So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10) 

Last week, David and I were privileged to deploy to Perry, FL, to assist Samaritan’s Purse (SP) in disaster relief work again – this time, post-Hurricane Idalia. Idalia made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane on August 30th near Keaton Beach, FL. While Keaton Beach may have been Ground Zero, the sleepy town of Perry, FL – located roughly 20 miles northwest of Keaton – still took a severe blow from the storm. Downed trees punctured homes and knocked out power across the community, where gas pumps were ripped from the ground and businesses caught fire.   

David and I arrived a week after the hurricane hit Perry, so clean-up efforts were already in full swing. With three-hundred and fifty-nine remaining work orders for tarping roofs, debris removal, and tree clean-up services, SP still needed strong arms and servant hearts to help with the mission. Fortunately, that’s just what David and I came prepared to bring. With more service requests coming daily, that original number had grown to over five hundred open work orders by the time we headed home.   

Each night after dinner, overnight volunteers spend about fifteen minutes sharing our “God Stories” with one another. This time is rejuvenating as we hear of daily conversions or other significant moments when God “showed up” through the work we’re privileged to perform on His behalf.   

For the first two nights of our stay, one of our team leaders, G, spoke of a particular homeowner’s son who weighed heavily on his heart. Robby, he’d learned, had a troubled past, which included heavy drug use that caused him to lose most of his teeth and gained him a criminal record. Robby also told G that he was a former Wiccan. Wicca is a pagan religion whose members meet in Covens to deify a mother goddess or horned god. Wicca rituals often “invoke a deity to enter and possess a coven member, often termed ‘drawing down the moon.'”  

Having woken from a deep sleep at 3:00 am the morning after he’d met Robby, G felt compelled to pray for another opportunity to witness to this needy soul. After sharing his first encounter during our God Stories time with our entire volunteer workforce of about eighty workers, we all prayed for Robby before retiring for the evening.   

The next night, G shared the news that Robby appeared from the woods that afternoon, just as his team was preparing to leave after working at Robby’s home. As he’d prayed to do, G shared the Gospel of Christ with Robby, who’d told G that he “didn’t know he could come back.” G told Robby that God had been waiting for him since the day he was “woven together in his mother’s womb.” (Psalm 139:13)  

After hearing this news, Robby pledged his life to Christ – later telling G that it “felt like a weight had been lifted” from his body. We all cheered and celebrated upon learning of this new, precious addition to our heavenly family.   

The next day, unbeknownst to me, I experienced my own encounter with Robby – never realizing who he was until late in our conversation.   

After a morning spent tarping and clearing another homeowner’s property of downed branches, our team moved to our next assignment – securing a large SP tarp to a damaged mobile home’s roof. While several of our team members had already ventured inside to view the damaged ceilings, I only did so when the owner’s son escorted a fellow team member to view his “lucky mattress.” It never occurred to me that my tour guide was the same Robby we had all prayed for.   

After showing us his mattress – newly housed in the living room – Robby walked us back to his empty bedroom, showing us the open roof where a massive tree had fallen on his house during the storm. More phenomenal than seeing the ceiling split open and smashed inward, I was awestruck by the sight of the roof’s crossbeams pushed down and splintered apart– stopping just above where Robby was sleeping. While the beams themselves were not massive, between the two broken boards stood a footlong piece of lumber that had broken free to form a wooden dagger – dangling precariously above the precise location where Robby’s head and chest were lying on his bed.    

“That’s where you were sleeping?” I asked Robby, incredulously.   

“Yes. When the tree hit, I barrel-rolled out of my bed and ran out of the room screaming,” exclaimed Robby.   

“That wood could’ve easily punctured your head or heart,” I commented. “But God protected you. You are here for a reason.”   

After agreeing, Robby escorted me outside and behind his mobile home to see the tree stump G and his team had carved for him with a chainsaw. In the center of the wood sat a carved image of three crosses on a hill – a simple reminder of the Gospel story.   

“That’s beautiful,” I said before asking Robby if I could take his picture beside the carving. He agreed, and we continued our walk around his parents’ property.   

Struck by the four-and-a-half-foot-tall tree roots that had been wholly unearthed in the storm, I advised Robby that he now has a tangible reminder of how mighty God is.   

