HALF OF A HONEYMOON

I wanted to snorkel... to swim... to play in the water and on the beach. Melanie wanted quaint and a bit secluded. So we landed on the Island of St. Lucia.

The first three days were all of the above.

But the the last day of hurricane season came bringing Mr. Thomas with her. Sabbath brought rain and wind... a tropical storm. Saturday night brought Category 2... rain, wind, and mudslides. We spend the night in a restaurant bar counter with 100 other people - water, sewer, communication, electricity all destroyed our resort became a prison

For 3 days we survived by making friends and the twice a day announcements from the resort director on any updates about the rest of the island. Food and drinking water was rationed - the pools became the "rinse tubs" and helping clean up the resort passed the hours.

Finally after a helicopter flyover, the government sent a message by boat that they would be bringing three large boats to empty the resort (roads being out of commission for weeks). Hours before the designated time a group of us were out waiting on the dock. And we waited - it wasn't until about 4 hours after the scheduled time that are "saviors" rounded the corner and entered the bay.

Although only two boats showed... a third was promised. Many relaxed and waited on the beach - allowing the first to boats to fill and pull away. It wasn't until that 2nd boat pulled away that it was announced there was no third boat coming. We who were on the boats were told about the same time as those on the shore - I cried. I cried because we were being taken north to resorts that were unaffected by the storm... but on the dark miserable shore of our departure stood some we had gotten to know - but who had waited for the other boat.

There was no other boat... I wish I would have known... I would have told them for sure.

It is still TRUTH - there is no "other" boat. The One that is coming on the cloud - is the only boat. This time I know...so I will tell... keep your eyes on the horizon, for the only Saviour - there won't be another.