Weather spotters David Schlotthauer and Ethan B watched in horror as Friday's tornado bore down on the town of Mayfield:
Schlotthauer: "If this stays on the ground and it stays like this, I wouldn't be surprised to see a tornado emergency in Mayfield."
Five minutes later, they could see the disaster unfolding, but were helpless to stop it:
Schlotthauer: "Oh, Ethan, look how round that debris ball – it went over Mayfield. It's over. It is over. It just whiff! Look at that debris ball."
Ethan B: "At this point, the only think I have to say is: May God be with the people of Mayfield, because that has gone directly over downtown."
God, of course, was with the people of Mayfield, although they might not have recognized his hand. They are much more likely to recognize God in the help on the way from Eight Days of Hope. Founder Steve Tybor.
"We are actually setting up in a town called Hardin," explains founder Steve Tybor, "and we will be deploying volunteers starting [Tuesday] night for the next four or five weeks. We'll take a couple days off for Christmas so our volunteer leaders can go back home."
He continues: "So many communities need our help. And of course, Mayfield – for the wrong reasons, unfortunately – is at the front of the news … and yes, we'll be in that town. But there's so many other towns along the path."
Tybor says the ministry will be there for a while. "There's no quick fix. There's no three months, six months and everything is back to normal," he laments. "Unfortunately, this will be multiple years in the recovery."
Visit this page for updates or to volunteer for the ministry's Mayfield rapid response event. The first work day of Week 1 is Wednesday, December 15. After the days away for Christmas, work will resume on Tuesday, December 28. Answers to FAQs are found here.
