Finding peace in the storm

Frank Abbamonte

“Mom, get the prayer chain going at church. We’re in the middle of a tornado and…oh no, the ceiling’s falling in…I gotta go!”… [Click] …

Angela Abbamonte

A chill ran down my wife Eileen’s back as she hung up her phone, and thus began the most terrifying night of our lives. For much of the country it was Feb. 5, Super Tuesday and election primaries were in full swing. For many folks down in New Orleans it was Fat Tuesday. But for the Abbamonte family it was a night that defied frivolous nicknames. It was a night of tears and prayer and an endless stream of phone calls that continued for hours and reached from coast to coast.

Our daughter Angela gave us our game plan: “Pray!”. And, pray we did. The tornado that struck Union University in Jackson, Tenn., that night had made contacting Angela difficult. However, when we were finally able to get through to her she assured us that, although she was shaken, she didn’t suffer any serious physical injuries.

The same sequence of events was no doubt repeated in many homes as students called to let their families know they had been through the storm but that they were alright. Others, three weeks after the tragedy, still require our continued prayer and must not be forgotten as they recover from their injuries. That there was no loss of life had been summed up by many students as they testified on national television. “We were spared by the providence and care of our loving God,” they told the newscasters.

Part of God’s providence that night was that the school’s administration, led by its president, David Dockery, had a plan in place that almost certainly saved many lives. As a father, I want to thank Dr. Dockery, the school’s administration, and the student leadership for doing their parts in providing for my daughter’s protection.

Back at our house panic turned into planning and early the next morning we left Woodstock for the seven-hour drive to Jackson. The scene upon our arrival at the school on Thursday was surreal.

Most of us have seen the pictures, and they truly do speak a thousand words, but I was more impressed by the sounds on campus. Amidst the rubble of scattered dorm rooms, the former occupants of those rooms were laughing and praising God. The cries that were heard were, “How can I help you?” not, “Come and help me.” A brawny Army chaplain stopped to pray with us and, rather than offer a prayer of supplication, he prayed Psalm 133 as we rejoiced at the good and pleasant situation we were in.

As I decompressed during the days which followed there were three major themes that I believe God wanted me to understand more fully as a result of this disaster.

The first of these themes was that of “stuff.” In less than 90 seconds, the students as well as the institution of Union University lost tens of millions of dollars worth of stuff. Now, I love stuff as much as the next guy, but in the grand scheme of things, the stuff lost on that night pales in comparison to the riches that are eternally ours in Christ.

The reality is that, as children of the Most High God, our stuff is in Heaven where, according to I Peter 1:4, it is impervious to earthly damage and decay. As Christians, if we loose everything we own, but have Christ, we are richer than the wealthiest man in the world who lacks the Savior.

Morris Abernathy/Union University

Construction crews tear down the Crook building on the Union campus Feb. 14. Students returned for classes on the 20th.

The next theme I needed to revisit concerned the family of God. That night, after the initial flurry of activity subsided, the Abbamonte family experienced a demonstration of the power and strength of the family of God.

Within 45 minutes of the tornado our precious daughter was being cared for by one of the many families who mobilized and swarmed onto the campus in response to the disaster. “We’ll take six girls,” was all that needed to be said and a refuge was provided for our daughter. We don’t know which family cared for her, but they also have my thanks.

At this point I want to also mention my gratitude for my new family as an adopted Southern Baptist. Being the pastor of a very small church it was a deep comfort to me to know that I could make one phone call to Georgia Baptists’ North Central Mission Center which supports our church and association, and the congregations of 130 churches would be engaged in prayer for my daughter.

Having been raised in a different Christian culture, I have never taken the blessings associated with becoming a Southern Baptist for granted but I now have a newfound appreciation for this family today.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, this experience has given me a deeper appreciation for the Peace of God. Many of us talk about peace, but we really don’t have a good handle on what peace truly is. Peace is not an absence of pain or strife, rather it is a calm assurance within their midst.

It was striking to me that, while my daughter and a score of her closest friends were huddled in a bathroom as a tornado tore down their building’s exterior walls, these girls were singing “Amazing Grace” and praying. They weren’t being super-human. They were certainly scared. But they drew strength from each other and from the Peace of God which Paul describes as being superior to understanding.

If you read Phil. 4:6-7 you will see the girls’ secret for getting through that terrible ordeal. Paul attributes the Peace of God with having the ability to guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus as a sentry might guard his post. That night, those girls understood this.

Please continue to pray for these students and their families as they put the storm-scattered pieces of their lives back together. As you pray, pray as Paul described, seasoning your prayers and supplications with a generous helping of thanksgiving for all of the blessings that God has poured out on us. May the Peace of God, which surpasses understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.