Shortly after prayer and a morning team meeting, Rand Bowman—a BG-RRT chaplain who’s offering emotional and spiritual care in Poplar Bluff, Missouri—got an important text.
A volunteer with sister ministry Samaritan’s Purse asked chaplains to come as soon as they could. Kevin,* a homeowner they were helping, had shared that he was battling cancer and was in a state of emotional distress after a harrowing experience during the tornadoes.
The ferocious winds had knocked a tree onto Kevin’s home, splitting the house down the middle. His neighbor, Annie,* had since offered to let Kevin and his wife of 35 years, Suzanne,* stay in her home.
When Rand got there, Kevin told the story of hearing a tree crush his house as he and Suzanne huddled in the bathroom. They were afraid they were going to die.
“He was rattled, but delighted that someone was there to care for him, comfort him, and let him talk,” said Rand.
Suzanne came out of Annie’s house and joined their front porch conversation.
“We talked about the ‘storm before the storm.’ [Kevin’s] battle with pancreatic cancer for the last four years had already taken a toll on them,” Rand said.
“When the conversation came to spiritual matters, it became clear that although they believed in God, they had never taken the step to ask for the forgiveness of their sins—nor had they been willing to give up the control they never really had to Someone they didn’t really know: Jesus.”
Rand explained to Kevin and Suzanne how they could know for sure their sins were forgiven and how they could begin a personal relationship with Christ that day.
“There were tears,” the chaplain said, noting the couple’s response to the Gospel message. “They were eager to confess their sins and pray a contrite prayer, expressing a desire to be led by the One who really was in control. …
“When you have a tree fall through your house, you come to realize very quickly you were never in control.”
Before parting ways with the couple, Rand noticed that their countenance seemed very different than when they first met.
“Seeing them rejoicing in their newfound hope as they sat and watched their house across the street be demolished was a very moving experience,” he said.
The next day, when Rand returned to follow up with the couple, they were eager to introduce him to Annie so that she, too, could hear about the hope of the Gospel.
No stranger to suffering, Annie opened up about the losses she’d faced in the past, including the deaths of two husbands and her twin daughters.
They continued to talk, and Rand asked whether she knew if she would be in Heaven one day. She wasn’t sure, but she was interested in knowing more.
Rand shared Scripture from Romans 10:13, that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (ESV).
Annie asked what it meant to “call on the name of the Lord,” so Rand walked her through “Steps to Peace With God”—a small booklet containing the simple truth of how to know God personally.
She was grateful for the explanation and recognized immediately that she needed to surrender her life to Jesus.
Before he left that day, Rand helped present her with a Billy Graham Training Center Bible, which includes a special section of frequently asked faith-related questions.
“She was eager to go through the most commonly asked questions,” he said.
He later reflected on Annie’s life and the series of difficult experiences that ultimately led her to place her trust in Christ.
“Surely the crisis of loved ones was enough affliction in her life [to expose her need],” Rand added. “The Spirit of God was moving in her heart.”
Please continue to lift up in prayer all those in distress after these recent storms. Pray for them to experience God’s nearness and comfort as chaplains share the peace that only He can provide.
*Names changed to protect privacy