It's the day after the Hurricane passed by and our generators ran until about 4PM, that means the power was still off in our area. I shouldn't complain, because, even though the power was off, we had power, via the generator. Many people on the island were without power and water for over 24 hours. As we got out and about we did see that there was quite a bit of damage in the manner of downed trees and power poles, fortunately there didn't appear to be much structural damage to homes(some of the other islands had a lot more). Our pool was pretty full of palm fonds and various types of foliage. Mike, the guy who cares for the pool here, spent most of the day getting it back in order.

The storm certainly gives me pause to think. I know that our prayers were answered and we were blessed by it passing so far to the north of us. I am grateful for our home and although there were many unpleasant things about the storm, we really didn't have it bad at all (especially by comparison). There are so many things that could have been worse. Our major loss was the cable TV, it went off early yesterday, and still hasn't come back, since we don't watch it much, it isn't a great loss to us (but we do like to tune into the weather channel, to see what's up next).

I'm so grateful that Macy and Rachel left when they did. Of course, Rick was watching the weather and if this had been threatening we would have sent them home early. Flights in and out were cancelled from late Sunday until Tuesday afternoon.

Rick went out to the Job Site today, but the contractor never showed. Rick called him and he didn't have power at his shop, so he sent his crews home. He was worried about the next storm, Fiona, and not sure when he would be back on the job. Fiona is only a Tropical Storm, still far to our east. It is expected to go far to our north and to not strengthen above a Tropical Storm, so Rick is trying to motivate the contractor to get back on the job. If he doesn't work, neither do we and needless to say, we don't get paid. For an easy job, that is only part-time with time and a half pay, it sure gets complicated. I guess Rick will be earning his paycheck, in more ways than expected.

Reflecting on my calling, especially with respect to the upcoming changes in our Branch. I wish they would just move ahead with the changes, so I know exactly what I will be doing and how to proceed. There is so much to be done, and everything has to be done so delicately and slowly. I do see the importance to helping the people who are already here, learn how and why certain things are done. I do believe that if they are truly invested in the Gospel and feel needed, they will progress. If they really learn how things are supposed to work they can truly govern themselves. I'm just not sure what my part in helping this to come about is. Ok, OK I guess I need to keep praying. I need to pray for guidance and for patience(diligent perseverance).

Well that's it for today. I need to get to bed and put my leg up. It has been swollen for 3 days for no apparent reason, and it hurts. Rick thinks it may have to do with the barometric pressure, I'm trying to drink gallons of water and keep it elevated to see if that will help. This is getting boring.

This is my final post for Monday, 30 August 2010. We made is through Hurricane Earl. It passed pretty far to the north of us, so it really wasn't too bad. Most of the island has been without power all day and probably won't have any until tomorrow. It is a blessing to live in a complex with their own generator, it has been running all day. we had the hurricane shutters closed up for most of the day and it was eerie to be inside this "bat cave" but we were safe. We had also brought everything off the two decks into the house, so the back bedroom is "standing room only". The most amazing part was the ocean, the swells were tremendous and the breakers were just as impressive. I'm posting some pictures but they really don't show you what it was like.

We know our prayers were answered by this storm passing us by. A great big thank you to all of you who remembered us in yours. Pray is important and they are answered.

Today is the 31st anniversary of my mother's passing. No matter how long, I still miss her, especially as I play with my grandchildren, I so wish she could have held her great-grand children here on the earth. It leaves me to wonder if I will know great-grandchildren.

Next up, Tropical Storm Fiona. She is still pretty far out, so far, on the same path as Earl. The projections are that it will pass us by to the north again and it will only be at Tropical Storm strength, they are saying Thursday. Let's hope and pray for the best. By the way Earl is a major storm and headed for the US East Coast, right now it looks like it's taking a bead on Washington D.C., let's pray for the folks in the states, nobody needs that kind of destruction.

Schools won't open on the island until Wednesday, everyone is in clean up and damage control mode now. The pool at our complex is loaded with debris, mostly leaves and vegetation, but they will have their work cut out for them cleaning that up.

Good night all, Keep praying.

3:18PM we got the Internet back, so I thought I would post an update. Storm is still not past us, but a little bit west yet, seems it's taking a curve to the direct west instead of heading north as projected. Hasn't been too bad here. The swells on the ocean are tremendous and the breakers at the shore are enormous. Some thunder and lightening not mot near as much rain as expected, good stiff wind but again not as bad as expected. We may still see a little bit worse as it passes by. The power has been off since early this morning, but thank goodness for the generator at the condo, it has been running steady. Hopefully we will post more tonight, as it is to our east. Still praying. Pray for Haiti, if it continues directly west, it won't be good for them. Hope the rest of the island is safe. Took some pictures, but they really don't show much. Will post them later.

