Devestation

My heart feels nothing but utter devestation.

Sunday night was like any other Sunday night. I was running late for church, already starving and looking forward to the fellowship supper I knew we'd have after church. I glanced at the radar, since it was looking rather stormy outside. There was one tornado warning on the map. I shrugged. It was two hours from here, and wouldn't reach here until at least eight o' clock. Besides, we have tornado warnings around here all the time. Sometimes the storms get bad; most of the time they don't.

Half way through church, my dad got a phone call from our denomination's state missions director. Joplin was nearly flattened; one our Free Will Baptist churches was completely gone. My heart fell. What I had dismissed as just another summer storm and turned out to be the deadliest single tornado since 1953. One hundred and sixteen people have been confirmed dead, and nearly 2,000 buildings destroyed. Thankfully, my friends in Joplin are safe, but so many have lost loved ones. It's devestating.

I am so proud of how our local communities have risen to the challenge of helping Joplin. You see disasters on TV, but it really hits home when it happens two hours from where you live. So please, join with me in praying for Joplin. More storms, possibly very severe, are expected today. Pray for the volunteers who are rushing into help, especially the medical personnel. Pray for those who have donated supplies, and most of all, pray for those citizens who have lost their whole lives.