Franklin took one look at the sky and knew this was a big one. There was a strange green tint in the air as the massive black sky was marching toward them.
Within minutes, Franklin moved his wife Andrea, and their
two boys, Franklin III and Jackson into the crawl space under the house. It was
just in time as winds exceeding 200 miles per hour began destroying their
neighborhood.
As they lay in the crawl space, they could hear the roof coming
off their home. Then they heard their vehicles slam into the house eventually
becoming nothing more than twisted metal. Piece by piece, their home was flying
away. And then, the floor of the house was collapsing on them.
Then the gas line broke. It was a moment of panic. Should
they crawl out and get away from the gas? With all the electricity in the air,
it was hard to feel safe there. Their fear of a gas explosion caused them to
crawl out, but as soon as they did, the wind began to pick up the youngest
boy. Franklin grabbed him out of the air
and they crawled back under the house.
In a few minutes, the tornado did pass. As they crawled out, there was an eerie
silence accompanied by the leftover hail and neighbors screaming for help.
Franklin’s first thought, though, was to get his family to a safety. After
assuring his neighbors he would be back, the family began to walk toward Joplin
to find a safe place.
Hoping to find a stable house untouched by the tornado, they
found none. Instead, there was devastation everywhere. So they kept walking,
precariously dodging power lines laying on the ground and ponds of water.
They were, however, alive and together! These were facts
that had not escaped them, and for which they were grateful.
The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to
it and are safe.
Proverbs 18.10, NIV
More of Franklin's story to come...
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