Lena Jones

Living in Iowa for nearly my entire life has taught me that weather can be very unpredictable. My poor state has seen flooding for the second time in fifteen years. In 1993 the residents of Iowa were informed that a flood like that only happened every hundred years, they were off by 85 years. Some places in Iowa have seen worse flooding than in the historical 93 floods. I am blessed to live far from any rivers or large streams. Even our basement is dry. My heart goes out to those who may loose all of their possessions, even their homes in the raging rivers.

This spring has also been a year for tornadoes. Again, growing up in Iowa, I have been in the basement a fair number of times. This year however it seems every night we are watching the forecast to stay safe. The people in Parkersburg, and more recently Little Sioux have experienced nature more than they ever imagined. I feel so helpless as I see the footage of houses ravaged by the monstrous storms. I believe the last count in Iowa of deaths related to tornadoes was at eleven. I think it is easy to forget these people when we are continuing life as normal. Their lives are anything but normal. I pray that the Lord will help me to remember that no matter how rough things get for me their are people who are going through much worse.