At least two members of First Baptist Monette lost their homes, and other homes were heavily damaged. ![]() “It was a devastation to our area, but our people are resilient,” Ballard said. The church has for years conducted a Sunday School mission at Monette Manor nursing home, which was destroyed in the storm. In Monette, residents will suffer from the loss of the Dollar General, which was the only store accessible for many low-income residents, Ballard said. Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers and other church members are already responding to needs in the impacted areas. Two died in Arkansas, including a 94-year-old resident of Monette Manor Nursing Home – where five others were injured – and a Dollar General manager in nearby Leachville. At least six died when an Amazon distribution center was destroyed in Edwardsville, Ill., and at least four deaths have been counted in Tennessee. Most of the destruction and death were in Kentucky, where at least 74 were killed when the town of Mayfield was flattened and areas of Bowling Green were heavily damaged. More than 30 tornadoes late Friday and predawn Saturday destroyed communities in six states including Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi and Tennessee, killing at least 88 people, according to USA Today and New York Times reports. The sun shone in sharp contrast to hours before. In Monday’s sunshine, the son of a First Baptist Church member was out salvaging corn after the tornado ripped the tops off of several grain bins. We’re still winners because we have our life and we have the Lord.”īallard is the only Southern Baptist pastor in town. “It’s just a blessing to see people who look on a home and see it totally destroyed” and still respond positively, Ballard said, “as if to say, ‘We’re not losers. ![]() “One lady put on Facebook – whose home was destroyed – she said, ‘I’ve lost my home, I’ve lost my car and I’ve lost my furniture,’” Ballard said of a church member, “but she said, ‘I’m still going to win because I’m a Christian and the Lord is going to help us through all of this.’ (BP) – Pastor Stan Ballard noted Monday’s “beautiful weather” as he described the resilience of the 1,500 or so people in Monette, Ark., in the face of death and destruction from unseasonable tornadoes.
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