ttown never down

the last time i blogged i spoke about the tornados that created utter destruction on my current state and one of the cities that has a special place in my heart...tuscaloosa.

the saturday right after i was able to head down for a few hours with some friends to deliver some donations but couldn't stay long because i had to get back for work. the following saturday i was off so alana and i decided to go down and volunteer with samaritan's purse. that morning we set out for ttown unsure of what we'd see or experience but ready to work. we met a few friends from college who drove in from starkville at first baptist and got our assignment: head to a trailer park in holt to separate debris, trash, personal items, siding, appliances, etc from a pile of what looked like several trailers that the tornado had destroyed and rescue crews had pushed together.

we spent the morning getting dirty, sweating and pulling out items we recognized and those we didn't. we found check books, multiple dora items, textbooks, school notes, food, and so on and so on. it was heart breaking to pull from an area of the pile that you knew represented certain parts of their home: kids' room, living room or kitchen. the fridge still contained perishable items. we weren't informed about the homes' residents and their situation post tornado but it was incredible to see trailers several hundred feet away still standing with their residents still present. as we drove up to the trailer park, we looked out over an empty ravine that 10 days earlier was covered with trees. we saw only the foundation of a house and a truck placed in the limbs remaining in that ravine.

after 5 or so hours of work, we broke for the day and headed to lunch with our friends. after eating, alana and i took some time to drive through the areas of tuscaloosa most hit by the tornado. words cannot express all the destruction we took in that afternoon: seeing entire neighborhoods destroyed, realizing how large a lake inside that neighborhood actually is, noticing the amount of houses that existed behind certain businesses and how much the trees actually covered up, realizing businesses that i frequented in college no longer exist, and seeing the fight and hope the folks of tuscaloosa have despite the wreckage of that april afternoon.

i've been to tuscaloosa at least 4-5 times since this day and i admit that each time it's still tough to drive by 15th & mcfarland. the first time i approached that intersection at night and attempted to kill time at the hobby lobby were tough to endure.

one thing i do know: the Lord has done some mighty things through this physical destruction that only He is capable of doing and only He can receive the glory for!!