About a week and a half ago, on April 27th, a tornado over a mile wide tore through an area south of us, the Sandhills of Nebraska. A column in the local paper, Farmer and Rancher Exchange, told how uneducated comments on storm chaser posts were saying, "Thank goodness, it happened in the middle of nowhere."
People who lived in the affected area differed with those commentors--including us. At one of our SIM churches in St. Francis, the roof blew away from the shed and has not been found. Other roofs were torn off or severely damaged in the same community. Our own basement had water pouring inside from two different places. In Bingham, NE, an entire train of 130 cars was toppled except for the engine. Ranch buildings and equipment, fences, and windbreaks received much damage. "Nowhere" was actually "WHERE your food comes from," one rancher stated. It is also WHERE our mission operates. Praise God for four men from the reservation who showed up to work that next day and helped Jonathan fix the roof of the church shed.
A prettier scene was in the courtyard of the cancer center where Jonathan and I had an appointment a couple weeks ago. Just five tulips, but they were so beautiful I had to take a picture of them.
Tulips in the middle of my own personal tornado.
Thank You, Lord!
The flags were beautiful that day as well, fluttering in the breeze outside the same cancer center--fluttering on despite the tornadoes happening in the political and international world.
On May1st, the National Day of Prayer, Mrs. Ambrose organized a time of prayer at the flagpole at the courthouse in White River. We ladies attended, along with others, thirteen in all, not bad for a very small town.
Mrs. Ambrose read a National Day of Prayer proclamation, reminding us that the first Thursday in May was proclaimed a National Day of Prayer by Harry Truman and turned into law in Congress in 1952.
How few people actually observe this day! I know I have often forgotten about it, or been uninformed. It was wonderful to have someone organize a prayer event. Hannah took her guitar so we could all sing, "My Hope is Built on Nothing Less than Jesus' blood and Righteousness."
Prayer focused on the military, the media, education, families, and churches.
It was good to be part of this simple but meaningful event.
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