House of Prayer

I will be going to my home town of Carterville, IL tomorrow. I was raised on our family golf course, and we also have a furniture store that has been open since 1877. Last Friday afternoon 100 mph winds and several tornados blew through. It is being called an inland hurricane, and FEMA has declared Carterville and Williamson County a disaster area.

When I was a kid a storm like this uprooted over 100 trees on the course. This one has knocked over 330 at last count. No one has seen any Ameren UE trucks in Carterville and estimates for restored power are at least a week. The clubhouse and the furniture store have both lost part of their roofs, as has my aunts garage and kitchen. One of the store windows also blew out, and everything has been covered in plastic. Please pray that rain will hold off until more permanent fixes. The local carpenter has told my uncle that their garage is 75th on his list.

Right now we are facing devastation and ruin in more ways than one. My dad doesn't know when or if the golf course will reopen. We need a professional crew to clear the course, insurance money, and help from FEMA. There are a lot of unknowns.

I praise the Lord that no one in our family was hurt and that everyone still has a roof over their heads and generators to keep food from spoiling. Some people have lost their homes and are hurting worse than my family. Pray for the area.

Pray that I will be able to help my father, and that the Lord will use this tragedy to bring him to grace. I told my dad that I could bring chain saws and gasoline, and he told me that he just needs me to help him make decisions. He has put his blood, sweat, and tears into the course, and he is exhausted. Unfortunately he has taken better care of the course than he has himself. He needs rest and the Lord. 

My aunt and uncle have invested themselves in my grandfather's furniture store since they've been married and quality furniture has not been in demand for a long time. They need your prayers for recovery.

Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.