time in a while, and my days are usually pretty full. The weather was, of course, cold, but we decided that it was worth it to have some quality time together.

Now, Jed is not normally a talkative person (unless the topic is Alien Assault or World of Warcraft), but surprisingly most of the way up to the top Jed kept the conversation going with some really cool facts about the Cold War, Germany, Russia, and so forth. I was never a History buff in school, and have long regretted that fact. So now I actually do enjoy reading and hearing about historical events. The information Jed shared was pretty interesting, and I feel like I learned more in the 1-3/4 hour hike to the top than I would have in several weeks of school classes!

We took the Fire Road up from Hwy 311 to where the Appalachian Trail crosses it. There had been a trail re-lo since the last time I'd been to MacAfee's, so the new trail was totally unfamiliar to me. I was pleasantly surprised though, in that the grade of the trail was easier than the original, and we reached the top fairly quickly.





God blessed us with a relatively warm pocket of air at the top and we lay down on the rocks for a while and watched the clouds blow by while we talked some more. The trip back to the car went by quickly due to more good conversation, and we got back to the car less than 4 hours after heading out. Not bad for a 7 mile hike that included an attempt at night-time photos and a 20 minute rest at the top.

I'm so grateful for the kids that God's blessed me with. They are all grown, but they all find time to spend with Mom...without me having to beg them to do so... In fact, it's usually them calling me saying, "Haven't seen you in a while, Mom. You ever gonna come over and see us?"

Thanks, Jed, for joining me on the hike! I enjoyed it tremendously, and am looking forward to our next outing!

A New Political Blog...

I've been meaning to start a new blog in which I can share my thoughts on politics. It seems fitting, being the president of the Roanoke Valley Republican Women and being active in grassroots efforts to promote the conservative values to which I adhere.

Well, I finally launched the new blog! It's called A Bird's-Eye View On Politics, and you can find it at: http://birdseyeviewonpolitics.blogspot.com. Check out my first post on the Sanctity of Human Life and the 2009 March For Life Rally that I attended yesterday in Washington, DC.

Reflections From A Night Hike On The Appalachian Trail...

I just got done with a 5 mile round trip night hike. [For my blog post on the Leadership Lessons God showed me from this hike go to my business blog.] It was such a pretty day Saturday, and I just wanted to get outdoors. I was originally going to walk somewhere in town, but after my attempt at finding a walking partner failed, I considered an actual hike. At first I thought about the trail up on Mill Mountain. But as it was already late in the day, and I hadn't hiked that trail in years, I decided to do a more familiar one.

There's a really nice hike along the Appalachian Trail from Black Horse Gap to Wilson Creek Shelter. I decided upon it, as I'd done that section within the last couple years. During berry season it is a hiker's dream! But this is not berry season. I thought it was a 2 miles hike each way, but I found out when I got there that it was 2.5 miles to the shelter. Poor memory or trail re-lo's, I'm not sure...but it's still a great section.

While it isn't berry season, it is the season where the trail is COVERED with leaves for long stretches. DEEP leaves. And, while hiking along an 18-inch wide trail on the side of a mountain carries with it a certain amount of risk anyway, when you add calf+ deep leaves and night time it adds an extra dose of "excitement" to the mix.

OK, so traversing said 18-inch wide path while "cross-country skiing" through deep leaves in the dark is probably not of interest to most of the people I know. Maybe that's why I have a hard time getting hiking companions... ;-)

When I realized that there was heavy "leaf-fall" on the ground it made me think back to March of 2000 when I had a bad fall on the AT while solo-hiking and spent an extra night out on the trail, because I couldn't put any weight on my one ankle. I thought I'd broken it, but it was only a bad sprain. My second night out I had to sleep on that lovely 18-inch wide trail somewhere between Tinker Cliff and Cloverdale/Daleville with my back against a rock and my legs dangling over the side of the mountain...I'd learned a valuable lesson on that hike - don't hike through deep leaves on a steep descent without paying attention to your footing. I have to admit, deep leaves on the trail still cause a little unease.

