Richmond County has always known storms. Some shake our homes, some shake our communities, and some shake our faith. Yet through every season, one truth has remained constant: our Heavenly Father is a shelter in the time of storm.
During the early days of the pandemic in March 2020, when much of the world shut down, the Department of Defense school where I served as an administrator, surrounding counties, and Richmond County schools became beacons of stability for our communities. In the fall of 2020, we were among the schools across our nation that reopened, continuing to educate military‑connected and civilian children with humility, strength, and unwavering commitment.
Experiencing countless school kitchen and contracted teams prepare lunches for children throughout school closures, children whose families appreciated those meals, gave the pandemic a sense of humanity.
I witnessed the benevolence of our government and the resilience of civilian and military families. Countless schools across our great nation became havens of hope and beacons of light before, during, and after the pandemic.
This memory reaches back to my childhood. Our parents taught us early that God is a shelter in the time of storm, and that childlike faith has carried me through every season of life. It is the same faith that sustains military‑connected and civilian children today as they endure deployments, relocations, and emotional storms that come without warning.
Just last night, outside the Hamlet–Rockingham city limits, we experienced a severe thunder and lightning storm. Our home shook, and we endured a power outage. Though the outage was brief, it felt as if the bedroom walls were trembling. Yet God kept us. After the first jolt, we moved the family’s beds away from the walls, thinking either thunder shook our home or lightning had struck the front side of the house. Less than an hour later, another wave of thunder and lightning rolled through with such force that I told my family, “I believe our home has been hit.”
Minutes felt like hours. Thankfully, the power was restored due to skilled technicians and God’s 24‑hour protection plan — a plan whose only cost is faith.
My immediate family, extended family members, and friends have lived through hurricanes, tornadoes, and storms that have shaken this region and shaken our faith, but never destroyed it.
After midnight, when the power was restored, I sent text message praise reports to my immediate siblings: “Bless the Lord, we have full power.”
Even today, as we continue to experience internet connectivity issues, our spirits rest in the truth that God has kept us once again.
When the storm appeared to have passed, we walked through the house checking for damage. A few slates from our binders in the kitchen, family dining, and great room had fallen to the floors and countertops. As we walked back upstairs, my cellphone began ringing. It was my 90‑year‑old mother calling to say in her gentle voice, “Caresa, I just wanted to share with you, our God is a shelter in the time of storm.” After she gave her encouraging word, she said, “Love you,” and hung up the phone. Her words settled in my heart and spirit.
Richmond County community, I want to share that same assurance with you. Whatever storm you may be facing … deployment, grief, transition, uncertainty, or loss … our Heavenly Father will be the shelter you need. He has carried us through Desert Storm, Desert Shield, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and every crisis that has touched active duty, retired military, and civilian families. He has carried us through community challenges, national emergencies, and personal trials. And He will carry you now.
He is your shelter. He is your covering. He is your peace in the storm.
Isaiah 25:4 (KJV) - “For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm…”
Heavenly Father, We come before You with grateful hearts, acknowledging that You are our refuge and our strength. You are the shelter we run to in every storm, the storms that shake our homes, the storms that test our faith, and the storms that civilian and military‑connected families endure across seasons of service and sacrifice.
Lord, thank You for covering us when the world shut down during the pandemic. Thank You for guiding our hands as we continue to care for children whose families depended on Your protective arms. Thank You for being present in every community near and far, every hallway, every classroom, every cafeteria, and every home touched by military and civilian life. You were our protection then, and You remain our protection now.
Father, when thunder rolls and life trembles, steady our hearts. Remind us that Your presence is greater than any storm. Strengthen everyone who stands in the gap for children, families, and communities. Let Your peace rest upon us, Your wisdom guide us, and Your mercy carry us.
Shelter us, Lord, in the natural storms, in the emotional storms, in the storms of transition, deployment, grief, and uncertainty. Be the covering over our families, our schools, our communities, and across our nation.
And as You shelter us, help us to be shelter for others. Help us to serve with humility, lead with compassion, and walk with unwavering faith.
We declare today that You are our refuge, our strong tower, and our peace in the storm. Amen.
As you consider the storms you have weathered…natural, emotional, spiritual, or connected to military‑connected and civilian life, where have you experienced God as your shelter, and how might that testimony strengthen the families, friends, students, or colleagues you serve?
Carricia Simpson is a Richmond County native now living at Fort Bragg.
