Helping Tornado Survivors in Areas Hit Easter Weekend 2020
Easter Weekend, April 12th & 13th, there were 105 confirmed tornadoes from the South/Southeast, up to the northeastern part of the US Tornadoes touched down in Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and even in Maryland. With the length of all of the paths of these tornadoes combined, the distance tornadoes were on the ground Easter weekend was 771.86 miles! The strongest storms produced EF-4 tornadoes that hit Mississippi, and EF-3 tornadoes that hit Tennessee, and South Carolina,
We posted earlier in the week that we’d sent a shipment of supplies to the Jackson St church in Monroe, LA. Those supplies were unloaded by 9 am Tuesday morning, April 14th, and by noon half of the supplies had been distributed.
Tuesday 4/14 a shipment left Nashville for the Collins Church of Christ in Collins, MS, and was unloaded Wednesday morning, April 15th.
Wednesday April 15th, early in the morning another trailer departed for the Ooltewah Church of Christ in Ooltewah, TN. Members unloaded that trailer at their church building Thursday morning, the 16th.
The second trailer for the Jackson Street church in Monroe, LA also left on the 15th, and unloaded at the Jackson Street building, Thursday morning.
Early Thursday morning, another trailer full of supplies left for the Seneca Church of Christ in Seneca, South Carolina, and it was unloaded this morning at 8 am at the Seneca building.
Please continue to pray for all of these families in the paths of these tornadoes. Severe storms are forecast again this weekend Sunday and Sunday night from southeastern Texas east to the Georgia / South Carolina coast.
During this virus, many congregations are a bit leery of helping those affected by a tornado, and we understand, but the congregation list above have showed us it can be done, even though differently than if we weren’t concerned about the Covid-19 virus. Normally we suggest bringing those being helped into the church building. It’s important to build relationships with those being helped, get them to come to worship and class, but in times like these, when we’re not worshiping in our buildings ourselves, we must do things differently (Hasn’t it shown you though, that a big part of worshiping our Heavenly Father, is being together with our Brothers and Sisters in Christ?) So until we can once again practice ‘Social Togetherness” congregations are having those needing help to stay in vehicles, and we’re asking what they lost from a distance. Then they tell those in need what we have, we write down what they need, then it is loaded by volunteers into their vehicle. We can still pray with them while they’re in their vehicle. For those that do not have a vehicle or a way to get to the church building, supplies are being loaded up on trailers or pickup’s and they’re being taken into the community, to find those that can’t get out.
We can still help our neighbor as we are told to do, and show them the love of the Lord.
Lord, we pray for our country, and those all across this great place we call home. We pray for all of the medical workers, and for those that are helping in the areas where homes have been destroyed. With the virus, and layoffs, plus these storms, Father, we are in a time we’ve not been in before. But Father, we know YOU are in charge, You are the great I AM, and through YOU we can endure all things. In Jesus Name….Amen.