Flood Warning

Is this blog about the life of Jon and Nicole or the crazy Washington weather? It's beginning to be difficult to tell! As you may have heard on the national news, Washington is dealing with major flooding issues due to the unusual heavy snowfall followed by days of pouring rain. Luckily, we live in the Renton "HIGHLANDS" on a hill, so our home will not be affected, but many others very near by are being devastated. Our luck continues, because we will be FLYING to South Carolina to spend the weekend at the beach with my parents tomorrow night. ALL roads through mountain passes are closed due to avalanche danger, and many, many other roads are flooded and closed, including Highway 5 , the major road between Seattle and Portland. You can't get very far by car right now!

This picture was taken this morning in Maple Valley, a town about 10 miles from Renton.

The church I work for, St. Matthew's Lutheran, has been activated as a Red Cross shelter and is filled with flood victims. We will be housing 70+ people indefinitely, which should make the three funerals we have scheduled over the next three days and Sunday School and worship interesting feats to accomplish. I probably won't be much help from the East Coast! I'll do what I can until then. Right now. I am at home washing and drying clothes for a man who was pulled from the river. Earlier this morning, I was handing out play dough and crayons to entertain the little ones taking shelter at church.

May God pull the flood waters back and help these people find safety!