“Anyone that thinks that God isn’t real or that He’s not all-powerful has never seen the damage His hand can invoke during a storm,” I said. “Just think how well rooted this tree was, and yet God’s hand pulled it up as if it was nothing. So many people deny God and yet He, alone, is in charge of everything – not us.”  

Robby agreed, saying, “I know. You’re right.”    

After returning to the front yard, Robby and I moved to the shade, where Robby squatted down, and I knelt to talk more.   

I asked Robby if he’d met with any chaplains this week. He confirmed that he had while explaining that he’d also received a signed SP Bible from the team that cleared his trees the day before.   

“I even read some of it last night,” said Robby.   

“That’s great!” I exclaimed. “The Bible is God’s living Word. A passage you read today might mean something different to you tomorrow. You need to read that Bible every day to stay close to God. More than a sermon, God’s Word will guide you in how you should live.”   

“I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life,” Robby confessed. “I’ve been a Wiccan and have a criminal record, but I feel lighter after talking to everyone this week.”  

Only after his confession did I realize I was talking to the same Robby that our teams had been praying for the past two nights. I said a silent prayer at that moment, asking my Heavenly Father to give me the right words to say to this precious soul.   

“We’re all sinners, Robby,” I told him. “Including me. God gave us all free will. We each have to decide what decisions we’re going to make – good or bad. Whatever choices you’ve made in the past, God has forgiven you and spared you for a reason.”  

Robby then explained that he had two young children, ages five and one, living with their mother in Tampa. He further commented about how spoiled they are.   

“That’s my heart, right there,” Robby said, “When I heard that the storm was coming to Tampa, I prayed that it would come here instead.”  

“Well, it sure did!” I exclaimed. “God used this storm for His purpose. Never forget that God saved you.”  

“I know it,” Robby agreed.  

“I don’t know anything about your father,” I explained, “but your Heavenly Father loves you more than anything. He loved you before you were born – even before you were in your mother’s womb. He’s been waiting for you all this time. When you look at those crosses on that tree stump, I hope you’ll always remember that Jesus loves you so much that He would have died to save you – even if you were the only person on earth. That’s how important you are to Him.”  

“Some people think that God is like some kind of grandfather,” I continued, “and that being a Christian will make everything alright. He’s not and it doesn’t. God is love, yes, but He doesn’t spoil us. He lets us make our own choices. Sometimes, we pay a heavy price for our mistakes.”  

“Still, God’s love is all around us,” I said. “He could have made the world black and white, but He didn’t. Instead, we have light and color and beauty wherever we look. I call such things love gifts from God.”  

“Oh, I know,” Robby agreed. “I was watching that heat lighting last night and it was beautiful. I used to look at such things and only see darkness and evil. Now, I’m starting to see things in a whole new way.”   

“That’s God’s love inside you,” I said. “You just have to open your heart to see it.”  

Noticing the pentagram on the inside of Robby’s right wrist, I continued.   

“The devil has been fighting for you your whole life,” I stated. “But so has God. He was right beside you in that storm.”   

“God saved you for a reason,” I repeated. Cupping my hand in demonstration, I continued. “When that tree fell, He placed His mighty hand between you and those wooden beams. It was at that moment that God said, ‘No further.’ He allowed everything to happen even while He was still protecting you.”   

“We don’t know what the purpose of all this is, but even if it’s only so you can be a Christian father in your children’s lives, that’s another miracle. Your kids need you. They need a Christian dad to lead them the way they should go.”   

Robby explained that after talking with G and the chaplains the day before, he received a call for a temporary job, which meant a lot to him. Serving as a millwright in a paper mill during a factory shutdown, Robby would be paid as a subcontractor to go into the boilers and other equipment to perform repairs.   

“That’s a blessing,” he articulated. “I need to work. I don’t have enough money in my wallet to make cents.” We both laughed at Robby’s pun as he and I got up and moved over to the rest of our team, who were packing our truck for departure.  

“We’ll be praying for you, Robby,” I promised. “We’re all praying for you.”   

“Thank you,” he said. “That’s dangerous work I’ll be doing during the shutdown.”   

“God is with you,” I confirmed. “We’ll all keep praying.”   

