“Tornados and Grace” Shows How Kindness Can Redeem Devastation
- Randy Gariss describes the 2011 Joplin tornado as both the worst suffering he had endured and, in a different sense, one of the clearest displays of grace he had ever witnessed.
- Volunteers and neighbors surrounded the devastated city with practical love, helping College Heights Christian Church coordinate thousands of workers and supplies for months.
- Grace did not erase the grief, but it appeared through the kindness of people who stood with Joplin and helped restore hope after unspeakable loss.
In 2011, another tornado mowed into Joplin, MO, where Randy Gariss ministered at College Heights Christian Church. As a mile-wide F5 tornado, there were 161 fatalities and 7,000 homes destroyed. Gariss grieved with his beloved city in their unspeakable tragedy. Yet, in this excerpt from a recent interview, you will hear Gariss reflects on the surprising good that he saw God bring out of the devastation.
