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As I continue to process the experiences from my time in Bowling Green, Kentucky serving in disaster relief response with IDES, I will try posting some “Jesus in the midst of disaster” stories as I get the opportunity.

Here are some thoughts from one cleanup experience:

No Place To Hide

On my phone is a photo of a child’s photo that serves as a reminder to me about praying for the children who experienced the chaos of disaster during the Christmas season.  The subject of the photo is a happy-looking young girl that would appear to not have a care in the world.  The photo itself, and its discovery, tell a different story.

The photo is a bit water-stained and blurred around the edges and was found in a home where the residents had come back to claim everything they wanted and we were told to clean out everything else as they were not coming back again — the trauma of seeing the neighborhood was just too much.  The house, like most of those neighboring it, was missing most of its roof and had assorted debris all over the place both inside and out.  As we carried rain-soaked furniture to the curb, I realized that most of the furniture were missing the cushions.  As we cleaned further, we discovered two closets that had couch cushions, blankets, pillows, and comforters spilling out from the open doors — the apparent places of refuge as the tornado took its toll on the structure.  As I cleaned out the closet in the room I was working in, I found a blood-stained pillow among all of the other padding.  Fortunately I knew that this was not one of the homes that had experienced a fatality, but my heart went out to this family that I had never met that had evidently experienced an injury during the storm.  They had done their best but found there was no place to fully hide.

As I continued to clean up debris and belongings, I prayed for those in this particular home who had been injured.  I prayed for those in the neighborhood who would have physical and/or emotional wounds from their experiences.  As I worked and prayed, I came across this young girl’s photo and some of the toys and belongings left behind in various rooms.  I prayed for this girl’s family and the siblings she likely had based on the different sizes of clothing in the different closets.  I prayed for those who seek refuge from the storms of life and feel they have no place to hide.  This was an encounter that touched me deeply even though it was different than many of the other encounters I experienced.  In this instance, I never met the individuals who had hid out in these closets during the storm.  I didn’t have the opportunity to listen to their story or to pray with them about the comfort that is available through having peace with God.  Yet through the cleanup process and my prayer time, their story had no place to hide as I prayed for them in the very closets they hid in and under the open sky where their roof used to be.

And in a big way, this photo I have of one young girl serves as both a reminder, and as a representative, of the need to continually pray for the comfort and healing of many children who need to know God is a refuge where they can hide and a very present help in time of need.

In prayer,
Tom

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As I continue to process the experiences from my time in Bowling Green, Kentucky serving in disaster relief response with IDES, I will try posting some “Jesus in the midst of disaster” stories as I get the opportunity.

Here are some thoughts from Day One:

The Sky Is Falling

My first full day in Bowling Green was a long day and I am extremely grateful that God had helped me to prepare through a multi-session “Complex Trauma and Disaster and Emotional Spiritual Care” counseling training course I completed earlier this year.  My usual role in volunteering for disaster response has been running chainsaws and helping with tree cleanup and removal from homes and property.  While I did a little bit of that during my time in Kentucky, that did not end up being my primary work during this deployment.  

After delivering a couple chainsaws to one of the volunteer groups that was involved in tree work, I took some tarps and supplies to a group doing debris cleanup in one of the hardest hit neighborhoods — a neighborhood that experienced multiple fatalities.  It was here that I spent much of the day learning in earnest the value of listening to the stories people were desperate for someone to hear.  While I did some debris cleanup that day, most of it was entering into the trauma and emotions of people in a way that gave them a safe space to share what they couldn’t keep inside but had found nowhere to unload it without burdening their neighbors.   My training had prepared me as much as possible to listen, so that is what I did.  Many of the stories from this neighborhood were filled with so much gut-wrenching emotion and raw pain that it was amazing to see a spirit of peace come over individuals as they were allowed to unload.

Many stories had an element of guilt mixed with gratitude over being spared while others were not.  One resident I listened to expressed that mix as he talked about seeing the debris flying by his windows as he sheltered in place the best he could.  As the tornado went over, he kept hearing a voice crying out, “Help me!  Help me!”  It was a voice he couldn’t ignore so he went outside in the midst of the storm to see if he could find the person needing help.  As he stood outside listening for the voice, he saw a dog fly by and then a log flew through the air and crashed through the roof of his house.  The voice was no longer being heard so he went inside to find that the log was now in his home where he had been before going outside to check on the mysterious voice.  There was concern because he was never able to find the person he heard calling for help, but he was also filled with gratitude because he was safe.  After listening to his story and praying that God’s peace would fill his heart and mind, I went on to find another person that needed a listening ear.

As the sun set that evening, it was difficult to leave the area knowing that there was much work of many kinds still needing to be done.  The sky had indeed fallen and people wanted to know they were being heard and they needed to encounter Jesus in the midst of their experiences.  I am thankful to God that He not only equipped me, but He sustained me in the work.  Whether in the chaos of disaster or the chaos of life, I pray that each of us take the time to listen to people whenever their sky is falling.

In prayer,
Tom

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In prayer,
Tom