Sunday May 19 a storm rolled into Norman, Ok, with a tornado touching down near Main Street.
The sirens wailed and the sky turned purple and black.
Before
During
After
Monday May 20, 2013 will be a day few forget.
An F-5 tornado traveled 17 miles ripping through neighborhoods and towns leaving nothing but destruction in its path. The twister reached 1.3 miles wide in Moore, OK destroying two elementary schools as well as a hospital. The destruction afterward was compared to a atomic bomb.
At this point 24 people, including 7 children, have lost their lives, with 377 injured.
This was Alisha's view
Photo Credit: Hannah Cruz
Photo credit: ABC News
Photo credit: CNN
Photo credit: CNN
Photo credit: CNN
The outpouring support after the storm has been truly inspiring.
Over 100 people were found after the tornado, with rescuers working through the night clearing the rubble looking for survivors.
Sunday May 26, a short Sacrament Meeting was held at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Stake Center for all volunteers with Mormon Helping Hands. 280 people attended the meeting where the Stake President told the congregation their service would eventually result in increased membership in the Stake.
Teams of 10-15 people were formed and given work assignments in outlying areas affected by the tornado. Our team was assigned to homes in Newalla, OK and we were blessed to assist four families throughout the day.
Trees were cleared, trash was removed, friendships were strengthened and the "least of these" were served.
Several churches and stores in the area gave service by providing food for relief workers.
We had lunch at the Pecan Valley Baptist Church, meeting countless relief workers of other faiths traveling from St. Louis, MO, Austin, TX, Sandy Hook, CT, Alabama and North Dakota among others. Along with food the church also had a donation center inside the building with several tables packed with clothing, hygiene products, baby items and so on.
Throughout the day several vehicles driving past work areas would stop and offer water and Gatorade to workers. Service looks different for each person, all of which is magnificent.
Do you see the tree splitting the house in two?
Sheet metal
Trampoline
One house in particular had several damaged trees that were cut down, sectioned off and dragged up to the edge of the road for later disposal. Rather than each person make several trips from the yard to the road, a line was made to pass the branches directly from the chainsaw area to the road.
By the end of the day we were spent...
... but extremely grateful we had the opportunity to serve our neighbors and spread the Gospel through our deeds.
Oklahoma Strong
"By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another (John 13:35)
"And the King shall answer and say until them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." (Matthew 25:40)
"When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God." (Mosiah 2:17)
"God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs." Spencer W. Kimball