After praying with Robby and his family, his mother retrieved the SP Bible given to him the day before. I signed it, as did another of our team members, before we hugged everyone and said our goodbyes. We invited Robby and his family to join us for dinner at the church, but he declined, saying he needed to pack for his trip to GA.   

“That’s a standing invitation,” I said. “You’re welcome to visit the church for dinner anytime you can make it. We’d all love to have you there.”   

“Thank you,” was Robby’s sole reply. “Everyone who’s come here to help has been great!”  

And so, we left – feeling blessed to have heeded our Creator’s call to help. There’s always more kingdom work to be done, and David and I stand ready to perform whatever we’re asked to do. Even though this work was unexpectedly different than what we did in Ft. Myers, I feel privileged to have interacted with Robby and the other homeowners we served.   

After inquiring with our volunteer coordinator, I learned that SP gives the contact information of all those we’ve assisted to our base camp church. Their follow-up is crucial – especially to newly saved Christians like Robby. While our actions help restore the damaged property of natural disaster victims, our servants’ hearts demonstrate the love of Christ, even as our chaplains’ words guide these homeowners into the family of God. Nothing is more important than making an eternal difference to wounded souls.   

As one of our SP leaders in Ft. Myers said last fall, they’ll use anything – including a chainsaw – to share the love of Christ with the world. We are all covered by God’s grace. How can we not tell others how amazing that is?   

You know where I go and where I lie down. You know everything I do. Lord, even before I say a word, you already know it. You are all around me—in front and in back— and have put your hand on me. Your knowledge is amazing to me; it is more than I can understand. Where can I go to get away from your Spirit? Where can I run from you? (Psalm 139:3-7) 

A few weeks ago, David got a little more than he bargained for in his latest house renovation. What started as a simple modernization of a few electrical outlets in his former office took an unexpected turn in both project scope and discovery.  

David’s VA Beach house was built in 1962, so most of the electrical outlets are ungrounded – meaning, you can’t just plug a standard device into them. The outlets are currently equipped to receive 2-prong plugs – not the standard 3-prong plugs that most modern electronics require. Updating his former home is a strategic goal of David’s, so upgrading the outlets is an integral part of this process.  

Before we could start laying new Pergo flooring in his former office, David emptied the room and prepared to make a few minor cuts in the walls to access the outlets. After turning off the electricity, David soon learned that an unexpected nick to one of the cords had severed power to the room.  

To repair the damage, David needed to rip open the wall to run new wire into the space. Convoluted wiring inevitably required multiple walls to be opened for David to make his repairs. Up, down, and sideways, the home’s wiring led from just a few feet off the floor into the attic and back down again – only to return up, down, and sideways across the room.  

“This wiring is a mess,” David explained when I peeked into the room. “They must have used 20-feet more wire than was necessary.” 

“Wow,” was all I could say after glimpsing the plaster-covered drop-cloth and open walls for the first time. “I was wondering what was going on in here.” 

After a night spent contemplating his next course of action, David made his final cuts to the plaster close to the room’s entrance.  

That’s when he made his unexpected discovery. “Honey, you should see what I found in the wall,” David called.  

“If it’s dead bugs, I’d rather not see them,” I rebuffed. I have a mortal hatred of insects that cross the threshold, as David has learned.  

“It’s not bugs,” David replied. “Come see!”  

The wall behind David’s office door always boasted a hand-sized hole – presumably from where the doorknob had dinged the plaster. In addition to repairing the wiring, David anticipated patching the spot when he took on this “small” project.  

Much to our amazement, David unearthed a treasure trove of children’s toys while cutting this final wall, presumably dropped into the space by a former occupant. Freed from their confinement, the following storehouse of trinkets sat sprawled across the floor for my viewing amazement: 

• 3 Matchbox cars 
• A 2” rubber Ernie and his fellow Sesame Street buddy, Elmo 
• A 2” tall rubber horse 
• A 3-legged, 4” black velvet-covered horse  
• A blue and yellow felt hat – screen-printed with the word “Sprint” across the folded headband 
• A vinyl, bifold Spiderman wallet (sans money, sorry to say. I checked, of course.) 

“Oh, my gosh,” I exclaimed upon witnessing David’s discoveries. “I’ll bet the parents of whoever dropped those toys in the wall were always wondering where they escaped to!”  