But with my new "cross-country skiing" leaf-technique, I managed to travel the 2.5 miles from the Blue Ridge Parkway to Wilson Creek Shelter without incident. It took me a LOT longer than normal - 1 hour 20 minutes. But slow and safe is better than fast and falling down the mountain. (Oh, yeah, been there, done that before too...in the rain and fog at night on a never-before-hiked-by-me trail...and, of course, by myself! You've never lived until you've clawed your way up a mountainside in the rain, mud and dark with a 45-pound pack on your back...)

I thought I'd still had my hiking poles in the trunk, but much to my dismay they weren't there...so I promptly found this little stick whose sole purpose was to make sure there was actually solid ground underneath the leaves before I attempted to plant my weight there. I figured that was a pretty good thing to do! LOL!

Each bend of the mountainside gave me a different view of the valley below. The distant lights twinkled a happy greeting to anyone blessed enough to be on the trail at that moment. The sky was clear. The air was crisp and clean, and only the occassional call of an owl broke the stillness of the night. My only regret at times like that is not having someone special to share those moments with...being single is wonderful most of the time, but... I guess that's one reason I love to blog. It gives me some hope of maybe even one person catching the same sense of wonder and excitement that I feel during times like this.

When I got to the Shelter I set up my trusty Whisperlite International 600 backpacking stove. I've had it since 1998, and it has been very dependable. I'd planned my meal based on the HCG Diet that I'm on, so I poured the bag of shredded cabbage in one cookpot and browned the Laura's Lean Hamburger in another. After adding the container of seasonings I'd prepared ahead of time to the meat, it all got dumped into the pot with the cabbage. Within just moments I had a BIG steaming hot bowl of Cabbage Beef Soup in front of me...all 240 calories worth! I love this diet! I get totally stuffed on massive quantities of food...all for less than 500 calories a day.

After my yummy meal, I spent some time in prayer and Bible study. Then I pulled out my trusty laptop...YES, I brought my laptop on the night hike! Did I hear you call me a Geek?! I resemble that remark! I worked on the report that I have to have turned in from the Health Care Community Discussion last Sunday until my laptop battery died. I was actually going to video blog a few minutes while sitting there at the shelter, but didn't get a chance to. :-( (Yes I brought my webcam with me too!)

I wanted to make a short entry in the Shelter Register before leaving. (The register is simply a notebook where people who pass through can write their thoughts, shout to other hikers, etc. The person who leaves a new notebook usually puts their address on the cover, so whoever fills in the last page and leaves a new notebook can send it to them.) I couldn't believe my eyes when I opened to the first page to see who'd been through lately...Rockfish & Turtle, whom I'd hiked with on my attempted thru-hike in 1999, had been through on November 4th! Oh how I wish I'd known they were in the area! (Turtle is actually a small stuffed turtle. My hiking companion that year was Mouse, a small, stuffed, green dinosaur...Mouse & Turtle got along well!) Oh well, maybe this year I'll get down to Trail Days or over to The Gathering and catch up with old friends.

Anyway, the temperature dropped dramatically while I was sitting there at the shelter, and I was glad to get back on the trail to head for the car. I was really glad I'd brought an extra fleece shirt, but was missing my polypro long underwear! :-) The 1-1/2 hour hike back (where did all of those UPHILL sections come from on the way back?) warmed me up nicely, and I arrived back to the car without incident. It was a great night, and I'm so glad I went.

I know there are those of you who are shaking your heads as you read this...most of my friends do that too. Life is a gift from God to be lived to the fullest. I've never wanted to get to the end of it with dreams still left unfollowed and years worth of regrets over things left undone. There is an element of risk in almost anything we do...just hop in your car and pull onto your nearest freeway or try being a student at your local high school or university! And statistically more people die in car accidents within a couple miles of home than do anywhere else. Yet that doesn't stop us from piling into the car to head to work, the grocery store, or wherever. So until that time when I go home to be with my precious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, I'll continue to follow my dreams along whatever precarious paths they may lead me. I live my life to the fullest with No Regrets! And I hope that sharing my journeying will inspire you to do that too!

Kenneth Copeland Victory Campaign, 9:30 AM Session Continued - Part 4

A continuation of Sandi's Live Blogging from the Washington, DC Victory Campaign in Woodbridge, VA.

