I had the privilege of going to Phil Campbell, AL this past Sunday. Andrew, Mandie, and Randy were invited to lead worship at Phil Campbell Church of God. This precious church lost everything. All that remains is the concrete slab where the church once stood. I had not actually seen any of the tornado damages across north AL until Sunday. I could not believe my eyes. I have never seen destruction like this before. Of course you see lots of terrible disasters on the news, but never have I seen anything this bad with my own eyes. I tried to imagine myself in these people's "shoes". What if my city was destroyed and my church building was gone? Life would be so different. And, even worse, what if I had lost loved ones? It is hard to imagine. I really do not want to imagine it. But this is reality for a town only an hour away from my home. In the midst of all the bad, there is still good news. This town is going to be rebuilt. This church didn't need a building to worship the Lord. They had each other and they definitely still had God. Thank goodness He is with us all the time. They did have some fold-out chairs and a small sound system. What an experience to see people worshiping God in the very center of such destruction and tragedy. The pastor and his wife lost everything. Honestly, I was in such shock of what surrounded me that it almost made me numb inside. It's like I couldn't process it all at one time. What is so encouraging and inspiring is these people are moving forward and helping others in the midst of their own loss. The pastor spoke of church groups coming from South Carolina, Virginia, etc. to help Phil Campbell. One church from out-of-state had gathered enough supplies to fill a semi-truck. That is pretty incredible! This is what "being a church" is all about.The pastor spoke of how encouraged he was from driving around town seeing signs that said "Going to rebuild, will open again", "Rebuilding", "Closed for now", "Don't Loot or I'll Shoot", etc. The last one is humorous in it's own light-hearted way, but I know it is a very serious matter. But even still, the pastor told us of how all these signs were encouraging because people are going to rebuild their lives. I agree with him. I wanted to share some pictures from our day there.
Instead of a church sign they have their church van to display their name.
This was the end of the service. It was so cold! I had to take my baby to the car and get warm. She was getting bored. :)
The kitchen was still standing in this house. The coffee pot and liquid soap were still sitting on the counter.
These are pictures of the area that surrounded the concrete slab. There was absolutely nothing but piles of debris and rubbish. Houses were flattened and cars were crunched and flipped.
I have heard people say several times that it is different to see it in person. I agree. It definitely makes it more real. I was so glad to be a part of their service on Sunday. What the enemy meant for evil and destruction the Lord is going to turn into good and for His glory. Thank God we have that promise for those of us who love Him. This is not punishment from God, but only the works of the enemy. God will work this out for His glory. Good thing He is in control! Good is good, all the time.
Have a restful night. More updates to come on Little Miss. We've got a crawler on our hands!
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