Hurricane Earl is almost here. A Category 2 Hurricane that should pass to the north of us. It looks like St Thomas and St John may take an almost direct hit. They are expecting the worst to be between noon and 6PM. At 8 this morning the Governor came on the radio and closed all of the schools(today was to be the first day) and the government. They did ask for the staff at the schools and the government to come in and secure the buildings. They have frozen prices on all essentials on the island(what a novel idea~no gouging) and asked people to pray(another novel idea~especially coming from the government). It's pretty bad out, but not so scary. Patio doors in the upstairs are shuttered, but we're waiting on the downstairs, want to be able to see out and this is more protected, we'll probably close those shutters if it gets worse around noon. They are reporting trees and power poles down around the island, but none of that where we can see. We've got a good radio broadcast, with up to the minute news, but the TV stations are down. There is another tropical wave out in the Atlantic that they are expecting to develop by Thursday, so we could be in for a double this week.

I'll try to post more later and record this as it happens, but I don't know how long we'll have Internet. I have been praying all night and will keep on, pray for us and our island.

Trying to get my thoughts together to sit down and blog. Yesterday, we set the alarm for 3:50 am, I woke up at 3:30am and couldn't get back to sleep. We had to take the girls to the airport for a 6 o'clock flight. It was early enough and everyone was groggy enough that it wasn't to openly emotional. On the way home as it was starting to get light, we decided to go to Point Udall and watch the sun come up. Point Udall is the eastern most point in the US (territories, that is) and the first place the sun touches. Sunrise was beyond incredible, of course there I was without my camera, but that image will be burned on my heart for a long long time. Stopped at the Blue Water Terrace for some pastry and home for breakfast on the deck.

Spent the rest of Saturday doing some laundry, lazing around the house and in general feeling kind of lonely. We had two weeks of a house full of people, especially a four year old and now it seemed pretty quiet and basically lonely. Went down to the pool in the afternoon. Rachel called to say they had safely landed in SLC and that she lost her phone on the plane, but while we were on the phone they found her and told her that they found her phone, so all was well. I did manage to stay up until 9:30pm after falling asleep on the couch, when Rachel called to say she was safely in her home in Ririe, Idaho. Went to bed feeling good that we had a wonderful visit and that they had gotten safely home.

Had a horrible nights sleep, my legs were really bothering me, cramps and my right leg was aching(my old sciatic nerve thing). I was having strange dreams, couldn't really remember them, but strange. At one point I must have been dreaming because I thought Rachel was calling me, it was so real that I went into the back bedroom to check on her(of course she had gone home). The really strange thing, was that, the night before she asked me if I was calling her, either right after we went to bed or early in the morning because she heard me calling. I wonder if it was the power of suggestion or are we more connected in some way than I had thought. I have to say that I felt that we had a wonderful visit, I felt really close to Rachel and that we had some nice talks.

This morning I was somewhat apprehensive about church, wondering what exactly was going to happen with all of the changes that had been outlined by the Mission President. Not to fear, nothing really happened and in a way I was disappointed. While change is scary to some extent, I am also excited about the changes that have been outlined and wondering where I will fit into the flow of things. I'm reluctant to get too carried away in my calling while it appears that I will be released shortly. I suppose it's important to carry on until things actually change and just see what happens.

We are watching the weather change throughout this afternoon as Hurricane Earl approaches. All of the models show it going to the North of St. Thomas, so we are told to expect Tropical Storm conditions, as we should only see action from the outer bands of the storm. The barometric pressure is dropping as the storm approaches and Rick has suggested that maybe that is what is causing my leg to swell and put pressure on my sciatic nerve. It's time to batten down the hatches and gather things from off the decks and store them in the house. I suppose we will know when we should close up the Hurricane Shutters and turn the AC on. The condo complex has a generator so hopefully we shouldn't be out of power for too long. I'm still praying that it will turn off to the North and be further from us than expected, but so far it hasn't turned as much as predicted to even take it North of St. Thomas.

Keep praying for us and St. Croix. I have to say that while I have some apprehension, I'm not too scared, I put my trust in the Lord. I know He brought us here, so I trust He will protect us. I do pray that our little island will not see too much devastation, and as always I pray that Haiti can escape the storm all together. Rick just went to take the trash out and the condo management has taken up all the trash barrels. The chaise lounges at the pool are all put away, everything is tied down or put up. I pray also that our island car will be OK. We have parked it in the center of the parking lot between other cars, so as to afford as much protection as possible(we carry only liability insurance).

Hopefully we will have Internet service and I will write more tomorrow. I promise to get back on as soon as possible. Keep praying for all who are in harms way.

Had an absolutely amazing day with Rachel and Macy. We started out in the pool and then went to the beach, two beaches actually. First we went to the beach at the Carambola Resort, it was glorious but there is no reef and the swells were breaking so hard we really couldn't get in the water. Rachel, of course, got in but it was too much for even her. So we went back to Cane Bay, big swells there also but the breakers weren't so bad. Had a nice time bobbing in the waves. SEE PICTURES AT THE LEFT. Rachel and Macy tried to snorkel but the water was real murky from all the sand being churned up. I think these conditions in the Caribbean Sea are directly related to Hurricane Danielle, even though it is far from our shores it still has an affect on the sea.

