Tornado Alley

Ever been in a tornado?

We live in Kansas. In Kansas, we are no strangers to tornadoes in the Spring/Summer months. After all, you've all seen Wizard of Oz...yes? Last night was graduation for my husband's medical students in Lawrence. Just as we pulled into the parking lot and got out of our car, the sirens went off. We went in, checked in, and were told to take cover in the lower levels of the auditorium building. I made the comment, "Why, we can't see anything from there."

You see, in Kansas when tornado sirens go off, the customary response is not to grab your loved ones and hide in the basement. Not at first, anyway. The first thing we do is turn on the TV and then go stand on the porch or driveway to see what we can see. Not advisable, but that's how we roll. Eventually, we got the all-clear and graduation proceeded without incident. After the event was over, however, another round came through. Again, we were not affected and we were fine.

Today, another band erupted south of here in SE Kansas/SW Missouri. The result was a devastating tornado that ripped mercilessly through Joplin, MO. Joplin is very near the town of Pittsburg, KS, where my husband and I attended college (Pittsburg State University). Anyone who has lived in that area is familiar with Joplin. We have learned that roughly one-third of the town is completely destroyed. The devastation is unimaginable. My sister-in-law and her husband, as well as his parents, have lost their home at the lake. Completely destroyed. The photos and videos are devastating to view. Many landmarks that I remember are just.......gone. One of the major hospitals, if not THE hospital in town...is completely gutted and has been fully evacuated. Patients have been moved to other area hospitals or flown/transported to further hospitals. What a mess.

Lord, I pray for those affected by this most recent tornado. I pray for the people of Joplin, MO, as well as the people in other areas affected by the ones in the past few days. I lift up those who are injured, those who have missing family members they are trying to locate, people who are suffering great loss of the life of family members or cannot locate them at all. I pray that this will cause people to turn to You, the ONLY place of comfort and peace. Give them strength, give them peace, give them love...bless them in this time of sorrow and need.

In Jesus's name,

Kelly Alley
AWANA Secretary