This story is LONG and overdue, but it is so inspiring and funny that it is still worth the telling. At the first of September, we were due to attend my nephew's wedding. The wedding was in Florida on Saturday, September 4th. We packed 7 people in a minivan and headed for Florida. Orlando, to be exact. We were aware that there was such a thing as hurricane Frances, but didn't think it would be a real threat. After all, we were attending a wedding! As we got closer to Florida, the threat became a reality. We were traveling south on Highway 75. Northbound traffic was bumper to bumper moving at a snail's pace and had been for quite some time. My sister and her family had already arrived in Florida, so I called her by cell phone to check the local reports as we were not sure what to do. She said that the hurricane was predicted to hit Orlando on Saturday. (the day of the wedding) They were advising everyone to batten down the hatches and have plenty of water and food. She really didn't know what else to tell me. We were well aware that we could not turn around as there was a severe shortage of gas and/or lodging. We would only go as far as we had gas. So we stopped at the next grocery store to make whatever preparations we could. The water was already gone from the shelves. Most of the staple items were gone too. I was able to get some crackers and two large jars of peanut butter. We had a little water in the car. That would have to do if we had an emergency. We were again on our way to Orlando. It was kind of a strange feeling knowing we were going to Orlando and 2.5 million people were fleeing the other way. The ONLY traffic going our way was trucks carrying large loads of plywood and/or generators. We had no other alternative but to put our trust in the Lord. We were going to be staying at a missionary complex that had been built in the last three years so it was built to hurricane code. (well that's comforting). The airport was going to be shut down, so by the time we arrived at the bride's home, the best man, groomsman and photographer had already left to head home. The luncheon that was planned for after the wedding was moved up to Thursday night. Since the wedding was taking place at the bride's parents home, it was easy to reschedule it for Friday morning. Luckily, my two sons both brought suits and were able to stand in as the best man and groomsman. The wedding took place next to the built in pool in the back yard. My son, who was an emergency stand in groom, unused to the Florida humidity, dressed in a black suit, fainted during the ceremony and of course, fell right into the pool. Unfortunately we were too surprised and no one caught a pool shot. Click here to see a wedding picture. I know that there must have been angels that guided him into the water so that he was not hurt (just a little embarrassed). The pool was small. He fell into the shallow end that had the entry steps. (He is 6'3") But he went in at a perfect angle so that he was not hurt, just brought to. (We were all probably wishing by that time that we could go swimming. Whew! It was hot!!) Everyone attending the wedding received a decorated gift bag called Zac and Jaimie's hurricane survival kit. It had such things as water, candle, band aids and matches. The bride and groom finished the wedding with only a best man, but took it all in stride. The rehearsal dinner was moved to AFTER the wedding. We decided we would meet back at our room after the dinner to discuss the current situation. When we returned, the local weather now reported that the hurricane had slowed its speed and was not expected to hit land until Saturday night or Sunday morning. We now had time to pack and head for home. There was no traffic because the multitude had already left. In fact we were just about the only ones going Northbound. (The only people going south were army trucks and electric trucks!) We gave the glory to God that He worked in such miraculous ways to allow the wedding to take place and work His timing in such a way that we were able to get everything in and still get out before Frances hit. He kept us long enough for gas to be replenished and to see two wonderful christians join their lives in holy matrimony. When we had driven until about 3am and couldn't go any further (literally) He had saved us the last two rooms in Marietta, GA when all the rooms and hotels all along the highway from Orlando to Marietta, and beyond, were filled. My sister (mother of the groom) fled when we did. She arrived home just in time to handle an emergency situation that ended in the death of the grooms grandfather. It all went according to His perfect timing. We were a little disappointed as we wanted to go to Cape Canaveral while we were there. A funny thing happened a month before we left for our trip. I attended a women's bible study luncheon. They always decorate for a theme and give the decorations away at the end. I won a lighthouse that said "Cape Canaveral" on it. I thought it kind of strange at the time that I would receive that since we would be traveling there soon. In addition, my son went to a second hand store and picked up a nice golf shirt that said "Kennedy Space Center". You see God knew ahead of time that we wouldn't be able to go there as planned. It was like He even provided us souveniers! He truly is an awesome God. He had it all in control from the beginning! There was never a need worry! And that's the story of our 24-hour trip to Florida.
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