Israel Partridge of True Adventure Sports (left), and his friends,
Jonathan Roberts, (right), and Chris Patterson (center). All three men
live in the area hit by the storm. Thankfully, their homes and families
were saved.
These three men of God are committed to serving
in their community and helping people process and heal from this
disaster. Please pray for them, their teams, and for those they are helping recover. Below are some of the stories we heard while in Rainsville. I will post stories about Tuscaloosa and Pell City later this week.
passed, people began to move around again. They got in
their cars and headed out… some, after holing up to ride out the storm, headed
home. Some stopped at this Huddle House.
destroying a high school stadium, a Huddle House, and anything else in
its path – trees, homes, and people.
Search and Rescue found 25 bodies in the rubble, but judging
by the cars in the parking lot, officials estimate at least 18 other people
were in the restaurant at the time. Relief workers have been advised to watch for circling birds to signal the location of more bodies.
Now just shards of glass, twisted metal, discarded ketchup
bottles- a shell missing its roof and walls. The details of life still remain-
a clock stopped by the force of the tornado at the time it struck; a handful of
brightly colored stuffed animals carried by the wind from somewhere far away
and scattered amongst the broken cinderblock. The storage room, the soda
fountain ripped in half–a menu trapped under a metal beams.
As far as they know, all were lost- and it’s possible there
are more in the rubble, their graves marked by a clock still attached to a
wall, standing silently where they fell.
Rainsville’s current death toll is 43. Of that number 25 of
those people lost their lives in this location on April 27, 2011.
down many times, sometimes by family, sometimes by church. Family feuds
stretch back into time for generations – fights over property, wealth,
and private family heirlooms. Some churches are divided by denomination, choosing to go it alone
instead of choosing to rebuild their community together. There are even
those looking to profit from this tragedy by going to churches, signing
up to volunteer, receiving “official” church T-shirts, casing homes to
see where valuables are, and then returning to take what little is left.
Up on the mountain, there are signs saying, “Keep out,” “Stay Out”, and “You steal here, you die here.”
the lives they used to have, and worried that anyone coming to help could also
hurt them, it takes more than just the willingness to serve to be welcomed onto
their property. It takes relationship- people taking the time to show they care
about the victims of the tornadoes.
The relief effort is slow, but it continues. After days of braving the elements,
excavating lifeless victims, and clearing brush from around roads and homes,
helping the newly homeless pick through what possessions are left- relief
workers are in desperate need of supplies, manpower, and energy. Everyday, they
help people. They distribute food and supplies, help clear homes, move downed
trees, and help people find whatever scattered pieces of their lives remain.
who want to serve and the availability to send teams. Together, partnering with
True Adventure Sports, we’ll send groups as early as next week. Ministry will
be highly relational as well as primarily manual labor–with a long term
mindset. We’re not interested in hit-and-run ministry; we want to see real life
impact for Christ.
**Photos of the three men and the clock by Connie Rock.**
