Chesapeake After a Deluge

The last three days has brought plenty of rain. What we thought would be two quick days of rain turned out to be three days. The rain would come in torrents for 30-40 minutes and then pause and then another torrent. I snapped some photos of what our city, Chesapeake VA looks like after the deluge.

This lake is across from the Community College, less then a mile from our house. This lake went up about three feet. In Chesapeake where we are at sea level and are called Tidewater, we typically see the up and down of the tide, but add to that 3 feet of rain water and we have flooding. The road next to the lake was half flooded. People were blasting through the water with their vehicles.

One characteristic of the Tidewater VA is draw bridges, because we have a lot of rivers. The river over flowed and flooded a near by park.

Some cute ducks.

The water of the river coming over the breakwall into the park.

Part of the park, with the draw bridge in the background.

A beautiful river that was swollen.

Psalms 42:1"As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. "

But in the end "But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded" Genesis 8:1.

Advancement at Cracker Barrel

After a year of hard work and studying restaurant work I earned PAR 4, the four stars on my collar. The four stars is the highest rank at Cracker Barrel. This allows me to have more leadership and to be a better lighthouse for Christ.

One of my life verses that remind me to be that lighthouse.

"I will set a sign among them, and I will send some of those who survive to the nations... and to the distant islands that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory. They will proclaim my (God's) glory among the nations" Isaiah 66:19.

Crazy Sunday at Cracker Barrel

A few weeks ago I brought the family camera to work. Here are some moments in time from a dishwasher's perspective. Before we start, Sunday at Cracker Barrel is busy from 10am to 2pm. Then from 2pm to 3pm we are flooded with all the post lunch dishes, pots, and plastic containers. This is a great strength and endurance builder.

Here are three dishwashers that have been employed at my work since we first opened last January-the "apostolics". We started with 10 to 12 dishwashers. Of course there are a bunch of new ones, we are all teaching. The teaching is alot like Titus 2.

The post lunch pile of china. Where do I start?

The plastic containers on the rack waiting to be washed. The dishwasher on the left is working to wash some pots. Poor guy.

Rudy the grill cook. This is where the majority of food is put together on the plates.

One of our Mexican dishwashers. She is a very hard worker.

All the silver has to be soaked, washed, sorted, washed again, and then wrapped in the napkins. This is a time consuming process and often we get backed up on the silverware. But thanks to God some servers come to help the dishwashers sort silver. The dish machine on the left is pushing out clean silverware.


Sunday is the busiest day. Through God's strength I can lift, carry, and work nonstop for six to seven hours at a time. I keep Isaiah 66:19 as my motto to encourage me to work hard and show God through my actions. "And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, ... to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles."

Compassionate Friends

A few weeks ago my family and I went up to D.C. to serve with my sister's old signing choir at a Compassionate Friends' conference. Compassionate Friends is a conference that helps people with the loss of a loved one. Our jobs at the conference were to direct people to their workshops and work at the button making table. They could get photos of their loved ones on a button or t-shirts. This volunteer work was so needed and appreciated.

Us on our drive north to D.C.

The signing choir in circle time doing Bible and making the plans for the day.

The button/t-shirt table at work. This is before we stayed up to 1-2 am trying to get the photos done :)

Friends in the Signing Choir

Each one of us served at Compassionate Friends in a area that fit our gifts and talents. 1Peter 4:10 "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms".

Handel's Messiah - He Trusted in God

An outing to OBX, the Outer Banks

Two Sabbaths ago my mom and I went down to the Outer Banks for Bible on the beach. We read our Bibles, prayed, and enjoyed nature. The ocean was beautiful, cold, and refreshing.

Art

Psalms 18:2 "The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold."

Amen! from Handel's Messiah