This was always in the back of our minds, as we went through our week running the camp program that I described in my last post. Then Wednesday the thunderstorm warnings came. Nothing really happened. But then the tornado warnings came. Again. This town ripped apart by a tornado was facing the prospect of more volatile weather not even a week later. Our kids were scared. Some of them terrified. They'd all seen the news and pictures.
Leaders herded kids into shelter, then a few of us huddled around radios to keep up with the latest warnings (evidently, tornado warning music is actually pretty good. Aside from my concern that the announcers weren't saying anything, probably because they too were hunkered down in the soundproof padded rooms, they did pick a good playlist. And I digress). Leader's and kid's cell phones were ringing off the hook as concerned parents texted and called after watching the Weather Network. The guys were scared, but tried not to show it. It was written all over their faces. The girls were much harder. They were visibly scared and shaken. Some were crying. So, huddled in the only shelter we could find, we did what any sane human being would do: we sang Bohemian Rhapsody at the top of our lungs, complete with guitar solos. But as the song ended, that awkward tension of not knowing what's going on began to take over again.
By now, the sky looked wicked, and was divided in two: tornado clouds and blue sky. We had no rain, no hail, and the wind was there, but not gale force. Some of us shared Scripture, reminding the girls that God was in control of the weather. At one point as I walked in to check on the girls after listening to another weather bulletin they were all lined up in a massage train.
I don't think I could have predicted what happened next. The next time I returned to look in on them, one of the leaders shushed me as I walked in. We went outside and she told me what was going on. The girls had rallied around those who were very shaken by what was going on. At one point, as I'm sure they began talking about anything to not think about the weather, one of the girls shared something that was going on in her life. One of the girls, asked if she could pray for her. Within minutes, prayer was bouncing through the washroom, from girl to girl, with no leaders leading or piping in. I wasn't in the room, so I hope I'm giving this story justice. But God's peace showed up. Not long after, the warnings were lifted and the funnel clouds were gone. After a spectacular evening program, I sat out with a few of my colleagues and we watched the stars in the now clear sky. And we saw a shooting star so big that I've only seen a handful in my life. God was with us.
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To read about The Salvation Army's relief efforts in Goderich, go here.
