A grateful, heavy heart

My father passed away Thursday morning.

Writing those words cuts at my very core. It is unimaginable. I knew it would happen some day. Just not that day. Not in the middle of everything else. Not when there is so much to do, so much to talk about, so much to figure out. And already so much hurt.

Daddy was the rock. He and Mama had become my refuge over these months, just as they had been when I was a kid. I could always run to them when I was hurt or tired or just needed someone to say that everything will be okay.

And Daddy and I were finally figuring each other out.

It wasn't too late. The understanding came at just the right time. The humbleness. The open hearts. The acceptance. The forgiveness. God gave those gifts to me over these last few years so that I could bury my father yesterday with no regrets.

No regrets. Thank you, Daddy. Thank You, God.

Pray for Cuba

Please pray for the people of Cuba as another hurricane pounds their island today. Ike seems to be even more devastating than Gustav was a couple of weeks ago. Reports of 50 foot waves are coming out of Baracoa, a coastal area mid-island.

Pastor Eduardo and the church leaders we work with there have ministries in Baracoa. Eduardo and his ministry is based in an area called Alamar which is on the coast near Havana. Obviously, being in a coastal area that's practically at sea level will be devastating with a storm like this.

Join me in praying for physical safety for the people and their property. They have so little to begin with that it's hard to imagine how they will rebuild. But God knows and I am confident He is more than able to provide for them.

We are scheduled to return to the island in two months, November 14 - 21. We'll see this week if the storm affects the work God has for us to do there.

Thanks for praying.