On March 29, Franklin Graham joined the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team (BG-RRT) in Rolling Fork and Silver City, Mississippi, to talk with residents who are picking up the pieces after a devastating storm. Twenty-five people were killed by tornadoes in central Mississippi, along with one person in Alabama.
Two chaplains speak with a man named Joshua to see how he's holding up. “We want to make sure residents know they are not alone and not forgotten,” said Josh Holland, BG-RRT’s international director. “In the midst of the storm, there is hope—that hope is in Jesus Christ.” Have you placed your trust in Jesus?
Thousands of homes and buildings were reduced to rubble by a tornado that ripped through Rolling Fork and spanned more than 100 miles. Parked near the destruction, the BG-RRT’s Mobile Ministry Center is a safe space for locals to have conversations with chaplains.
“I went to where a mobile home park had been last week, but now there is nothing left, just mounds of twisted metal and debris. It just breaks your heart,” Franklin Graham said. “I talked with residents who had survived the tornado, but their homes have been badly damaged or destroyed. My wife, Jane Austin, and I met a couple who said that they hunkered in their linen closet while the tornado ripped their roof off and destroyed most of the homes around them.”
Smashed windows and other damage to cars show the brunt force of storm debris. A chaplain helps a resident navigate where to receive help.
In the midst of crisis, knowing someone cares and pausing for a moment of prayer can uplift those who are feeling stressed and overwhelmed.
As chaplains meet locals, they listen to horrifying stories of the storm, but also hear residents share thankfulness just to be alive.
A chaplain hugs a woman named Gail after offering her encouragement. “Please lift the residents of this region who have lost so much up in your prayers,” Franklin Graham said. “We want them to know that ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble’ (Psalm 46:1, ESV).”
