By Stan Friedman
WAKEFIELD, NE (June 17, 2014) — When Hilda Pearson looked up from her basement where she had taken shelter from a tornado on Monday, she saw nothing but sky.
The killer twister had demolished her home.
Passersby might not even be able to tell that a home had stood there, said Kelly Johnston, pastor of Wakefield Covenant Church, where Pearson attends.
Pearson was uninjured and doing well emotionally, said Johnston, who last spoke with her Monday night.
The tornado was a separate one from the rare double tornado that slammed killed at least two people and injured several dozen others in Pilger. At least 30 homes in Wayne County were heavily damaged or destroyed, according to a local newspaper.
Pearson lives about two miles outside of Wakefield. Her daughter lives in the next house over in the rural area. Her home also was heavily damaged.
The church is located in town and sustained no damage, Johnston said. So far no other heavy damage or injuries have been reported by Covenanters in the area, she added.
Dan Springer, pastor of Pender Covenant Church, said he was unaware of any damage to homes of his congregation. The tornados that hit Pilger had been headed for their community but then veered, which mitigated the damage, he added.
Today, members of the Wakefield church were helping with cleanup efforts and bringing sandwiches and water to volunteers in their community.
Tonight the church will prepare a meal of Sloppy Joes. “We’re in Nebraska, so people here have plenty of meat to donate,” Johnston said.
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Thank you for sharing this story from Wakefield! We appreciate your prayers and concern. Our church is just one little part of a whole community coming together to help our neighbors in need.
This devastation is so hard to comprehend, I think it puts all of us in shock. We are all use to getting up and starting our day as usual and all of a sudden things have changed severely. The one thing that has not changed is our trust in the Lord, and I thank Him for that because that is what gets us through. God has blessed us with friends and family and we are all brought together. I ask that he will wrap each and everyone of you in his love and compassion at this tragic time. I’m sending prayers and special thoughts to all.