DISCLAIMER: Remember, this is MY INTERPRETATION of what I'm hearing. For the actual meeting audio go to Kenneth Copeland Ministries' website to listen On Demand to the service for free. Click on the Media tab. Or go to Believer's Voice of Victory TV for live or replay streaming of Bro. Copeland's services.

Jesus didn't go into hell "believing" that He'd be raised from the dead in 3 days...He "KNEW" it!

The power that raised Jesus from the dead...that defeated all of death, hell, and the grave and paid the penalty for every sin we'll ever create through just one man, Jesus...that same power DWELLS IN US!!!!! Why aren't we walking in the authority and victory that are OURS!!!

Daniel, praying in Babylon (that confusion system), had to wait 21 days for that angel to get through... because the Holy Spirit wasn't fully loosed upon the earth yet. That happened in the Upper Room on the day of Pentecost. The angels couldn't operate the way they do today. That mighty rushing wind may have been 2/3 of heaven pouring out upon the earth to take their places as the Word says in Hebrews 1:14, "Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?"

What are we doing to allow them to minister for us? Are we speaking faith or confusion? "Well, now, every year I get the flu, Bro. Copeland. I can't even plan a vacation during that time of the year 'cause we're always sick." Your angel is standing there going, "Did he say he wants to be sick every year at this time?"

(Speaking of angels, some people are waiting to see an angels to make them believe, when in actuality seeing an angel would rob them of their faith...then their faith would be tied to seeing an angel. God's not going to do anything that's going to rob you of your faith...You see an angel and you'll go off and start an "angel religion" and have everyone going around looking for angels rather than having faith in the living God!)

We cannot put our trust in ANYTHING BUT the WORD OF GOD!!!!!!! I am blessed by GOD! When we are trusting in God and His Word, then the blessing of God can manifest in your life!

Take those "illegal" thoughts and put them into captivity. Get your, "yeah, but," out of the way! Stop thinking that your thoughts and feelings are more trustworthy than the Word of God. Don't be like Thomas, who had had more faith in what his fingers touched and his eyes saw than what he'd heard from Jesus for 3-1/2 years! John 20:29,

Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."!!!!!!!!!!! [Emphasis Mine]

You need to be saying, "I'm blessed! The blessing of Abraham is operating in me now! God loves me!"

I will obey the Word of God! Father, Your will be done in my life as it is in heaven!

Daniel in Babylon got a picture of the Babylonian system (confusion) and how that it could not stand. It still won't stand today. Stand in the healing line and get healed, but then lose your healing the next day..."Well, I guess Bro. Copeland lost his healing anointing."

It's not the world and other people that are our problem, it's our mouth --> Change you. Get rid of the fear. Believe only. And you will be made whole!

Well, that's what God spoke to ME through Bro. Copeland's message this morning. Again, understand, it's not necessarily word for word, but what the Spirit spoke to me. NOW, go and listen to or watch the service for free online at your convenience by going to Kenneth Copeland Ministries' website to listen On Demand to the service for free. Click on the Media tab. Or go to Believer's Voice of Victory TV for live or replay streaming of Bro. Copeland's services.

Kenneth Copeland Victory Campaign, 9:30 AM Session Continued - Part 3

Part 3 of Sandi's Live Blogging from the Washington, DC Victory Campaign in Woodbridge, VA.

DISCLAIMER: Remember, this is MY INTERPRETATION of what I'm hearing. For the actual meeting audio go to Kenneth Copeland Ministries' website to listen On Demand to the service for free. Click on the Media tab. Or go to Believer's Voice of Victory TV for live or replay streaming of Bro. Copeland's services.

Homework Assignment: Go to John 13:31-John 17. Read straight through without looking at the ch/vs numbers and let it impact you...
Anchor Verse for the conference: John 16:13

Christianity is not an "-Ism" it is the reality of God and His family.

"Faith as a grain of mustard seed..." (Matthew 17:20, Luke 17:6) It doesn't say "faith the size of a mustard seed..." It's the POTENTIAL in the mustard seed, not the size. And when that mustard seed reaches it's potential, it can house a thousands of birds, produce a large area of shade, and produce food...all from the POTENTIAL in that seed.

Back to the tower of Babel. At Babel, God confused their ability to communicate and imagine...He capped their potential to create. But He also spread the seed that produced all the languages we know now...

