Her Parents….

On Saturday I did a blog post that followed up on the Friday post…regarding adoption from Uganda.  One of the commentators is someone who goes by “thesleepyknitter”…
Anyway, all the people who commented on Friday were mentioned in the post on Saturday, including “thesleepyknitter”…
Last night as we were climbed into bed we had FOX news on.  It said that there had been a tornado in Joplin, MS.  We began to pray.  Our family is all too familiar with the trauma of a tornado and frankly, I keep starting to cry anytime I hear of a tornado. 
Well I couldn’t sleep in the night, awake at just after 3.  I decided to read my Bible and pray.  I also checked my email and saw that a comment had come in to moderate.  It was from “thesleepyknitter”.  
I don’t know this sweet bloggy friend who goes by “thesleepyknitter” but I was so shocked as I read her comment, I wanted to post it below. 
Would you pray please with me for the people of Joplin, MS and all the other states that have been ravaged by tornadoes this season? 
 From “thesleepyknitter”…
Oh, Linny! Not long before I commented on your post this evening (Sunday), my 67-year-old parents’ home was completely destroyed in a tornado in Joplin, MO! 
I learned about the tornado about an hour later but didn’t hear from my folks until nearly midnight. They had survived by hiding in a closet that fell apart around them as their house was ripped apart. 
The lovely young Christian couple across the street was killed when their house was flattened, and I think many of the homes in their neighborhood (a block or so from the hospital that was hit so badly) were flattened — we’ve seen pictures on the news in which no visible landmarks in the neighborhood remained except the hospital. 
My parents are pretty beat up (Mom has a fractured ankle and has been in shock, etc) but not enough to receive medical care due to the amount of more serious injuries in town, so my folks are staying this evening at a friends’ house. 
My little brother went to the rubble of my folks’ house and looked for them but couldn’t find them, though he could see that both cars were in the garage! He was crying when he managed to get a cell phone call through to us. My folks had already somehow managed to leave for their friends’ house before my brother arrived, but for part of the evening, we three kids in KY, MO, and AZ, all thought my folks were dead under the rubble. 
My little brother had to return home to his wife and kids, but he was planning to go back to Mom and Dad’s at daylight tomorrow (Monday) to search for my folks. It has been such a horrible evening for us, but far worse for many other families who have lost family members, homes, businesses, church buildings, schools, and more. 
My heart is breaking, and I’m praying Phil. 4 and reminding myself that God is in charge, that God owns the cattle on a thousand hills and He can take care of my parents in spite of what has happened. 
Please pray for the people of Joplin, MO!
And to thesleepyknitter, I know my bloggy friends {and they are some of the sweetest people in all the world} and sleepyknitter, there will be a couple thousand people lifting your parents and your siblings and their community before the Lord. Cause when something affects one of us, it really affects all of us.  
“Share each other’s burdens, and in this 
way obey the law of Christ.”
Galatians 6:2

47 thoughts on “Her Parents….

  1. Prayers are being said on my end. I hope everyone is well in MO, but for those who did not survive…. May the Lord bring comfort to their families. He has a plan for them.

  2. We have been watching the news about the tornado.
    We will certainly be praying for sleepyknitter and her family.
    Be sure to have her let us know if we can do or send anything…

  3. I woke up this morning, and pulled up my server to check e-mail as I do every morning. I was shocked by the pictures I saw on my homepage. What horrible destruction. Keeping the people of Joplin in my thoughts and prayers today. Be near, sweet Jesus.

  4. We prayed last night and this morning with all the kids too. Our own area has been hit several times. We see first hand what the devastation looks like. Know that we are praying in OK for our bloggy friends in MO. May the peace that passes all understanding comfort you all.

  5. Praying here in Michigan.

    My brother lives in Apison TN. Their home was untouched. His son's family home was untouched. This in spite of the fact that others very close to them had homes totally destroyed and lives lost.

    My brother has been working with a close friend in his 80s whose house was damaged but left standing. All of the other homes in his neighborhood were flattened.

    Tornadoes fresh in my mind.

  6. My 19 year old and 9 year old cousin were missing in the rubble as well. One was found in the basement of his church the other with her dad – both safe.

    The destruction in this town is horrible.

    We keep praying for them. And for SleepyKnitters family!

  7. How frightening that must be! My heart goes out to all those in, Jopin and so do my prayes. "Lift Me Up" Is by group called The Afters. It is talking about the love of God. Here is the chorus:
    "You lift me up when I am weak
    Your arms wrap around me,
    Your love catches me so I'm letting go.
    You lift me up when I can't see,
    Your heart is all that I need,
    Your love carries me so I'm letting go."
    Praying that all those affected would be surrounded my God's love.
    Psalm 118:5-6

    When hard pressed, I cried to the LORD;
    he brought me into a spacious place.
    The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid.
    What can mere mortals do to me?

  8. My heart is just breaking for the town of Joplin. Many of my friends went to college there at Ozark Christian College. Lifting them up continually. Praying for God to bring beauty from ashes.

    Hugs,
    Robin

  9. thesleepyknitter, praying for you and your family glad your parents were found alive and were able to seek shelter. I live up in St. Louis but have been praying for the folks in Joplin Mo ever since last night.

