Yes, you heard it right. I survived a tornado in our neighborhood last Saturday. Many have asked for details, especially after they saw me on the WRAL news. I thought I'd briefly summarize what happened and what God has shown me.
First, let me say a huge thank you to those who have prayed for our family through this time. Your prayers and encouragement have been an important part of getting through the last several days. And for those who came out to help last Sunday afternoon, a really big thank you goes to you! Scott Holdsclaw, Waug, Holly, Mr. Reynolds, Mr. Waugaman....and what seemed like millions of strangers who just showed up and started working....thank you so much.
So, Felicia and the girls were at Triangle Town Center during all this. Turned out to be a great thing, because if any of our cars were in the driveway, they would have been crushed by trees. Of course, Kelsey's car weathered the tornado fine. Figures - it's a tank anyway. The boys and I were at home. I was doing church work at my desk, and the boys were playing games & reading. I had been monitoring the weather via my iphone most of the day while working. My brother-in-law called and said he heard on the news that a tornado had touched down south of Raleigh and was headed our way. I turned on the TV and watched the weather for about 15 min or so. Then the power went out.
I looked out the window only to see the winds picking up quickly. Within minutes, I could hear the tornado coming. Not a train sound, which you always hear about. Just a loud roar. It was upon us. The boys and I dropped to the floor in the living room by the couch, with no time to get to a safer place. I reassured the boys that God would protect us. As the tornado hit, I could see out the windows by the door. I believe I saw a swirling wind as it quickly snapped the bradford pear tree in our front yard. I think for one split second I had a thought that we might meet the Lord in that moment. But there was no fear with that thought, only peace.
The whole thing was over faster than it had started. Within about a minute, or so it seemed, the winds began to die down and a strange calm replaced the storm that had just passed. The rains continued strong, but I went to the door and looked outside. The first thing I saw was that the house right across the street, only about 50-100 feet from my front door, was gone - only the slab foundation remained with some debris on it. It seemed the storm had picked up the house and blown the pieces into the surrounding houses and street. That tree of mine I mentioned earlier - it was on my neighbor's car. Sorry neighbor. I'll spare more the details of the destruction, but you can check out some of the pictures on my facebook page.
Our house only had some more cosmetic damage - missing shutter (which I found in my neighbor's yard), missing roof shingles, a few holes in the roof, lots of trees down mostly in the back yard, missing siding, torn parts off the front of the house, damaged mailbox, some missing funiture and a grill, etc. But compared to my neighbors, we were certainly blessed. Several of them had to abandon their homes that Saturday until things could be stabilized. One family still hasn't been able to come back yet. And the house across the street that was destroyed had no one living there. The lady had moved out weeks ago.
We are continuing the recovery process this week. It will probably take a while, especially since there are so many others who are suffering more than we are. But that's ok. Now, what did God show me through all of this? I felt a confirmation of my faith in Him with the peace that came in that moment when the tornado hit. He reminded me that our possessions are given to us to use for His glory, and they can be taken away in a split second. He reminded me that our time on this earth can end in a moment, including at a time when we least expect it. He's shown me again that He is even bigger than a massive storm like this one. And He can protect us even when destruction is going on all around us.
But He's also reminded me of the awesome ministry opportunity in our neighborhood. There is little spiritual fruit that we've observed here. This is our mission field. We will be held accountable. It's time to invest in the people here. I praise Him for His provision for us through this time. As I said on WRAL, I praise the Lord for allowing me to live another day. I pray that I will be effective in using the time I have left for His glory and His purposes.
Pastor Randy
