Their mother had lived in the house for 30 years. But those many years of building memories and strengthening family ties were not enough to hold the house firm to its foundation when the storm came.
Sunday, April 27, 2014 a massive tornado, an EF-4, plowed through Faulkner County, Arkansas and wiped the home away. Fortunately, it didn’t erase the family.
We met these three sisters in the photo above – Ruby, in red, Wyvone in the middle and Helen – while driving from the town of Mayflower to Vilonia. They had come, along with other family members, to pick through the rubble, trying to collect the bits and pieces that were once their mother’s home.
A team from Heart to Heart International (HHI) is on the ground in Arkansas, delivering aid and supplies to folks who survived the storm. We brought in items like Johnson and Johnson Hygiene Kits and children’s blanket kits assembled by HHI volunteers; a lot of bottled water; batteries and flashlights; and Neutrogena sunscreen. Quite a lot of sunscreen, actually. Boxes upon boxes. And as these things happen, sunscreen is exactly what these three sisters were really needing.
Just before we met, the sisters had just been telling their elderly mother, who was picking through the debris, you need to get some sunscreen! But from where? Where do you go when everything near you is destroyed?
Not long after, our team came rumbling by in a truck full of supplies, water and sunscreen. We made some friends this day. Not only were we able to provide the desired sunscreen, but we also passed out hygiene kits and blanket kits with coloring book and crayons for the grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
It was a good day with the three sisters. A good day helping the good folks of Arkansas.