As we laughed over the tiny treasures, I couldn’t resist saying, “Too bad you didn’t find any gold doubloons in there. Let me know if you do!”  

While later pondering David’s unexpected bounty, I couldn’t help but wonder what possessed that young child from placing his or her toys in the wall. Surely, he or she learned quickly that such an action couldn’t be undone. There was simply no way to unearth the bounty without massive repercussions. Was the child simply done with the toys and didn’t care about them anymore – or was there excitement in merely hiding the trophies? Could this act have been vengeful, or was he or she too young to know better?  

We’ll never know, but the considerations got me thinking of how we, as Christians, frequently believe we can do the same. How often do we try to hide our sinful nature, hoping no one will notice what we’re doing in private? Do we ever consider the penalties of such sin or the ramifications of the same? While we may get away with our actions for a time, such efforts are pointless.  

The Bible has a lot to say about hidden sin. Here are just a few examples:  

• Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed or hidden that will not be known. (Luke 12:2) 
• Nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light. (Luke 8:17) 
• Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. (Galatians 6:7) 

In short, God sees and knows everything. We may successfully hide our transgressions from earthly eyes, but our Heavenly Father can never be deceived. That thought always sobers me as I contemplate standing before the throne of God and giving an account of my life’s deeds – both good and bad. I long to hear Christ say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25: 21) Anything less would be incredibly disappointing.  

I believe honesty to be the best policy, as a result – and I vow always to be transparent and open with my husband, as I am with everyone. David and I spent hours revealing all the skeletons in our closets long before we ever got serious about one another. I never want there to be any secrets between the two of us.  

More importantly, my wrongdoings can never be hidden from my Heavenly Father – which matters to me more than anything. “Behold, you have sinned against the Lord, and be sure your sin will find you out.” (Numbers 32:23) 

And so, David and I will keep our walls tight – never hiding our blemishes or treasures from one another or God. After all, short of gold doubloons being buried in the walls, I never want to later uncover anything that will damage my relationship with my husband – or my Creator. May we all do the same.  

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. (Isaiah 43:2)

I woke up a few days ago with Phil Wickham’s “It’s always been you” blasting in my head. It’s been a while since God placed a song in my mind during my waking hours. But there it was, reverberating on loop in full, high-definition replay.

After sharing with David how the composition affected my thoughts, he asked me to pull up the song on my phone so he could hear the lyrics again. We added this beautiful ballad to our wedding reception playlist and often listen to it – and the rest of our reception music – as we eat dinner most nights.

As often as I’ve heard it, lying in bed next to my soulmate, wrapped up in his arms, I realized anew how great our love is. Caught up in the magnitude of the emotion, I couldn’t stop the tears streaming down my face.

As the song finished, David said aloud, “Why so long?”

I instantly knew what he meant as we both bemoan the time it took for God to unite us. We experienced so much heartache while we waited. Many mistakes were made, and long, lonely nights were spent apart as we sought one another – never finding each other until that fated day last October.

Seeing my tears, David whispered into my hair, “No more tears. We have each other now, and that’s all that matters.”

Still caught in the emotion, I responded, “It’s always been you, David. My truest love has always been you. My best friend has always been you. The love of my life has always been you.”

Even as I uttered the words, an even stronger emotion hit me.

Even beyond David’s, my greatest love has always been God’s. My Heavenly Father was with me through every fire. When the waters rose over my head, and I wasn’t sure if I could go on, Jesus was always ready to pull me out of the waves and hold my head above water.

And when I needed someone to break down all the fortresses I built around my heart to protect it, God used David to do so.  

David and I were created for one another. I know that’s true with every fiber of my being. Our Heavenly Father fashioned each of us in our mother’s wombs to one day find, rescue, and love each other deeply for the rest of our days.

And while we were waiting to find each other, God kept us close to His heart.

Your Heavenly Father will do the same for you, too, beloved. He’s always there – waiting to help, heal, and hold you – no matter what you’re going through. Never give up – no matter how dark the day seems. The night may be cold and dark, but hope comes in the morning with God’s perfect light.

It’s always been You, Lord Jesus. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for finding me. Thank you for rescuing me from the fire.

And thank You, God, for David – Your love with skin on it. It’s always been You.