Confusion doesn't understand that it's killing itself, because it doesn't understand the power of its words! What my spirit tried to do that got left undone leaves my spirit unfulfilled or disappointed. When we exercise our love, it gets stronger and stronger. Our Spiritual Food is the Word of God.

Fear. God can look at our heart and know what we mean...satan can't do that. he's a legalist and can only take our words that we speak and try to shove them back down our throats..."Are you going to church tonight?" "No, Brother Copeland, I'm afraid not." he'll take that word, "afraid", and look it up in the dictionary and throw it right back at you!

We need to be speaking God's language, the language of faith! We have to stop putting our faith in money, political signs, the government, etc. We have to put our faith in God and our ability to CHANGE those things by prayer! Making people totally dependent upon any thing other than God, makes them a slave to that thing...look at the welfare system and how it has enslaved people.

Everything that happens is the church's fault. If our country fails, it is the church's fault. If our country succeeds, it is the church's blessing. The angels of God take their orders from US, and if we are speaking doubt and fear and mixed commands, they are in confusion and cannot go forth and effectively operate to bring the plan of God into fulfillment.

More in next post...

Kenneth Copeland Victory Campaign, 9:30 AM Session Continued - Part 2

Live Blogging from the Washington, DC Victory Campaign in Woodbridge, VA.

DISCLAIMER: Remember, this is MY INTERPRETATION of what I'm hearing. For the actual meeting audio go to Kenneth Copeland Ministries' website to listen On Demand to the service for free. Click on the Media tab. Or go to Believer's Voice of Victory TV for live or replay streaming of Bro. Copeland's services.

Homework Assignment: Go to John 13:31-John 17. Read straight through without looking at the ch/vs numbers and let it impact you...
Anchor Verse for the conference: John 16:13

He needs MY mouth to BLESS instead of Curse!
Military Analogy: Why is it so vital to learn the correct terminology when you are in the military? Because when that commander is formulating a strategy to WIN the battle for his side and needs to relay it to 1500 soldiers, he needs everyone to be on the same page. When he says, "pick up the rifle," you better know "rifle" not just "gun" so you pick up the correct weapon. He doesn't have time to explain what he means to everyone who comes from a different background than his. Everyone being "on the same page" is crucial to them operating as a well-oiled team. We need to think the same thoughts based on the same words! Example: fixin'. Some people may think "repair". Bro. Copeland is thinking "about to..." As in, "I'm fixin' to go home!"

For the Church, we have to come to Our Common Standard, which is the Word of God! And we need to understand it...get a Greek/Hebrew Lexicon!

Babel example: Once God confused the language during the construction of the tower of Babel the people were not able to be on the same page...they couldn't get anything done, and the construction project had to be left unfinished.

If the body of Christ would all get on the same page...imagine what we could accomplish...Look at Genesis 11:6

6And the LORD said, "Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them..."

Everything you do and everything you say gets a response!

Here's MY VERSION of Genesis 11:6...

6And the LORD said, "Indeed the body of Christ is one and they all have MY language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them..."

More in next Blog Post in a few minutes...

Kenneth Copeland Victory Campaign, 9:30 AM Session

Good Morning to All! This is Sandi, and I'm blogging the 9:30 AM KCM Victory Campaign service from Woodbridge, VA. (I'm moderating comments on this blog, so if you're a Copeland or Word of Faith basher, don't bother. It's my blog, I still live in a country where I can blog a church service without fear of reprisal from someone.)

DISCLAIMER: Remember, this is MY INTERPRETATION of what I'm hearing. For the actual meeting audio go to Kenneth Copeland Ministries' website to listen On Demand to the service for free. Click on the Media tab. Or go to Believer's Voice of Victory TV for live or replay streaming of Bro. Copeland's services.

Already the Holy Spirit...and Bro. Copeland...have stepped on my toes. Bro. Copeland was talking about his Worship Team and making the statement that they were the finest worship team, period. He said to the effect, "Some of you may say, 'Well you're just saying that by faith.' NO, I said it by faith before it ever came into being. No it's here!" That kicked my butt regarding my confession over my website team at Valley Word.

