Final Tornado post

Soon they told all of us in White Hall to move to the PAC. We stayed together as the group we had formed in White Hall (which also happened to be a group of close friends). As we walked over we saw many blown over tress and broken windows, but the sights were much less unnerving than the other buildings we saw and the blood covered students. When we entered the PAC, another makeshift nursing station was set up. As we proceeded down the hall, they informed us we would be staying at different faculty members’ homes, so Becca called her parents and told them we wanted to stay there. We again had to sign a sheet and put our cell phone number down and they told us to sit and wait. Knowing that the Poes were going to pick us up, we moved closer to the Chapel where they were loading cars full of people to send them away for the night. Tyler and Bob went to find their car (which they drove in from their house off campus). When we were waiting by the Chapel, we heard a voice call out for Becca Poe; somehow, Josh had found her among 1200 other students. Danielle was also able to find her sister. As we were waiting, a group going to Humboldt came by, at which point Sarah gave me my computer and Kyle Jones's also. We made it out to the Poe's and called home and watched the news. We also used my laptop to get on wi-fi, and people were able to facebook it up and use email. We had some coffee and had a prayer time which was great and helped us deal with some of the stress, shock, awe, and horror. I called my parents, and no knowing if I would be able to get into my room or if my car was ok, told/asked them to drive down the next morning and pick me up. When we were sitting around, Amanda Johnson called and asked if any of us knew how to contact Kevin Bradley's parents. Mrs. Poe knew Mrs. Bradley, and using what she knew of them and facebook and the White pages online, we were able to find their phone number. We then went to sleep, or tried to, five guys downstairs (we lost Bob) and around 10 or 11 girls upstairs (we lost Kirby). When we got up, we had pancakes (because Becca's sister Mary Ellen wanted them), and it sounded good to all of us. We walked around and got kicked off of campus, and then tried to enjoy ourselves until we were able to get back on campus (well, only Kyle, Austin, and I were able to get on campus), and we got our stuff and our cars and went back to the Poe's. On campus, we were given five minutes to pack our rooms with whatever we could carry. Soon after getting back, my parents came and picked me up. It was a miraculous show of God's providence and mercy that everyone is ok. As Dr. David S. Dockery said, "Out of the rubble comes renewal." Union and its leadership have done a great job in leading after this disaster, and as Sen. Corker said, we have inspired the nation.

Some friends

Some friends inspire me to holiness more than others.
It doesn't hurt when they follow Mark 5.19:

And he did not permit him but said to him, "Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you."

It does hurt when they are far away.

Do not forsake your friend and your father’s friend,
and do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity.
Better is a neighbor who is near
than a brother who is far away. (Proverbs 27.10)