Please pray for my sister, Lori, and her family. Lori is the one mentioned in my birthday post yesterday. My Dad called me at 11:30 last night (never a good sign) and told me that Lori's family lost their home, and now it turns out, their entire town, in that monster tornado that hit Kansas last night.
The first news Dad gave me was just that there was a tornado and the house was gone and so was the church (Lori's husband is a pastor). After watching more hours of the weather channel in one night than I have watched in the rest of my life combined, I see that it wasn't just the house and the church...it was the whole town. If you read/watch the news, I'm sure you've seen Greensburg mentioned. Such a little town and now it's in the national news.
My sister, unlike me, is the pillar of strength...and actually, so is her husband, and so is my niece. They are all okay, for which we are very thankful. But I can't even imagine the enormity of the damage and loss they are facing.
In a time like this, I feel very sick over the sorts of losses that can't be replaced and very helpless because I can't do anything. I can't go, I can't help, I can't fix it. And I'm a fix-it sort of girl. I was up much of the night trying to convince myself NOT to throw up.
I haven't talked to Lori yet...but Mom and Dad have been keeping me posted. Please just pray for them as they pick up whatever they can, which doesn't sound like is much, and make decisions for the future. Please pray for my brother-in-law, since, as I mentioned, he is a minister, and I'm sure will be offering help and comfort on the question-asking, emotional level to so many people. Greensburg, I jokingly call Mayberry, and I don't mean that in a rude way...it's just that it is SUCH a small place that everyone truly is family, and everyone knows everyone. In addition, the fact that it is such a small place makes recovery harder because there's no place to GO. The injured are being transported anywhere from 30 to 50 miles away because those are the next closest places with a hospital.
Please also pray for my niece. I would fall apart at my age to lose everything I own...but she's younger than I am, and I am sure once this truly sets in, it will be so devastating for her. And please pray for my sister, the rock, who will be the glue that holds everyone together, I'm just sure of it.
Thanks so much!
4 comments:
They have my prayers already.
A long time ago I heard a woman (no idea who) describing the name of God, El Shaddai, which we translate as Almighty God, in a fuller way. She said when He gave us that name, it meant, "I will be all that you need when you need Me to be all that you need." It's the way a newborn baby needs his mother to be absolutely everything to him.
I pray that the Lord will be El Shaddai for your sister and her family (and you).
Thank you so much, Skeypuppy...that is beautiful!! I will be joining you in that prayer for them too. I went out to mow (had to get away from CNN and the weather channel, even for a minute) and spent much of my yard work time praying for them - and for my brother in law with that whole church looking to him for guidance in all of this. I still can't quite comprehend it.
Definitely in my prayers and thoughts! I love watching the weather channel, and have been watching this story closely, and had NO IDEA it was where your sister lived. Were they home, are they OK? I was visibly and mentally shaken after the tornado came thru here! I hope things start to look up SOON for everyone in that tiny "mayberry" town!
Hey Phats...thanks so much for thinking of them. They are okay. My poor niece, who is so stylin' all the time, did not have shoes on when the tornado hit. She was able to find parts of her closet in the garage on her way out of the house, and she found a shoe for each foot...but they don't match. Poor girlie!
They were home, but they were in the basement. My sister said she thought they would be sucked out. It's awful. I cried when I talked to her and she was like "Why are you crying?" How is she so strong?
I'm still shaken from our tornado - like you. Can't IMAGINE anything this bad.
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