I live in Alabama. Many communities in my state were recently destroyed by tornadoes that ripped thru Alabama on April 27th. Homes were hit, cars tossed like Hot Wheels, people laying dead in the rubble. Watching the footage from my home breaks my heart.
We were fortunate. Our area was spared. The neighborhood I grew up in was not so lucky. Many homes were destroyed. These home were very old and had no basements. I can only pray those in those homes survived, but the reality is that many did not.
The death toll is rising daily. This tornado pass is now in the record books for the most touchdowns of a single tornado, over 200 times this fury of wind met the ground. Any thing in it's path is now gone. It is difficult to put into words the depths of sorrow and pain in the state of Alabama.
Though it is without a doubt a terrible time for those here, we have seen miracles. We have seen people from all over our state and many throughout our country send supplies, workers, prayers, money to help strangers. I had the opportunity to collect items from many that I know and donate to Christian Service Mission. This organization is serving as the central hub for donations and volunteers in Birmingham. Supplies come in, are sorted and immediately sent out to areas all over our state. It is beautiful to see the body of Christ come together, and so beautiful to see people meeting the needs of strangers. This is what we are here for people, not to win the race of who has the most toys at the end of our life, but to help our brother and sister in times of need.
It is my prayer that in the weeks and months to come to desire to volunteer and serve others does not fizzle. The quote that I am seeing most often on facebook is that "this is a marathon, not a sprint." These people will need help for a long time to come. Many of the tornadoes hit in very poor communities and lack of insurance will be a problem in rebuilding homes and lives. It is our job to help them.
If you are reading this and want to help but are not local, please consider a donation to the Christian Service Mission. I can promise you that everything given is being used to meet immediate needs of those displaced. If a donation is not something you can do, please pray for them. I am concluding with a video of one of the hardest hit areas. Please watch.
3 comments:
I do understand what you are saying. Because up here in Wisconsin 4yrs ago we had the same thing happen. This was up by my mom's home and I am very thankful she was not there at the time. I have a cousin down there and I was really worried about him. I am praying for everyone down there.
Oh, Brandi. How my heart hurts for the families affected. It just looks like some uncaring giant cleared a path, stepping on those homes without a thought to who might be in them. Unimaginable. Thank you for your efforts to make their lives even a little bit more comfortable.
I can not even imagine. I am in very rural Virginia and a small portion of a community was hit hard (this is not "normal" for this area) and we had some fatalaties as well. Your community is in my prayers.
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