Saturday, January 13th we woke up like we do every morning. Our little boys came running into our bedroom for us to wake up. They nagged me to get downstairs and start breakfast and get them milk. We all got dressed and were about to head out the door. The day before we had seen the local news about the surf in North Shore. The waves were supposed to be 40-50 ft and we were super stoked to drive up there and check them out. Honestly, its probably our favorite part about winter in Hawaii.
James was taking forever to get ready. He was taking his time drinking his coffee and I was getting annoyed! I wanted to get out of the door and go check out the surf! The boys were playing and we were both on our phones. Suddenly we get this alert that scared the crap out of us. We both looked at each other in panic and followed through with our plan.
A couple of months ago when things really started to heat up with North Korea, James and I decided to go to Costco. We bought several cases of bottled water, dry food, etc. We came up with our "plan". We would get in the closet under the stairs. Away from windows, safest place in the house. I remember telling some of our friends about it and they laughed at me. I honestly didn't care if they thought of us a "preppers"! I just thought, well I guess my family will be safe and you will be thinking of us if this happens!
After we received that alert on our phones, James immediately popped up. He said boys, "Get in the closet now". He ran to get a few things from upstairs. I paced back and forth in the living room. Trying to think of anything I needed. All I could think to get was my phone, computer, water, wipes, diapers and some snacks for the boys. I threw them in the closet. I brought Hagrid (our dog) into the house. We locked the doors and started praying. My girlfriend whose husband is a Navy Seal called me. Her husband is gone and she didn't want to be alone. She got her baby and dog and ran over to our house. She said people were panicking in our neighborhood (on base). Yelling at people to get in their houses.
We all got into the closet, shut the door and started praying. We kept checking our phones for any updates but of course, nothing for about 15 minutes. All I could do was pray. I prayed over my children that they would go to Heaven. I prayed that if we did die, it would be fast. I thanked God for our life and for blessing me with the best family. I was truly so thankful and I felt this feeling of peace come over me. Obviously, still nervous but I had this strange comfort in knowing that God was with us. I thought to myself, if this is it, if this is the end of my life, there is no one else I would rather be with!
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
I am 30 weeks pregnant and my stomach started to cramp. I was having contractions and I was having a hard time breathing for a few minutes. I got teary eyed. It was so scary. I just prayed and prayed and prayed. Praying was literally the only thing I could do. What else do you do when you have ZERO control over your future? Just waiting to die...
Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20
From the moment we received that alert (8:07am), it took 10 minutes for everyone to be in the closet. It wasn't until 8:45am that we received the "mistake" alert. Prior to that alert, we received word from several military sources that it was a mistake. Around 8:35am we all got out of the closet because we knew we were safe.
We all just sat in the living room checking our phones. It felt like a scene from a movie. I turned on the news. Nothing on local news or Fox but CNN had coverage of what happened. ( I have never been so happy to have Direct TV) Ha!
We kept talking about how we were so thankful. Scared still because we didn't know the ramifications of what had happened. 12 hours later and we are still scared. All of our friends here in Hawaii are still scared and spooked. There is nothing scarier than the feeling of you and your family about to die. I will never forget that feeling.
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10
We learned several things from today:
-God is always with us. It sounds so cliché but it's so true! In the scariest moment of my life, He was there. He gave us comfort and peace.
-To be thankful for every single moment in this life. Because it could be gone in a matter of minutes. To find Paradise even in the darkest days.
-We have some of the best friends here that we literally experienced our darkest moments with. Never take those relationships for granted.
-Never turn away friends or neighbors in scary moments.
-We need flashlights
-We need extra phone batteries
Around 10:30am we decided to get out of the house and go check out the huge waves in North Shore. It was a beautiful day. We cuddled our babies and couldn't stop talking about our morning. I am so thankful for one more day in Paradise with my family.
