Heavy Heart

Thank you GOD for keeping my family and friends SAFE! 

Yesterday was a day I can't fully describe. The place where I grew up was slammed with brutal storms, heavy wind and rain and tornadoes. Growing up, I was completely "enchanted" with severe weather. It's my dad's influence on me. We loved to watch storms off the coast during hurricane season or watch lightning light up the sky during tornado season. But, yesterday, we love for those storms morphed into staggering fear.

Being in Korea and watching newscast of meterologists ordering people in my small township of Meansville to take cover, a tornado is heading your way RIGHT NOW was indescribable. Thanks to God's blessing of Skype, I called mom who works late. She was leaving work. It was midnight. I prayed she would get home before the worst of it hit. She did Praise God! My family was accounted  for safe at home with a storm shelter in a basement not too far away. They lost power, but - again - thanks to God's abundant provision, their cell phones worked. I called mom again on skype and told her to take cover. The tornado was only 1 mile from them. The did take cover. And they were okay. My grandmother, however, was in the direct line of the funnel. After the storm passed my family's home, my parents drove to my grandmothers. They couldn't get there. The roads were blocked off. After much calling, my grandmother answered. She was okay. By God's grace, she slept through most of it.

Other family members, however, lost their home. They rode out the storm in their basement only to emerge to the upper story completely destroyed. Our cousins are now salvaging what is left of their belongings, but praise God they aren't losing loved ones. Four people lost their lives in my area.

Another praise is God's protection over my dad! How awesome are you Oh God to hear that prayer and deliver it! My dad is a fireman and so he was on call all night answering distress calls from the wounded and effected. He was on search and rescue and coordinating emergency services to deploy to the area hit by the violent tornado that hit Griffin. I'm so proud of him. AND I'm thankful he answered his phone even if it was to yell at me that he was busy and had to go. I heard his voice and it was enough!

Now Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, the Carolina's and other parts of the South are crawling out of the debris. So many people died. Our prayers are with their families. We pray God would envelop all of those seeking comfort and understanding. I want to go home and help!

I watched the news reports unfold while at school yesterday and felt completely helpless. But, I'm so thankful that I was able to call home and get in touch with everyone. I always thought living away from home would be easy, but now I know that it's so hard.