Cyprus Holiday Part 1

After a few weeks of staying with the couples we decided to give them a break and ourselves and go on a holiday! After looking at a few holidays we decided that even though it would be quite hot for us and especially the little ones we would go to Cyprus. It's amazing what last minute bargains you can find. Dad booked it a few days before we flew out in July...

We knew we still didn't have a house but our remaining belongings were safe in storage and there was no point worrying about things, we just knew that God had everything in control. 

Philippians 4:6-7

6 a.m. ready to go!

In the coach on the way to the hotel.

Views from our rooms

All day long as much as you can eat or drink on all inclusive

The buffets in the restaurant were delicious and the little outdoor cafes with ice-creams and drinks were nice in the heat of the day.

Dinner together in the evening was wonderful! After being in different houses to eat and sleep being together was very special.

Views from our hotel balcony.

Almost everyone in this photo, just Jim out of view.

Every night they had dancing and entertainment...This was Zac's idea to join in and dance.

Eventually Zac had everybody joining in. 

Living without a house.

During our time staying at Tim & Rhiannon's,  JED & Rosie's and Tom & Abigail's homes we spent time in the park and the library when we weren't cleaning out our old house and moving furniture etc. Thankfully we had a lovely warm summer and it made things easier. We have just been thinking about how difficult it would have been if the flood had happened in the winter!
We also spent time looking for a new home. We just had to trust that God had a new home set apart for us and we just had to wait for Him to reveal it to us in His timing.
We were never homeless, only houseless. Where there is family there is home and we will always have family. :)

Having pizza in the park

THE FLOOD!

There was a freak lightning storm which grew worse. It had rained for only 2 hours before we noticed it coming in through the doors and windows. Then it began to come up through the carpets in the middle of the room and pour through and push open the doors. We knew it was getting bad. Before we knew it we were taking things upstairs to keep them dry but in the end we just had to leave it all and get out. Four septic tanks blew and the house quickly filled with raw sewage. Ew! The fire service came and were able to get us out safely and thankfully nobody was hurt or injured. We may have lost a lot of things but God has provided our every need throughout the whole experience! A miracle in all of this was the fact that our cars on the driveway were all dry inside, even though Rhiannon drove through the flood from her house to get to us, she was expecting her feet to get wet as the water was so deep, but the car stayed dry. Others lost theirs as they floated away down the road!

Eventually this was totally underwater

Obviously we had to get out before it
got any deeper! It eventually knocked this door off it's hinges
and the freezer came floating through to the front garden.

From Tom and Abigail's house

We were very thankful for our neighbours who we were able to help and they were able to help us.

Clearing out our houses  a few days later. Mum and Dad were now home by this point.

Everywhere was a mess with all sorts of things all over the place!

Trying to dry things out

The girls packing some of the books we had managed to save

Our music room

Masks were essential as the house was flooded with raw sewage!

Nothing electrical was left in working order.

Thankfully all of the beds and mattresses were safe

Our neighbours lost everything as they had bungalows.  They were re-housed temporarily.

Everything in the house had to be put in storage. Our house was not going to be habitable for at least 18months. So we decided to find a new home.

The boys did fantastic to load the storage units and keep things organised

In the storage yard. We met other people
doing the same thing!

Everything was tidied up and left here until we found a new home.

We have lost count of all the rainbows we have seen in the few weeks after the flood! God is good!
The next six weeks some of us lived with Tom and Abigail some with Rhiannon and Tim and some with Jed and Rosie. It was a real adventure, and we had a great time in spite of everything!