Blown Away
by T. L. Wiens
It’s 9 pm, March 20, 2013. I look out the window towards the south and see strange rolling clouds on the horizon.
A shiver runs through me and I begin to pray for protection.
Moments later, the phone rings. My husband is trapped on a road and has been informed that no one is coming to help him until morning.
A blizzard has been raging all day but this winter, that’s become normal. How come something within me isn’t at ease? My two daughters and I head to bed all just a bit nervous.
Two am, I’m awakened by my eldest daughter walking around. She’s scared because her wall is flexing in the wind. The dining room window has jumped its track. We try to figure out what’s going on outside but we can’t see.
2:22 am, we hear a deafening roar followed by the distinct sound of nails being ripped out of the wood, boards cracking and giving away and there’s a bright flash. The floor ripples beneath our feet. The furnace covers explode against the wall. My daughter is only a couple of feet away when it happens but the noise around us is so loud she doesn’t even hear it. My other daughter wanders out of her room, her face white with fear.
The house is creaking, boards are slamming in the wind. The house might not make it but is going outside any safer? We decide it is. As we’re heading out the door, my eldest daughter notices smoke filling the living room. The reservoir of our grain stove is on fire. I guess the back draft from the wind must have pushed the flames back. She douses it with water. We head out to sit in the truck and do what? There’s not much we can do but do our best to stay warm. With the wind chill, it’s -20˚ C.
I know the power inside the house is connected to the now missing section of the roof. My eldest daughter and I need to get it turned off at the power box. She steps away from the sheltered area near the truck and I watch her blow down the driveway, unprepared for the force of the wind. She fights her way back to me and the two of us face the wind together. The house is so dark.
I’d been praying since two am but it all felt so futile. Eight years earlier, we lost our house to a fire. Why was this happening again? My daughter started to sing an old hymn. The words comforted me.
God had taken us through tough times before. We’d be fine.
But the way the truck is shaking doesn’t feel safe. We move to our fifth wheel trailer that’s nestled in a snow bank, bringing our dogs inside for warmth.
March 21, 2013, the wind is still howling. My husband is still stranded. I feel so helpless. The house is still standing but the wind is still blowing and more damage will occur if we don’t do something. Thankfully, I’m able to get a hold of a friend. He manages to get to our house. After tying down the roof, he helps us get enough power going to run the heaters he’s brought with him.
I’m able to put out the call for prayer.
How do you describe what happens when people pray for you? I went from standing in this huge storm that enveloped me both mentally and physically to being in the eye of the storm where all is calm.
Prayer is like a shield of love around you and
no matter what physical travesty you face, you’ll be okay. (tweet this)
March 22, 2013, my husband rolls onto the yard. My son had arrived half an hour earlier. With the help of another friend, they begin repairing the roof. By evening, the plywood is in place. Six inches of snow fall but thanks to the help, it’s not in our attic.
Saturday, my son in-law, who is a electrician arrives. By Sunday afternoon, all power is restored. Amazingly, all of my houseplants survived, even my seedlings. Why did God choose to protect them? I don’t know but I know His hand was on them.
People often ask why God allows bad things to happen.
I’m not going to say it’s fun but it is an awesome privilege
to experience the power of God.
You can’t fully appreciate who He is without some adversity where you know it’s not you holding things together.
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:35-39, NIV).
Tammy Wiens
Tammy lives in Saskatchewan with her husband. They have four children. She enjoys gardening, walks along the beach and being on the farm. She has a passion for her faith, studying the Bible and prayer.
She has published two books; Where a Little Rain Comes Down and Making the Bitter Sweet. A short story, “May’s First Christmas” appeared in Christmas Chaos, a collection of stories about Christmas experiences that don’t make the fronts of Christmas cards. “Careful What You Whisper” is another short story about Tammy’s experiences after breaking her back. It can be found in A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider. Visit T. L. Wiens for more information about Tammy’s books and workshops.
What an awesome story from Tammy. Thanks for sharing it. Rose
God is awesome.
After asking a lot of questions and talking to a climatologist, I am positive what hit our house was a a tornado. I’ve watched hours of footage of different tornadoes and it describes what we felt and saw. I know it is supposed to be impossible to have a tornado in winter but with God all things are possible.