when God says go

i mean, you gotta go, right?

two weeks ago, i woke up with the clear need 
to go help relief efforts in oklahoma.
i texted my friend to see if she would join me.
she had already applied. through some crazy, 
God-ordained circumstances,
marge and i ended up in shawnee, oklahoma
serving with samaritan's purse (sp).

  
shawnee had been hit with an estimated ef4 tornado
the same day as the close-by town, moore.
due to the large magnitude of moore's tornado,
shawnee has been overlooked by much of the media,
but their pain and hurts are just as deep.

samaritan's purse is serving at multiple locations throughout shawnee.
we ended up in a trailer park that had been pretty much destroyed.
our job was simple: 
clear rubble and look for family keepsakes
with a smile and a glad heart.
  

so that's what we did for four and a half days.
from clearing trees to rooting through glass in the dirt,
we work as heartily for the Lord.

but my favorite part was when we finished a property.
sp gives a bible to every homeowner they work with.
all the people who work on their property sign the front
and write something to the homeowner.
whether the homeowner is a believer or not,
it is definitely an emotional moment as we say thank you for the opportunity to serve them in the name of Jesus.

i could go on and on, sharing funny and God glorifying stories,
but i think i'll ask you to pray, instead.
pray for healing and restoration for those effected.
pray for the families we have worked with, that their hearts would continue to be softened to the gospel.
pray for endurance for those who are still working.
pray that God would use local believers and sp workers to share and shine Jesus.

many thanks to those who were praying while we were away
and will continue to pray!


cincerely,

*prayerful and hopeful* cindy