Now he's talking about the current US situation in relation to John 13:31-John 17. Our "homework assignment" is to read those verses straight through without looking at the ch/vs numbers and let it speak to us. And he's echoed the same verse I've used so many times in the last few years, "A kingdom divided cannot stand." And, what I wholeheartedly agree with, that the Church is responsible for not fulfilling her responsibility to provide the prayer covering for our country that we SHOULD be doing.

More in a few minutes...

A Writing Retreat...With a Lot Of Copeland Mixed In!

Hey everyone! Sandi here. My goal is to post a brief update on the status of my book...Yes, the one I was supposed to finish a week and a half ago... :-(

No excuses, as I couldn't see trying to "talk my way out of it" with Daddy...so I won't list my "reasons" for not being done yet here either. BUT, I am on a retreat for the next few days up in Woodbridge, VA with one of the two retreat goals being to finish my book.

I got up here later than I had planned due to trying to follow a "computer generated route" in the dark, rain, and fog (and WHY would the directions say "slight left at Dumfries Rd/Hwy 234" when you're actually supposed to go STRAIGHT and NOT turn left onto Dumfries Rd? (Which apparently both goes straight AND turns left...???)

I'd debated on whether or not to go straight to the opening meeting of the 3-day Washington, D.C. Victory Campaign or to go to my hotel and stream the meeting, and after the delays and driving on no sleep the hotel room was calling my name. I finally found it, and by the time I got my Verizon Aircard working--since the "Free Wi-Fi" doesn't, at this point in time, seem to reach my room in the back of Rodeway Inn--the first meeting was already underway.

I only caught part of it, so I'm starting at the beginning and listening to the replay while I'm writing. Kenneth & Gloria Copeland were instrumental in my faith walk in my early years as a Christian, and they still have a POWERFUL Word from God any time I hear them.

Well, anyway, I'm working on Chapter 5 of what I believe to be 7 plus the Introduction and Conclusion, and I'll be on Retreat until early Sunday morning. I'll head back toward Roanoke about 5:30AM Sunday morning so I can get back in time for church Sunday morning. My Pastors have been ministering in England during the last couple weeks, and I am excited to hear about all that God has done while they were there. You can read their blogs by going to: Pastor's Blog and Rev. Deb's Blog. I highly recommend both of their blogs as regular reading.

I'll be updating again in the next day or so, and will also post about this last week of babysitting my three oldest grandchildren. We had a blast touring Washington, DC's museums, going camping in Shenandoah National Park, hiking to a waterfall, seeing a bear (it ran across the road in front of us), and going to a real Tea Party. We have lots of pictures to share and I'm looking forward to getting it all journaled in the next day or so. Until then...be Blessed!

LOL! God's Sense of Humor!

I gotta hand it to God. He's got a great sense of humor! In a 48 hour period God told me to write a book, gave me the title, gave specific command as to when to do it and how long it would take to write, and gave me the introduction for it. I'm going to share the introduction here, with my faithful blog readers. Comments, suggestions, and questions are welcome! You're all a part of my accountability team now! So Here's the Introduction...

Introduction

For 20+ years now God has spoken to me about writing books. And for 20+ years now I’ve said, “Yes, Lord, as soon as I get time I’m going to do that!” I always have had great intentions, but my follow-thru has been lacking…a lot! But as I was in the process of returning home from a recent 48 day deployment as a contract Disaster Housing Inspector contracted to FEMA to work the Hurricane Gustav and Ike disasters the Holy Spirit almost yelled these words at me. “You’re going to write a book!”

I’d been reading more of Margaret Feinberg’s book The Sacred Echo, which is a Must Read for anyone interested in hearing God’s voice in every area of your life. I’d cried my way through part of chapter 6 as Ms. Margaret related a story about her friend Shana. As I read the words on the pages in front of me, I saw myself and my life, desires, and calling so vividly.

"I've watched Shana's life for almost a decade now, and her latest exploits are always a cliff-hanger resting on the hope that once again God will save the day. And he does--time and time again. Somehow Shana has managed to start her own entertainment company, film several movies, and launch a significant ministry with less than $1000 to her name at any given time."

