We entered America April 19. Due to tornadoes in Chicago I had to wait in the Chicago airport an extra day. Indeed the weather was awful there. My culture shock knew no bounds, as I shiveringly observed the ways of northerners in a busy airport. I was glad to finally be on my way to Chattanooga the next morning. At noon April 20 I found my dear Sister and niece with her 2 children waiting with open arms!
God in His infinite wisdom had as usual, perfectly timed our trip to America. I barely will mention this here, even though it is enormous to us, -my Mother had just miraculously survived a life threatening illness during the past month and she was allowed to go home the day after I arrived. She had not expected to ever see me again. In my joy of once again being with my dear Mother and Sister, I paid no attention to the threats of weather danger coming from the news channels. There was so much to catch up on and I must get used to the 13 hours that I had just gained when I touched down on American soil. Nights were days and days-nights.
On Wednesday morning April 27, 2011 the weather channel showed a line of tornadoes stacked up and coming in our direction. I thought that it was not bad enough to worry about, so I headed off to the Collegedale Credit Union to meet Natalie and set up an account for Thailand. I had just finished my transaction when the sky turned black and the Collegedale sirens blared! The bank personnel scurried us off into the vault. Surely that would be a safe place, I thought, as I peered into the one foot deep, steel walled cubical that I had entered. Moments later, I decided to go and peek out through the 2 walls of clear glass windows in the front of the bank. I immediately fled back to my position in the vault, for I saw a tremendous wall of blackness. It was not the classical, tapering, twisting looking funnel like you see pictures of. It was wide, fast, and right down to the earth, just a stone’s throw away from us, going south. Another typical black funnel was following it. The wind was awful. Soon the all clear siren sounded and I fled to the Apartment building where my Mother was to see if she was alright. The danger seemed past and we breathed a sigh of relief.
Soon we heard on the news that the tornadoes were circling around and hitting the same areas again and again. This time I had great respect for the warnings put out on the news channel. The events that happened next were totally past description. My summary of it is that the God of the universe is in control. He decides what is destroyed and what is preserved, though they may be standing side by side. In the midst of these tornadoes, NOTHING can stand. My Sister, Julie (my niece), and her 2 children, were on their way to a friend’s basement for safety. They changed their minds at the last minute because they were strongly impressed to come to my Mother’s apartment building instead, staying on the first floor with us. During that time, hail the size of gulf balls pelted down. We discovered later that the area where my Sister and Julie were headed had been brutally hit. Nine people died. Four of which was a family driving down that very road. All through that night the tornadoes hit. They centered in this tri-state area of Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama. At last count 79 people lost their lives in Ringgold GA. as the tornado hit a very built up area. Tuscaloosa AL took the worst hit. The number of deaths is still going up. These tornadoes were categorized as F-4 and F5, the later being the strongest rating on the charts. Winds traveled in these areas over 200 mph.
My sister’s house is in Trenton Georgia, which was hit very hard repeatedly. She did not go home until all danger was past. She found her apartment building and everything in it unharmed and uncondemned, while the 2 apartment buildings either side of her had the windows out and all contents had been sucked out, including the people. On the opposite side of the road all the buildings were flat. many people had died. There was no warning, there was no time – no place to hide. Clearly the text in Psalm 91:7 comes to mind. “A thousand shall fall at thy side and ten thousand at thy right hand but it shall not come nigh thee.”
I heard a few local stories: One woman was being sucked up to the rafters of a disappearing roof and her son grabbed her legs and saved her life by pulling her down with all his might.
A man and wife were driving to the grocery store to get a carton of milk. The tornado struck as they entered the parking lot. He locked his arm through the steering wheel and grabbed his wife as the car spun in mad circles up in the air, finally landing on its side. The couple climbed out through the sun roof, basically unharmed.
This was once a beautiful forest. The trees are either totally gone or twisted and frayed partway up.
Taken from my car window. It doesn't seem nice to stop and take pictures of people's losses.
These are just what I had the nerve to shoot from the car window. I was driving and the road was a mess.
Bodies were found in trees. Some were not found at all. I am leaving out the really ugly stories. I saw huge power poles made of steel and taller than any trees or buildings, lying twisted like straws around trees and house parts. Trees around here are twisted and shredded about one third up. The rest of the trees are piled up on the roads as if it were a huge burn pile. What used to be gas stations and stores are gone. The rest of the store is slammed into the trees on the other side of the road, flattened and pressed deep into the ground. Many many populated areas are devastated. A lady who works behind Mother’s apartment lost 5 close relatives all at once. Books and belongings from people in Tuscaloosa are showing up here in Tennessee etc.
It is unnerving to be in the midst of this chaos, alive and unharmed with your loved ones around you. My heart goes out to those in great loss and need. Truly the God of the universe is withdrawing His presence from this sin sick world in preparation for the last final conflict. I review the events of the past in Japan and all the vehicle fatalities I have personally witnessed in Thailand just in that one week I told you about previously, I want to cry out to everyone to please wake up! The end of all things is at hand. There is no safe place anywhere, no peace and safety for you unless your heart is bonded in the heart of Jesus, the One who died and gave all for you. All must be totally surrendered to Him. Your time, your money, your cares, your plans, your associations, your future everything. Do it NOW before it is forever too late. Some are like the Rich Young Ruler and turn away sorrowfully – that is too much to give, life is too grand. Others are like me and the tornadoes – It is not important, it doesn’t matter. But wait a minute. None of these things will matter to you should your life end suddenly. None of these things will matter when the 7 last plagues are poured out. None of these things will matter when you are faced with the untold agony of discovering that you are too late. Forever too late to enter in with Jesus.
“For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Matthew 17:26
This question is much too important to leave unanswered in your own heart today. Even if there was only 10% chance of loosing eternity if you don’t surrender all, would you take the chance? What about 100%? How is it with your soul today?
“The death of Christ brings to the rejector of His mercy the wrath and judgments of God – unmixed with mercy. This is the wrath of the Lamb. But the death of Christ is hope and eternal life to all who receive Him and believe in Him.” TM 139