Two weeks ago today we sat huddled in the bathroom listening to the tornado sirens. Our town didn’t have any damage, but other areas in Kentucky did not fare as well as we did. Those whose lives have been turned upside down by the awful storms have been heavy on our hearts.
GO InterNational (who my hubby works for) has been involved in the tornado relief partnering with churches in the areas hardest hit. Today, as a family we were able to offer some tornado relief in the form of a carnival. Nontraditional for sure, but the results were worth the effort. The church invited families who lost everything. We then were able to partner with the church to help give these families an afternoon of joy.
We tied balloon animals, Soccer Dude and Big girl ran carnival games and Little Monkey ran around making friends. It felt like any other church carnival – until you looked across the street to see houses and business completed turned to a pile of rubble. I’m not sure that we really made a difference in the lives of the tornado victims. But it did make an impact on our kiddos. They saw first hand how thankful we can be for our home, our church and our family. They also met a group of people who are being courageous in the midst of devastation. That is good for any child’s heart.
Here is a photo of Big Girl working hard at the penny dig game. She is our gift giver – always passionate and ready to share from her heart. It was fun to see her in her element – blessing others. She asked me a few weeks ago, “how can we be missionaries if we are living in the States and not in China?” As I was trying to craft a response she answered her own question. “I guess there are people everywhere who need Jesus.” Yes, my sweet girl there are people everywhere who need Jesus…even in Kentucky! 😉
Casting A Stone 