With just a word, He can calm us….or the storm.

God Moments too (Referenced from Matt 8:25-26)

Let me begin by saying that the forty-plus years I’ve spent with Ken have been the best of my life. With that said, there was a life before Ken. Four years of it were spent living and working at Twin Rivers Landing, a beautiful family-oriented campground in south-central Missouri. I worked there for another three years after Ken and I were married.

My daughter and I shared a one hundred twenty-five-year-old log cabin built in the dogtrot style, two wings on either side of a breezeway. It had been converted to a modern two-bedroom, two-bath home with all the amenities. The dogtrot portion was enclosed to become the front entry and a bath. It was very cozy and beautiful, and the wood stove we added was an extra bonus on chilly nights.

When I wasn’t working, we spent our days in the sparkling clear Black River. We swam, canoed, and tubed. When we weren’t in the water, we often enjoyed a lazy horseback ride along the stream and up into the hills around the property. It was the perfect place for us to be at that time in our lives. We showed family movies on the lawn complete with popcorn and snow cones. We had a game barn filled with lots of fun activities to entertain the kids. We offered horse-drawn hayrides two evenings a week and special events that appealed to all ages. Jeni made friends among our camping guests, and I enjoyed a job filled with variety and lots of interesting challenges.

Our little corner of paradise sat just below the confluence of the three forks of the Black River. That meant we always had water, though it could get pretty low during summer droughts. In late spring and early summer, it ran much higher, and sometimes we got too much rain. Floods were not uncommon, and we were forced to evacuate the campground on several occasions. Those who live and work in the area must be able to read the river. It’s not a question of if it will flood but when, and the severity of the flooding will depend on which portions of the watershed are affected. Heavy rain on one fork is manageable; when a second fork becomes involved, the outlook deteriorates, and when all three forks are running high, it’s time to buckle up and get ready for a rough ride.

Ken was assigned to Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park during our time at Twin Rivers Landing, and that area was subject to flooding from the east fork of the same Black River, so both of us learned a lot about recovery and restoration. After our marriage, Jeni and I moved there and continued our life on the Black River. And do you know, even with the flooding issues, I wouldn’t trade those years for anything. God outdid himself when he created that portion of south-central Missouri. To this day we still consider it the most beautiful place in our very diverse and lovely state.

Just two weeks ago, dramatic flooding struck our former homes. All three forks rose rapidly under heavy thunderstorms. Record water levels delivered considerable damage to the state park, and some portions are still closed for repair or reconstruction. My old campground didn’t fare as well. That campground and several others suffered total loss and devastation. The good news is that everyone was rescued by National Guard helicopters or water rescue teams from many areas who mobilized quickly to reach the scene. It was truly a miracle, aided by the hard work of rescuers, that no one perished in that area.

One of the St Louis TV stations provided excellent coverage online. It was difficult watching the footage of a place I loved so much being obliterated and knowing how the livelihood of those businesses and their staff are now affected. Tourism is about the only business in the area, and many people will be without income. I have watched interviews with some of the people and despite the devastation, they are strong and resilient. I don’t know if or when there will be campgrounds along that river again, but I do know that God will heal his land. The river and all its ecosystems will flourish again. His creation will be beautiful once more.

We all have our storms…some small and others large. Life changes in a moment. But God is always there in the middle of the chaos.

God gets into things…look and you’ll find what everyone from Moses to Martha discovered. God in the middle of our storms.

Max Lucado, Everyday Blessings