She later says,

"Just watching Shana's life provides countless snapshots of faith in action and what it looks like to answer the call, You follow me. If God can do so much through one woman pursuing the passions of her heart and the calling on her life, then what could he do with me?"

Now granted, I have no aspirations to have an entertainment company, but there are other equally as daunting things that I desire to do and have already been doing. And some of them do involve filming documentaries, and a HUGE chunk of them involve launching a missions ministry.

But the two things that caught my eye and heart were, “…and her latest exploits are always a cliff-hanger resting on the hope that once again God will save the day” and, “…with less than $1000 to her name at any given time." I had to laugh at that because it was so fitting! When I got to Ms. Margaret’s question, “If God can do so much through one woman pursuing the passions of her heart and the calling on her life, then what could he do with me?" I had to cry. Not a “bad cry” though. I cried because of the immense implications of that question.

It was later that night, after reading that chapter, and reading about Ms. Feinberg’s own lifelong desire and call to write, that I heard that loud, firm voice telling me, “You’re going to write a book!”

God gave me the title the next night, the night I got back from Houston. I was getting ready to go to bed and grabbed a book I’d received in the mail while I was gone for a few pages worth of “bathroom reading” before turning in. The book was Mark Batterson’s Wild Goose Chase: Reclaiming the Adventure of Pursuing God. Right off the bat I was captivated by part of the excerpt on the back cover.

“Most of us will have no idea where we are going most of the time. And I know that is unsettling. But circumstantial uncertainty also goes by another name: ADVENTURE.”

A few pages into the book I came across this statement,

“If you would describe your relationship with God as anything less than adventurous, then maybe you think you’re following the Spirit but have actually settled for something less—something I call inverted Christianity. Instead of following the Spirit, we invite the Spirit to follow us. Instead of serving God’s purposes, we want Him to serve our purposes. And while this may seem like a subtle distinction, it makes an ocean of difference. The result of this inverted relationship with God is not just a self-absorbed spirituality that leaves us feeling empty; it’s also the difference between spiritual boredom and spiritual adventure.”

I’d been thinking about all the various adventures that I’ve embarked upon in my life, including my recent South America trip and my FEMA deployment. I’d asked for God to use each one for ministry for His Glory, and He’d answered accordingly. As I read this excerpt in Pastor Batterson’s book I realized that that’s what I always seemed to be seeking—Spiritual Adventure. It was then that the Holy Spirit told me, “You’re going to call your book CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE.”

I thought, “OK. I’ll do that Lord. I’ll work on it sometime soon.” Yeah, right! Like all the other things I’d mentally assented to work on that never even got started. But God had other plans. The next day I was at church. The service had ended and I was standing in line to enter in to the Pastor Appreciation Luncheon. Suddenly, as I was talking to some friends, the Holy Spirit spoke to me—very clearly. “You’re going to take the next two weeks, and you’re going to write the book. I’m going to give it to you. I’ll use it for my Glory.” I almost laughed out loud! It was so unexpected and random! I told him OK, and here I am—writing my book…His book.

In the almost 28 years that I’ve walked with God, I’ve experienced some pretty wild adventures. Some were of my own choosing. Some were the ramifications of other people’s choices. Most were good adventures. A few weren’t. But I’ve asked God to use each one to further His Kingdom.

To echo Pastor Batterson’s words a couple pages farther in, “...Jesus didn’t die to keep us safe. Jesus died to make us dangerous.” It is my hope that in writing this book I can encourage you

• To Choose Your Own Adventures with God.
  
• To Challenge you to Not Settle for the Mundane, Boring Existence that brings a smile to our enemy’s face.
  
• To become Armed and Dangerous to the kingdom of darkness!
  

Let The Adventure Begin!

Homeward Bound...

Well, I've been gone 48 days now. At times it hasn't seemed long, but right now it seems like an eternity. Not in a bad way, but in the way that some things just seem like distant memories, even though 48 days really isn't that long.

By the time anyone reads this, I'll probably be home. I'm actually writing this while sitting in a hotel room across the street from NASA's Space Center outside of Houston. In about 2 hours I'll be headed to the airport and in 5 hours from now I'll be on a plane headed home. BUT, since I'm trying to surprise as many people as possible, I'm setting this to post on Saturday evening late. I don't know how many people actually read about my wanderings, so it shouldn't spoil the surprise too much.