We are watching Tropical Storm Earl closely, some of the models show that it may come "too close for comfort". I am glad that Rachel and Macy will be safely back in Idaho before it gets too close. We choose to live here and will take whatever comes, but they shouldn't have to. The tropical depressions are lining up across Africa and the Atlantic so we will keep praying that they all become "fish storms" and do not make landfall anywhere. We certainly hope not to see that, and I worry so much about Haiti. The conditions there are such that even a minor Hurricane or Tropical Storm could be devastating.

Last night the Mission President came over from Puerto Rico to set Rick apart as the Elders Quorum President, we had a nice visit with him before. He is a most dynamic man with an incredible Spirit. He spent two hours with the leaders of the Branch doing a training and explaining changes they are making here on St. Croix. I really believe in the changes he is calling for. I know these people can be self sustaining if they are given the chance and taught what they must do. It looks as though I will be released at the 1st Counsellor in the Relief Society, I may be called as a teacher or something else, whatever the Lord wants me to do, I am ready. He is calling for there to be one Axillary made up of the Relief Society President(as the President) with the Young Women's President as the 1st Counsellor and the Primary President as the 2nd Counsellor with a Secretary to serve them. They want us to go out and find the less and inactive and bring them back, then we will be ready to find new persons for the missionaries to teach. Also, the local people need to be able to run the Branch themselves without depending on the Missionaries. The Mission President told Rick and I that we are Cruzans now and a part of that local leadership. It's a little scary.

We did hear that the Babcocks will be leaving sometime in the next two months. The Mission President doesn't want the Senior Couples to serve in one area more than six months, so the members don't get to dependent on them. While this is probably a good idea for all of us, I was so looking forward to having them here to help lead and guide us over the next two years, not to mention the friendship they extend to Rick and I , has been very comforting and made a lot of the adjustments easier( they are like us and from the same part of the world that we come from). Anyway we will cope, but now we need your prayers more than ever.

I am so grateful that Rachel and her family were able to come a visit at this time. Originally, I was a little worried about the timing. Rick just started working and financially we were a little strapped to be hosting company, but they pitched right in and bought groceries and helped out with everything. It was so good to see them and spend time with Macy. I hope it won't be too hard to let them go tomorrow.

The need for prayer is even greater now. Prayer for my family, prayer for my Branch and prayer for myself and Rick. I know we can do this, we want to do this and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Lord wants us to do this.

Ok, I'm becoming the Queen of "just shoot me" moments. It is seriously ceasing to be funny. On Monday we wrote a check from one of our stateside bank accounts to our St. Croix account to cover some expenses. Today I looked at that stateside account online and found that the check I had transferred in St Croix had not cleared and I only had $1.24 in the account. Needless, to say the check I transferred was for more than $1.24. I went over and over the account and all of the online information and could not find the error, but had to get some money into the account quick. I called the Bank in the states and they were very helpful, transferred some money out of one of my accounts to cover this check until we can figure out where the error is. That taken care of.......

Today, August 25th is Rick's and my 31st Wedding Anniversary, he wanted to go out to dinner, somewhere nice, so we went and when it came time to pay we did not have the debit card from our account, of course, the restaurant did not want to take checks. I could not believe it, what is it with money lately. Anyway... Rachel was with us and she was in the bathroom during all of this, when she came back to the table and saw us with our "deer in the headlights" look, she asked what the problem was. When I told her I could not find my debit card, she remembered that I had put it in my camera case when we were out. Fortunately, I had my camera in my purse, and sure enough there it was. I was relieved but still wanted to scream

Now for the final "money matter", we have still not been paid. The only person who can write payroll checks for the USDA came back from Hawaii on Sunday, she was taking her daughter to college and apparently in sick(rumor has it that she is depressed about taking her daughter soooo far away to school) are you serious! The real kick is apparently she is the only person who can do the payroll and her supervisor told Rick he will just have to wait until she comes back. If this wasn't me, it might be hysterical. Actually I am just about hysterical and not in the ha ha hysterical way. Took a few deep breaths and decided there is absolutely nothing I can do about this, so I am not going to worry about it. Is this part of that "not my job mom" syndrome. If I wasn't living this, I'm not sure I would believe it.

Had a nice morning at the pool with Rachel and Macy. We were all going to go to the beach in the afternoon and then we had all of these $$$ crisis, so I opted to stay home and get on the phone and try to straighten everything out. Got it taken care of, the three caballeros went snorkeling and saw a sea turtle, just my luck, but I'm glad they had a good time.

Although there have been these little glitches through out the last few days, I have to say that I feel my Heavenly Father looking out for me and mine in that we have been able to resolve everything pretty easily and quickly. Maybe this is just a test to see how we will handle these situations, I sure do hope we are getting a passing grade. I WILL keep praying for strength to persevere and have faith.