A Chance To Respond
On May 19th the towns of Carney, Edmond, and Shawnee were hit by tornadoes that damaged or destroyed homes and killed two people. Tragically, this was just the warm-up act for this week of storms. On Monday, May 20th, a massive tornado plowed through Moore, a southern suburb of Oklahoma City, staying on the ground for 45 horrifying minutes. 24 people were killed, including 10 children. The majority of the kids were in an elementary school that was leveled by the F5 twister. Early estimates indicate that between 13,000-15,000 homes were damaged or destroyed in the 17-mile long path of this tornado.
Our mission, WorldVenture, along with a sister organization, Missions Door, have established a fund to help the survivors of these disasters. They have also appointed me to take the lead in this ministry since we are based here in the metro area. In the next several days and weeks I will be networking with various churches and organizations to see how best to distribute these resources so that they do the most good. It is a daunting task and we would greatly appreciate your prayers.
As I write this the news in the background is talking about the flash flooding we are receiving today in the metro. More storms are forecast for the days ahead. So, once again, please be praying for us, for the relief efforts, and especially for all the many people affected by these natural disasters.