Tornado relief work

This update on GCI’s relief work following the recent tornadoes in the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma area is from Mike Rasmussen, pastor of GCI’s church in the area. Tornadoes hit the area in two waves (click here for a report on the first). The second occurred last Friday-Saturday with multiple tornadoes and severe flooding that took at least 18 lives.

The devastation caused by the recent storms here is unbelievable. With assistance from GCI’s Disaster Relief Fund, our members here have been helping in the relief effort. We served hot meals to dozens of first responders, many of whom had not had a hot meal in several days. We also helped serve meals to tornado victims and we provided victims with large plastic bins to store valuables recovered from the rubble of their homes. We also gave gift cards to purchase necessities not provided by the relief agencies. Every person helped expressed deep thanks.

At one point, having run out of storage bins, I was headed out of the disaster area. I came across an elderly woman digging in the ruins. I gave her a couple of gift cards and asked, “What is the one thing you need right now that is not being offered by the other relief organizations?” She thought for about two seconds and quietly said, “If only I had a few bins to load my stuff into.” I smiled and thought about how good God is and how he has such a wonderful sense of humor. We told her to hold on and we would buy her some bins and bring them back to her. She started to cry and said “Are you kidding?” I assured her that we weren’t and went to buy the bins.

Despite such encouraging encounters, I found myself getting quite depressed as the week wore on. There is so much devastation and so many people left with nothing. Yet in the midst of it all, God’s love has been shining brightly—through the first responders, through the relief organizations and through all the people who have rallied to help.

We were starting catch our breath following the Moore tornado when we were hit again. A huge super cell that packed something like 17 tornados headed for the neighborhood where both our church building and our home are located. I arrived home to find that my wife Juli had built a fortress in our hallway with mattresses, blankets and pillows.

As the tornado started to pick up speed it suddenly changed direction and started to head down toward Moore. Juli and I were calling and texting our members who live in the storm’s path to be sure they were watching the news. With these came massive amounts of hail and a deluge of rain. Area streets flooded and cars and people were stranded. We thank God that none of our members were injured or suffered any major damage.

My thanks to all who have been praying for us and to those who have texted, emailed and phoned. Your support is much appreciated! Many GCI congregations have contacted me offering financial assistance and/or work parties. I am deeply moved and encouraged by this support. To keep things legal and fully accountable, it is best for you to send your donations to the GCI Disaster Relief Fund and then our headquarters staff will send us the money needed to help the tornado victims.

In the midst of all this, we are reminded that God’s love and faithfulness toward us never end. We know that he holds us in his loving embrace and carries us when we feel we can no longer go on. Here in Oklahoma we prayed at church last weekend for all those in Missouri and farther east as these storms continue to wreak havoc in the eastern United States.