I know if I wait until I get home to record my "final thoughts" about this tour of duty, I'll never get around to it...like my last South America post that has yet to be written. So it's really important to me to actually put my thoughts to "paper" right now, before I get home.

Once I knew I was being released from the field, I arranged for Evelyn (one of the inspectors with whom I'd roomed previously) to come and pick me up. She was being released as well, so I knew we could ride to the field office together to turn in our equipment.

Before she came to pick me up I carried my laundry the 3+ blocks to the Washateria (that's a laundromat if you hadn't already figured it out!) and finally got my dirty clothes washed...YAY!!! When Evelyn came to pick me up I was somewhat surprised at the pangs of regret I had for leaving the area with which I'd become very well acquainted over the last several weeks.

I have enjoyed the opportunity to sow seeds of God's love to the people whom I've encountered on a day to day basis. Many had voiced concern for my safety in that area, which opened the door for me to share how I felt about the people in that area. I had to laugh at one lady on Thursday, though.

I had just finished my last inspection for this deployment and was walking away from my applicant's apartment. My camera wasn't co-operating, and I was carrying it and trying to get it to turn off. A man and woman were walking by and said, "Hello, officer..." I laughed and made it very clear that I was NOT a police officer, but a contract inspector contracted to FEMA.

They cautioned me about having a camera out in that area (for a couple reasons 1- theft risk and 2-people who are using and/or dealing drugs get real nervous when there are people with cameras around taking pictures). Then she asked me my name and age. She introduced herself by saying that people called her "69" but that her real name was Re-----. The nickname "69" kind of makes me think she was a prostitute, but I'm not sure...

The thing is, SHE was concerned about ME. Before she walked away she cautioned me again to put away my camera and my cellphone, "You're too pink to be carrying a camera or a cellphone around here!" I laughed at her comment and thanked here sincerely for her concern. I've found most of the people in the Third Ward to be really nice, caring people.

I was talking to an applicant a couple days ago about why she chose to move into the area in which she is living. She said that it was a big decision for her at first, because the neighborhood was pretty run down when she bought her house. But she pointed out that if people who do care will move into a neighborhood that's run down and crime/drug infested, they CAN change the neighborhood.

It takes guts and time, but that's what happened in her case. She started caring, not only about her own house and self, but about her neighbors as well. She became pro-active and it rubbed off on a few of the other neighbors as well. Now her block is totally different than when she first moved into her home. The neighbors work together to keep the area clean. They look out for each other. They've run the drug dealers out of their block. They take pride in their community.

What I got from talking to her is that sometimes the easy road isn't the road that we have to take. That to get something worth having it may take some hard decisions and you may have to put up with adversity along the way (and people may tell you you're crazy for doing what you're doing!). BUT, there is a tremendous reward in the end. And when we stand up for Good and Right, we naturally draw other people to do the same. We shine the Light into the darkness and the darkness has to fall back.

I know that many times when we hear that term "shine the light into the darkness" we think of preaching the Gospel...telling people about Jesus. But shining the Light into the darkness can also mean looking out for our neighbors' well being, showing a love and compassion for others, giving of our time and energy to help those around us, encouraging others...being a "good neighbor."

I could ramble on and on, but I don't want to lose you as a reader, so let me just finish with this. I had a little time at the washateria to read more of Margaret Feinberg's book The Sacred Echo. At one point she was talking about surrender. I want to leave you with a couple quotes from her book and some final thoughts from me...

"Surrender means it's not just about getting things done, but how you get them done that matters. When Jesus speaks of walking two miles instead of one and giving your coat instead of just your shirt, he's saying that surrender takes many forms--everything including your schedule, your possessions, and, of course, your heart. Surrender asks us to hand over not just what we have but who we are to God."

There are many people who look at me and don't understand why I do many of the things that I do. I often step out of what little comfort zone I have left, and as my pastor commented to me on the phone the other day, "You do seem to get yourself into some interesting situations, Sandi."

