MAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) – After riding out the violent tornado that devastated their town in a tunnel under their church, the Rev. Wes Fowler and his family emerged to devastation stretching for blocks: Crackling power lines, piles of rubble and calls for help they couldn’t pinpoint in the darkness.
Later, safe back at home, his daughter had a question that left him stumped: “My little girl asked me, ‘Why would God let this happen?'” said Fowler, senior pastor at First Baptist Church in Mayfield.
While he believes God did allow the tornado to happen, he had no answer as to why the western Kentucky community where he was baptized, grew up and chose to raise his family wasn’t spared from the Friday night storms that left dozens dead and communities reeling across at least five states. But he felt he knew what to do next: glorify God amid the suffering, and serve those in need.
“It’s easy to serve the Lord when things are good,” Fowler said. “It’s more challenging to serve him when times are bad, and I think that’s really when people are looking to see if our faith is genuine, if our faith is true.”
Despite suffering damage to their own church buildings, First Baptist staff and volunteers mobilized to provide whatever they can to help survivors cope with the disaster’s aftermath and stay afloat – gift cards, food, generators, water, a listening ear and more.