[__ Prayer __] Prayers for those affected by tornadoes

[AirDancer]

I'm requesting everyone to join me in prayers for all who were affected by the deadly storms that ripped through the Midwest today (Sunday).

Many areas of Illinois were severely damaged, including the town of Washington, IL, where entire neighborhoods were wiped out of existence this morning. Washington is a town of approximately 15,000, and by the time the sirens sounded, it was too late for many. At least one person was killed, with a large number of injured. A few miles away, in Pekin and in Peoria, in Metamora and elsewhere, tornadoes caused damage and destruction.

Southern Illinois, Central Illinois, East Central Illinois and Northern Illinois experienced tornadoes as well. Two people died as the result of a tornado that struck in Southern Illinois, with others who were injured.

Thank you for joining with prayers.

Be blessed!

 

[jasoncran]

likely the Illinois guard is on duty. Lord be with them to restore l&0 and also the victims and the homes and lives rebuilt.

 

[AirDancer]

Some of those neighborhoods in Washington, IL, were only about 5 years old, and now they are gone. Simply gone.

 

[Deborah13]

We watched the reports about 6 pm, the devastation in some places was so complete, nothing standing, not one wall.
Yes we add our prayers to yours. Especially, for the full recovery of all those that were injured.

 

[AirDancer]

Update: The small town of Gifford, IL (population: ~975) was evacuated earlier this afternoon after the tornado(s) destroyed or damaged over 200 homes. The town has been declared a disaster area. Several people were injured that required hospitalization; many others were treated in other communities. Gifford is in Champaign Country in East Central Illinois.

 

[AirDancer]

A few comments that have come out of Washington, IL, in the aftermath of the devastating tornado: Many are VERY thankful they attend church services. Otherwise, they would have been home at the time the tornadoes tore apart their homes & neighborhoods.

May our Lord continue to bless His faithful!

 

[Angel]

I will pray. I can't imagine going through that... Feel so sorry for those who lost their homes.

 

[AirDancer]

All of the people affected will need prayer for some time to come. It's been raining for the past 24 hours, which means while the families are digging through what was once their homes, everything is getting wet. Cold weather is also on horizon, and rebuilding won't be able to start up again until next spring. The churches in my community are collecting clothes, household goods, food and furniture for the families affected in Gifford & Flatville; finding furnished rentals is nigh on to impossible around this area, unless one chooses to move to Champaign-Urbana & into student housing or student apartments.

Thank you, each and every one of you for your prayers. Our Lord certainly does listen when we pray!

Be blessed!

 

[AirDancer]

As the families continue the process of settling into temporary residences & searching for anything they can salvage from their former homes, more and more we're hearing of what they experienced during the few short minutes of the devastation of the tornado.

One such experience brought tears of joy with the sadness.

A 67-year-old woman was upstairs in her home when the sirens went off. She made it down the stairs when she was thrown across the living room. When she came to, her home was shuddering around her. After checking to make sure no bones were broken, she stood up and went to the front door to see what had happened. What she saw convinced her she was still unconscious. After all, the view from her front door did not include a particular detached garage a block and a half away.

Turns out, that was the new view from her front door. Her home had been picked up & moved into the front yard of the property that included that garage.

The experience gets better, tho. In the entire process, everything from her home was able to be moved out & into one of the rental vans which a national company provided free of charge to the town of Gifford. As everyone moved away from the house, her house fell inside of itself, into a huge but tidy pile that did not damage the garage.

She said the only reason she (and everyone else) was still alive was because of our Lord. That faith in Him was the only way to live this life.

As a side note, all of the canned goods she had put up during each item's season were unharmed in the basement of what had belonged to her home. Because our Lord had blessed her by keeping her alive, she provided many of those jars of fruit, etc., with her neighbors who lost everything.

She is a living Christian witness to the love bestowed by our Lord to us, regardless of the weather!

 

[reba]

His Blessings

 

[Angel]

Continue to pray

 

[AirDancer]

Thanks and all praise for our Lord, for He is mighty and wonderful!

No surprise, this: He heard our collective prayers and has richly blessed those in Gifford!

Thus far, $300,000 has been raised for those in Gifford. This includes the $672 raised by a local high schools' bake sale. (It isn't a big school at all...perhaps 300 kids total for 4 grades).
And what started with one church collecting clothing and house goods has now expanded to 3 churches, with the Pods company providing free Pods for everything that wouldn't fit in the churches. It's estimated that the last of the affected families will select the items they need by the end of this week, and then the process will start all over again. One of the organizers said that despite the urging for the families to take as much as they wanted, the families took only what they needed so that others would be able to find what they needed. Talk about generous hearts & spirits!

Thank you all for your prayers! They have been appreciated ... and they have been answered in ways only our Lord could bring about!

 

[reba]

 

[Angel]

Awesome!!!