The Glass Angel (after Hurricane Ike)

By Kendal Carnley

Montgomery UMC

After hurricane Ike, many people have been left in the dark. Even if they have their power back, there are still many other situations that could leave them feeling hopeless. It could be that there is much debris in their yard and they can't do the work or they have some damage to their homes that was caused by Ike.

As many people know, the MYF group was picking up debris that was caused by hurricane Ike yesterday. We had just finished a few yards when Ms. Cathy told us that we may have one more yard to go. However, it looked doubtful that we could do anything because a 60-something-year-old tree had fallen in the yard, and let me tell you, it was huge!

In fact, it was the biggest tree I have ever seen in this small city of Montgomery . Just looking at this tree was a bit depressing for everyone because we were already so tired, but we decided to persevere and do whatever we could for this lady, who obviously could not do the work by herself. As we began to do the backbreaking work, I noticed we didn’t care that we were tired. It was as if a second wind had hit us slap in the face, and we were working harder than ever. As I looked around, I also noticed that there wasn’t a single person without a smile on their face and I realized just how lucky I was to be able to be a part of this and doing what God wants everyone to do: Love your neighbor as you love yourself.

Close to the end, I was picking up many aluminum cans that were lying on the ground and raking up leaves and sticks that had been left behind when I noticed something that looked like plastic. I thought for a minute of just keeping it in the pile and raking it in with the rest of the debris, but looking at it, it looked like as if it were longing to be back in the light and something told me to just pick it up. When I finally did, I noticed it wasn’t plastic at all, but instead this beautiful glass angel. Immediately, I recognized that this had to be a sign from God. He was just letting us know the he was watching over and us and was happy with our work. This alone touched me very deeply and I immediately showed it to Ms. Cathy.

After close examination of this angel, I noticed that its arm was chipped off and began to wonder. Wonder how this little glass angel survived through hurricane Ike, this gargantuan tree falling so close to it, my raking, and the MYF group possibly crushing it with every step. I came to the conclusion that this must also be a sign from God. I saw it as a symbol for our community and how we are so very fragile right now. We have been hurt by this storm. But we are still here, we are still intact.

In the end, I see what God was trying to tell me. He wanted me to let everyone know that we need to do his bidding and help our neighbors. He wants everyone one of us to pull each other up through the debris and let us see the light once again.