Last week, a severe storm system traveled from Texas to South Carolina, spawning off tornadoes in several regions—including hard-hit Round Rock, Texas (pictured here), and New Orleans, Louisiana. Billy Graham chaplains are ministering alongside Samaritan's Purse in both of these cities, offering emotional and spiritual care to locals who are picking up the pieces of their lives.
At least one person in Texas and one person in the New Orleans area died in the storms, and many were injured.
As pictured here in Texas, residents share their personal stories with the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team (BG-RRT) to help process heartbreaking memories.
Chaplains like Jody Kennedy (pictured here) often give the resident a Billy Graham Training Center Bible and show them a special section dedicated to certain topics and questions people may have about God. Jody and his wife, Trisha, met a Christian woman in the area burdened for her Buddhist neighbor whose home was flattened by the twister. The woman has been praying for this neighbor over the years, so the chaplains left her Bible-based materials to help share the love of Christ with her neighbor. "We feel like God led us to her to equip her," Trisha said.
A hug can go a long way for someone who has experienced trauma. Chaplains Dave and Toy Roley ministered to tornado survivors Chris and Paula Tucker in Arabi, Louisiana, located on the east bank of the Mississippi River.
“You came along at the right time. I was having a meltdown. And you give great hugs,” local Christi Riggio told chaplain Toy Roley in Arabi.
The joy on chaplain Toy Roley's face couldn't be contained as a local made the decision to accept Christ after reading a Steps to Peace With God booklet, a guide the BG-RRT uses that's filled with Scripture and answers for a world that desperately needs a Savior. >>Have you surrendered your life to Christ? Know Him today.
More than 175 people have prayed with Billy Graham chaplains in Round Rock, Texas, asking God for both help and hope.
Chaplain Trisha Kennedy meets a young girl in Round Rock, Texas. She's serving alongside her husband, Jody, who was hospitalized with COVID in 2020. When he recovered, a doctor told him there was no medical reason for him to be alive. Jody said, "As long-term missionaries, we were fired up for the Lord before, but now we are more than ever. He’s given us another chance to serve Him longer and we don’t want to waste it."
An emotional homeowner (not pictured) described to chaplains the horrific events of riding out the tornado. Half of his roof was gone. He found out later his father had prayed for God to keep each of his children safe—around the same time the twister crashed into his house. The chaplain said, "It sounds like your father is a believer in Jesus. Do you have a relationship with Jesus, too?" Through tears, the homeowner shared how he'd become angry at God after his sister had died in a car wreck at age 19. He kept wondering why he was spared from the storm, but his sister died. The chaplain asked the man if he would like to know how to have true peace with God. He replied, "Yes, yes!" and gave his life to Jesus. Please continue to pray for those recovering from the recent storms in both Texas and Louisiana.
