Update from Kentucky
Blessed are the Stewards, for they shall provide shelter —
A pastoral visit to tornado ravaged western Kentucky
Dawson Springs, KY
This week’s blog was written by The Rev. Jeremy Shelton, Associate Rector, St. John’s Parish Church, Johns Island, SC. The original article can be read here.
Dawson Springs School sits upon a hill in the middle of the small town like a steward shepherding over the community. It serves as the developmental center of academics, nurturing, growth, and love. The small school houses about 400 total children from pre-school through high school. For many of the people of Dawson Springs, Kentucky this school is the only one they’ve ever known.
On Friday December 10, 2021, around 10pm, an enormous tornado outbreak ravaged the western reaches of Kentucky. One of the massively powerful cyclones was a direct hit on the small, tight-knit community of Dawson Springs. Without warning, the school upon the hill was called into action. Without hesitation, it transformed from a place for education into a hospital, triage unit, safe-haven, center-for-tears, and shelter. Thirteen people of the immediate community — sons and daughters of Dawson Springs School — died that night. Many more were injured. The library of the school quickly became an ER. Blood soaked into the carpets, which remained stained some three weeks later. School sports uniforms were used as tourniquets. Overnight chaos and darkness consumed the school, the people, the entire being of the little town.
When the sun rose on Saturday morning, darkness remained. The people were left to assess damages, search for loved ones, and mourn the destruction. Dawson Springs School remained the haven for shelter. While it was remarkably left physically unharmed from the tornadoes, the emotional wounds run deep. About one hundred yards away, where much of the town’s housing used to be, is now left with physical, emotional, and spiritual devastation. The destruction is significant, as an estimated 75% of the homes in Dawson Springs were completely destroyed. Seventeen of the faculty and staff at the school lost their homes entirely.
The response from all over the nation has been immediate and significant. Churches, governments, outreach groups, linemen, and more swarmed many of the areas of western Kentucky to help in a myriad of ways. One of those ways was providing Christmas gifts to little children. Truckloads of toys, bikes, books, and more descended upon Dawson Springs and were distributed to the kids. A true Christmas blessing to all who received.
As a native Kentuckian — living in South Carolina for nearly two decades now — I still have a heart and fondness for my homeland. Upon hearing stories and seeing images of the devastation, the need to respond grew strongly. My wife, Jessica — also a native Kentuckian — and I knew we wanted to help in some way. In her wisdom, Jessica suggested providing Christmas gifts to teenagers in the area. So, with the blessing and financial generosity of St. John’s Parish Church, our family left Johns Island and headed to Dawson Springs on December 27.
We arrived to a community that had been shaken beyond its core. The devastation was so much worse than we imagined. Driving in on the Western Kentucky Parkway, we began to see debris in the tree tops five to six miles outside of town. Clothing, linens, bags, and even sheet metal adorned the upper branches like unwanted Christmas decorations. Driving through the town was like driving through a theater of sadness and carnage. One of the first massive piles of debris — leftover homes — contained the remnants of children’s playthings. It was an immediate reminder of the generational impact of these storms.
Upon heading up the hill to Dawson Springs School, we found our way into the gymnasium, which had been used as a storehouse for goods like bottled water, clean towels, and paper products as recently as the previous day. But on this day, the Dawson Springs Panthers basketball teams were returning to practice, the beginning of a sense of normalcy. We met coaches Mickey and Skylar, along with the rest of the boys team. Three of those teenagers had completely lost their homes. We introduced ourselves, asked about them, listened to them, prayed for them, and gave them gift cards as late Christmas presents. A couple of hours later we were able to meet with coach Amanda and the girls’ basketball team that was also resuming practice that day. All the gifts were met with joy, appreciation, tears, hugs, and handshakes.
Over the next days, we listened to stories from many of the people in Dawson Springs. We prayed with them. We cried with them. It will take years for this community to heal from the trauma they experienced on December 10, 2021.
In Isaiah chapter 40, the prophet proclaims God’s favor — even in the midst of the destruction of Jerusalem — that God alone will bring comfort to the people, will speak tenderly to the people, will provide justice for the people. As our tears flow, the servant of all mankind, Jesus, provides comfort and peace. Though our tears flow, they flow from the eyes of people who possess hope, a hope that restoration will come. This is the hope provided by Jesus in Revelation 7: they shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
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