Not sure how you could listen to that video (because you can't see much) and not cry but so awesome to hear people praising God in the midst of it all
My brother is in Joplin working on rescue efforts right now. He works for a unit that sends missionaries/first responders to areas hit hard by disasters whether natural or otherwise. He is a former deputy sheriff and has gone through many disaster response training sessions and helped out in Haiti. He said he has seen many images. Please keep the first responders and workers in your prayers. Many of them will struggle for a while after finding bodies and disasters.
Yesterday, I found out that a friend of my cousins was missing. We gave my brother (who is in Joplin helping with rescue and recovery) her address. We had been unable to get through to Janny. My brother went by the house and found her to be at home working on clean up. Her home was slightly damaged but her phone lines are dead and her cell phone is only getting spotty reception. We are praising God for his wonderful mercies. Another friend did lose a relative and now has four other families living in his house. I lived there for four years while going to college. The college is being used as a shelter and morgue. My brother says seeing it in real life is way different than seeing it in pictures. I told him that many people were praying for him (on our church prayer list, requested on facebook, etc.). He said that the prayers are really helping. He can feel the prayers when he is tired at the end of the long day. He will be in Joplin for a few more days and then will travel back home (5 hours away) for a few days and then back to Joplin. He will follow this pattern for at least a month. Before and after pictures are amazing. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...rnado-Before-photos-complete-devastation.html
DH was there again yesterday. I'm going tomorrow with a group from church. If he can arrange for his employees to cover him, he'll go too. It's just awful.
This is one of those times I wish I were closer so I could gather a group and go help. My prayers are going up for you all as often as I can think, which is quite often. Please keep updating us here becuase I am checking my emails constantly throughout the day as I walk by the computer to see how certain familes I know are doing.
The death toll is at least 124. Medical personnel are saying it will be much higher, but they won't add to the total until the person has been identified and family has been notified. Which is slowing down the process. There hasn't been any additional storm damage, praise God.
I heart 126 on the news tonight, so there may be two more Amie. So sad. I am watching tornadoes in my state now .. only an hour away from us but not in our area, would have been past us by now but we didn't even get the rain we were supposed to, its been sunny and nice? Thanks for the update! I heard, read or something about someone looking for a 3 yr old , after finding thier 16 mo old dead. SO sad, I am praying the 3 yr old is okay! praying for that family. It seems people everywhere are sending out prayer requests so lots of us praying!
Our local news is encouraging people to post pictures of the missing on their FB page (the news' FB page, that is). My news feed is full of them day after day, hour after hour. It's heart-wrenching. I hadn't heard a death toll since this afternoon.
I am praying PEACE BE STILL prayer now! LOrd God we ask that You speak to the storm as you did the one with from the boat with your disciples-- we pray those words---PEACE BE STILL-- In Jesus name! can I get an AMEN? ( When two or more agree....)
OOH, OOH!!! Time for Comic Relief!!! When Rachael was three and Faythe was new-born, she was attending Sunday School where she actually had "verses" to memorize, one of which was "Peace, be still!" from the story of Jesus calming the waters. Well, one Sunday morning I had been up early feeding the baby, and I just wanted a LITTLE MORE SLEEP before getting up to church. I had this 3yo bouncing on me saying, "MOMMY! GET UP!!!" I'm trying to hide under the covers, hoping she'll go away (yeah, right!!!). Finally I peak my head out and say, "PEACE! Be still!" Without any hesitation, she responed with the only OTHER Bible verse she had learned "Jesus said, RISE UP AND WALK!!!" Sigh.... So what could I do but "rise up and walk"?