  10. We watched a documentary last night about the tornadoes from last month. I was so broken hearted to see the faces and hear the few stories that were shared, sad to see the REAL devastation and it bring back horrible memories from when we experienced Hurricane Ivan several years back. What we saw and lived through was so huge, yet seems small when you see what others are going through now. So many people hurting…….

  11. soooo thankful your folks are safe. I pray for PEACE to come to them this day, for JEsus to comfort them and to care for them thru the loss, fear and grief they must be feeling. I pray as they heal and recover they will know God is near. Thank you Lord for your grace and protection

  12. I too am praying for the people of Joplin-that's where most of my relatives are. An aunt and uncle live about a mile from the hospital. Their windows were blown out and their roof damaged, but they are okay. Other homes in their neighborhood were destroyed. A cousin was behind the hospital doing some kind of production. He was hit by flying debris but thankfully has only a leg wound with lots of splinters. Three of the people with him were killed.

    Lots of thankfulness and prayers going up here!

  13. Hello Linny,

    I've been a long time reader of your blog albeit a silent one. I want to thank you for putting out the request for prayers for those in Joplin, MO. I live just 45 minutes fromt here and sat up last night watching the live stream on weather channel, crying and praying. Such devastation and then we had the most beautiful perfect double rainbow over our house shortly after the tornado. Sometimes it's so difficult to understand but you have to know that God's hand is upon us all.

    I am also an adoptive parent of two children from foster care. We have hit the wall on RAD behaviors lately and it's been really rough but nothing like the perspective of the devastation so near our own home which stands today.

    Thanks again for your refreshing posts and spreading the word on MO (not MS though, as I'm sure you accidently typed in your post 😉 ).

  14. Sleepy Knitter, I'm SO sorry to hear about what's happened. I will definatetly remember you, your family, your parents and their community in my prayers. I hope knowing that there will be many joining together to pray will bring at leat some comfort to you all as you work through all of this.

  15. Thank you, Linny, and thank you to all your readers who are praying for my family and many others there in Joplin! We have had no contact with my parents today but learned through Facebook that my mom was taken to another city for treatment of her injuries, which are relatively minor compared to some injuries there in Joplin, but serious enough to need hospital care.

    We are overwhelmed by the newscasts, videos, and photos we've been seeing of Joplin all day. Years ago my husband and I attended the Christian college there in north Joplin and have hundreds of friends in the area, and frequented many of the downtown businesses that suddenly no longer exist. Also, many children adopted from our children's orphanage in Taiwan live in the Joplin area — there's a particular concentration in that area due to special connections with the orphanage director's family (whose four adult children and their family have all reported in from the Joplin area and are safe). One local church reports that 55 families from their congregation lost homes.

    We pray that God's great mercy will come into this area. I confess I struggle even saying that — a part of me thinks, "Why didn't He stop the tornado from hitting this community in the first place?" But I trust in Scripture's instruction that says our wisest moments are pure foolishness compared to God's most foolish moments. For whatever reason that this tragedy happened, somehow our loving Father is still in the midst, even if we can't explain the "why" of it all.

    In Christ,
    Sleepy

  16. We are so saddened by all of the devastation from all of the storms this season. This newest storm has wrought so much damage and loss of life. I just cry, too, as I think of it.

    Praying here for the people of Joplin and holding on to the fact that God is in charge. Crying with the folks who went through the storm. Praying for God's new mercies in the morning.

    In Christ,
    janet and gang

  17. Linny, Can you please let sleepyknitter know that I would love to help her parents in any way I can? I live not too far away in Tulsa and have been searching for a way to get involved. I am hoping to head up there this weekend. Thank you.

  18. What a reminder to always have our hearts ready. One minute I am on the phone speaking to my sister who is telling me about her daughter’s wonderful graduation from Ozark Christian College the previous day and the next minute, she has to get off the phone in a panic. She saw the breaking news about the tornado and immediately needed to get in touch with her 3 kids in Joplin, MO to ensure they were okay. Praising God today for a last minute change of plans which meant all 3 were not home, but had all gone to take their cousins to the airport. Today, they are so thankful that they have the opportunity to try and salvage some of their belongings from the rubble, volunteer at MSSU (where they are treating some patients in the nursing school labs) and rebuild their lives while so many do not have this opportunity. My niece works at St. Joseph’s (the hospital that was destroyed) and from the ground, they say the images on T.V do not even begin to capture the damage. There are so many injured, they need a lot medical personnel, but it is hard to coordinate because computers are down and the roads are pretty bad. They really need prayers.

  19. My aunt and uncle and their kids live in Joplin, but thankfully the tornado didn't hit their house. Praise the Lord! I am praying for the other people who weren't as fortunate.

  20. Linny, I just returned from Joplin. The scenes are unimaginable seeing them in person. We were able to help a young Christian lady salvage what we could from her home. There is great need. College Heights Christian Church (http://www.chcchurch.org/the-storm) is totally accepting volunteers and is very well organized. We were so impressed with the body of Christ working together from there. I posted several pictures and about our short trip on my blog (http://wolfeshomedotnet.blogspot.com). I'm off to hunker down in our storm room now, as rotating storms are just about upon us.

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