It's been a little over a week now, since the tornado. We were lucky enough to have our power restored on Tuesday of this week; then the internet connection came back up on Wednesday. There are still many parts who town who have neither service. Some people are still using generator power and finding wi-fi hot spots where they may.
Clean up & volunteering is in full force. It is wonderful to see how this little town has pulled together. The Red Cross is here, the National Guard is here, Christian faith-based help is here from many parts of the country and the local people are helping each other.
The church can be the heart of many communities. Our little town is sometimes known as the "city of churches" because there are so many in close proximity to one another. That's one of the nice things about small-town Alabama. :) Two downtown churches were completely destroyed. Others, like mine, suffered a great deal of damage. We lost our beloved stained glass windows among other things.
We were among the members who came to our church the day after the storms to begin clean-up. We were able to see things that most of our members won't be able to see because the major clean-up has begun now. Our sanctuary and part of our building is now a "hard-hat only" area and completely off limits to members. It is estimated that 6-9 months will be necessary to do all of the necessary repairs. Luckily we have space that was not damaged in which to worship in the meantime.
We took pictures on that day after; from a perspective that few had. After much thought, we decided to put together a video with a message of hope. Little Gracious did most of the work on this which just a few suggestions from Mom. :)