In another chapter of Ms. Feinberg's book she talks about a friend of hers named Shana. At one point she states,

"I've watched Shana's life for almost a decade now, and her latest exploits are always a cliff-hanger resting on the hope that once again God will save the day. And he does--time and time again. Somehow Shana has managed to start her own entertainment company, film several movies, and launch a significant ministry with less than $1000 to her name at any given time." She later says, "Just watching Shana's life provides countless snapshots of faith in action and what it looks like to answer the call, You follow me. If God can do so much through one woman pursuing the passions of her heart and the calling on her life, then what could he do with me?"

That question resonates throughout my very being, "Then what could he do with me?" I truly have always striven to live my life as faith in action in response to God's call on my life (I didn't say I've always succeeded! :D ).

My dear family & friends, though you may not ever fully understand me...I hope & pray that you'll join me in the adventure of this pursuit!

To God's Glory!

Ministry To The Hurting...

Hey, this is Sandi! I finally have the time to take a couple minutes (yeah, right...I know my posts are never only a couple minutes long :D ) to talk about the stuff that really matters to me here. The ministry...

Each day as I make my way from one applicant to the next I am trusting God to order my path. I ask Him to place me in the right place, at the right time, to speak to the right people...Divine appointments. He says He will in His Word (Psalm 37:23 AMP and Proverbs 3:6 AMP), so I remind Him of it.

Yesterday my first appointment was with an elderly woman who had a couple trees still on her house. I knew when I first met her that she was a Believer. You can just tell... As I started talking with her and her 16 year old granddaughter whom she'd raised from a small toddler, the Holy Spirit began moving.

We'd talked about the way God had done a healing miracle in her granddaughter's life after a severe child abuse incident as a 2 year old had left her paralyzed on one side. Now as a teenager, she was walking with just a mild limp and was involved in Junior ROTC in high school. I listened as the young woman shared how God had challenged her and transformed her life to overcome the disability and the poverty of the area in which they live. I had tears streaming down my face almost the whole time she was speaking.

By the time I was done with my inspection we were "havin' church" right there in my App's living room and God opened a door for me to pray with both of them. The 3 of us were crying, laughing, and praising God for His faithfulness. My Applicant looked at me and said that she "just knew" that God had sent me to her and was so grateful for me coming. Little did she know that I was the one who got blessed by meeting them!

A few weeks ago I did an inspection for a single mom who has 5 teenage+ kids. She herself was back in school pursing a Medical Assistant degree. I had been talking to her and two of her children about their dreams and goals in life. Her one son wanted to pursue a career as an architect and I'd seen some of his drawings. They were really good. I saw a Bible laying on the counter, so before I left I used that as an opening to just simply say, "I'll be praying for you."

That opened a door, and she responded by saying they could use all the prayer they could get. I asked if she'd like for me to pray with her before I left and her face brightened. The thing that was so awesome was that her two teenagers reached out to grab my hand to pray with us, so we all gathered in a circle and I got a chance to pray for each of them. We were all hugging and crying. God was just so awesome!

I've seen countless incidents where God's placed me in the right place at the right time. Case in point is one day last week. I'd made a decision to walk to Denny's for dinner and take a taxi back to the hotel since it was going to be dark by the time I got done (home girl don't walk in the hood in the dark!). Anyway, I always try to let the Holy Spirit guide me as to which road I walk down.

I looked down at the ground while I was walking, and there was a gas company credit card that someone had dropped. I picked it up and called the toll free number on the back to report that I'd found it. The lady at the credit card company was so amazed that I had turned it in, and it was a good feeling knowing that God had used me to keep someone from having their card stolen. If I had taken a different street someone else may have found it that may have misused it. God is good!

To all those back home, I send my love. I don't know when I'll be back, but I want to encourage all of you with the same encouragement that I give to myself...only those things done in the Spirit and for the Kingdom of God will stand for eternity; so, no matter how the economy or the election or anything else looks, "keep your eyes on the prize of the high calling of Jesus Christ" and press through to finish the race that we are running. Fight the good fight of faith.

A friend of mine wrote to me the other day and voiced the thought that he couldn't wait to get to Heaven...and I agree...I'm longing to hear my Heavenly Father tell me, "Sandi, you made me right proud! Come on home!," and to see the countless lives that I'm believing God to touch through my life.

Until then, Daddy, let me touch one more life for you...