pics from ttown

here are some pics that we took that afternoon as we drove through a city i love...











(the cardboard on this last one says "God bless everyone helping fix my town")

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!!

i'm alive i promise

yes, i'm still alive i promise...not been so alive on the blog world though so i apologize! and absolutely promise some blogs updating you on all that the past few months of my life have been all about

i must say i can't believe it's basically the middle of august...not that i really get summer but geez, where did it go?!!

but i do love me some fall: football, basketball, pumpkins, leaves changing, boot weather, honeycrisp apples, and so on and so on.

i can't wait to share some of the exciting changes in my life since i last blogged

april week 4: one emotional roller coaster

i still have trouble wrapping my mind around all that i experienced all 7 days of last week...let's just say that i endured every emotion out there. i started the week joyfully serving my epic church friends and worshiping the Risen Christ alongside them and over 200 other san franciscans. the middle of the week brought anxiety, nerves, & uncertainty with a day full of severe tornadoes coming right through tuscaloosa & birmingham. the end of the week brought overflowing devastation, heart break, and compassion as i watched and viewed all the videos, pictures, and footage from the wreckage in tuscaloosa, a town that will forever hold a special place in my heart. i was able to take some donations down to ttown with some friends saturday morning before coming back for work...let's just say that words cannot describe what that tornado did but i can say it did not destroy the ability of that place to rebuild, bounce back, and recover.

if you want to help the state of alabama in any way, please visit: http://alabamapossible.org/2011/04/tornado-relief-how-you-can-help/ or http://www.birminghamsalvationarmy.org/

or let me know if you want to come down and help volunteer or send donations.

san fran part deux

this afternoon about 20 of my friends from church are headed out to san francisco to serve our Epic Church friends again. they have us close to 100,000 postcards/granola bars to hand out and are having 2 services on Sunday to celebrate the Lord's Resurrection. since their launch to weekly services in february, they've seen around 100 folks each week. the Lord is definitely up to something great in the city!

i'm absolutely pumped about what the Lord has in store for us as a group and me personally (and selfishly excited for a vacation...we're even celebrating my friend kristen's bday friday night at the braves vs. giants game). i can't wait to share with the blog world all about our trip when i return next tuesday morning.

please be in prayer for our time in san fran: for the folks we meet, those who've been invited already, those debating on whether to attend one of the services or not, the Epic Church staff, and those who attend an Easter service on Sunday, that the Lord will be glorified throughout our entire trip.