The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged.

Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV

Just a normal day in Texas. A tornado warning hung in the air, but we rarely have a tornado this far South so why heed the warning? I went about my normal day.

Then, the internet went out. Communication with weather and news ground to a halt. I could barely even text or call my friends and family. A radio provided a bit of news, but when the electricity went out, it proved useless as well.

As the wind increased, I opened our front door just to check. No need for a weather man to tell me to take cover. The sky looked ominous and I had never heard such a ruckus. I headed for our hall bathroom.

When everything subsided, I figured the storm had ended and ventured out to a world with no electricity and no internet. Fortunately, we only had damage to our fence. Not so for many others with trees down, roof issues, and flooding.

I praised God for safety as I surveyed the damage and tried to get in touch with family members who had ridden out the storm as well. I felt pretty isolated with the lack of human connection.

It did not take long to realize I really was not alone in this scary weird situation. My connection with God did not diminish with the storm. And my neighbors -- our amenities usually kept us indoors, but without them everyone ventured out to check on each other and visit.

I would never describe the storm as anything less than awful. The widespread damage left many without electric power and internet for several days. Clean up took quite a while. But, in the midst of the challenges, we never lost our main Power source -- our connection with God.

God, you will never leave or forsake us. Thank you for our eternal connection with you.

Susan Partida