09/23/2026
"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you." Isaiah 43:2
We hope this update finds you well and that the Lord has been drawing close to you during His Appointed Days. We wanted to let you know what has happened because we know God has been working behind the scenes; He is standing beside us.
As you know, we felt led to cancel our Sukkot Israel tour. We did not have peace to promote it and felt we should postpone. Since then, we've continued helping our daughter with our grandbaby (which we enjoy so much!) and slowly getting out on the road more. This past month, we had ministry weekends in Toledo, Ohio, Northern Michigan, and Nashville for Gather the Nations over Rosh Hashanah, which was by far the most powerful one yet! If we had gone forward with Israel, we would have left almost immediately after Nashville to be in Israel for Yom Kippur – but the Lord was looking out for us.
This past Saturday night we were ministering to personal friends at our home and getting ready to go out on the road to Florida, where we are booked to minister for the entirety of Sukkot. We were planning on leaving early on Sunday morning. Our usual packing style is that we do it a couple of hours before we leave, but for some reason, this time we packed the night before and set the bags on our living room couch, ready to go.
Joey, our dog, usually sleeps in his bed on the floor. Very rarely do we ever have him up on the bed (which is four feet high), but on Saturday evening, rain, fierce thunder, and lightning started and continued for a while. This did not seem too unusual because it rains quite a bit where we live in Cincinnati, and the planned community we are in is in a no-flood zone. The thunder and lightning were cracking above us; I got out of bed, and I swooped Joey up because I saw he was afraid. I put him between Ralph and me and went back to sleep.
A couple of hours later, I awoke to a strange beeping I had never heard and woke Ralph. Immediately, we heard rushing water. Ralph quickly jumped out of bed, turned on the lights, and pulled back the curtains of the French doors to see water rushing in from the middle of the doors. So many things happened in one minute. There was a four-foot wall of water on the other side. Within a few seconds, the adrenaline kicked in, and I picked a few things off the floor and threw them on the bed with the dog. Both Ralph and I ran upstairs and woke our kids up. We ran back down and got Joey off the bed. Just then, the doors broke open and our apartment flooded with three to four feet of water. No one was hurt, thank God! The water subsided after about an hour, but everything in our lower-level apartment was destroyed. We managed to get our packed suitcases out. Our son-in-law was able to locate our submerged passports, birth certificates, and marriage license. We were able to gingerly lay them all out to dry.
When Chanah and Ben purchased their home, they wanted us to live with them. As Chanah put it, “multi-generational family living is in again,” and they lovingly built us a beautiful apartment with a guest room that we could also minister to other ministers. It was filled with love and was exquisite. It truly was a respite for us and other weary ministers. We have been blessed and also able to bless others.
Family came over early this past Sunday and started tearing up the drywall, insulation, and flooring to avoid a mold situation. We are so thankful they were home and available. Ralph and I took 100 pounds of wet clothes and bedding to the laundromat, trying to save items as we could. We left on Sunday late afternoon for our two-day drive to Florida. We had originally planned to stop in Atlanta for a Kol Nidre Yom Kippur service but instead spent 1000 miles listening to several services as we drove clad in white as tradition dictates. This was one of the most spiritual Yom Kippurs ever experienced. He always draws close to us during His Biblical Feast, and we are supposed to trust Him no matter what, in both good and hard times. We are committed to rejoice before Him, especially during Sukkot,
The developer/owner/HOA did not properly maintain the storm drain. When Chanah and Ben purchased their home, it was not advised to purchase flood insurance. There was no flood insurance. Actually, less than 1% of Ohio homeowners purchase flood insurance. There has not been a flood since the home was built seven years ago. Since Ben is a builder, both he and Chanah are getting excellent counsel from his company on dealing with this type of negligence.
Many of you have been so gracious to us, praying and supporting us. We would kindly ask that you please continue. We are so thankful for your love for our family. Our sweet daughter-in-law decided to start a GoFundMe donation for our family. If you are able and you feel led, please consider donating. You may also personally contact us.
Shalom and Blessings to you,
Ralph and Mindy Seta
https://gofund.me/097ec60bf
Other ways to give:
(661) 317-0435 Zelle
Venmo
