On March 21 when the tornadoes barreled through, Paul Hawkin monitored the scene on the TV news. His wife Ella and his 92-year-old mother nervously watched the skies with him, and as they heard the sound of a tornado approaching their Elgin home, they took cover. In God’s mercy, no one was hurt, but the winds ripped their home apart.
“The tornado came to Elgin and wiped away everything,” Paul said. “The back of our house was torn all up. The roof peeled off…but God never steers you wrong, and He sent a man to help us.”
That man was an ADRN Shepherd Support Team staff member who worked with ADRN-trained volunteers to bring Paul and his family the physical, emotional, and spiritual support they needed. We soon learned that it was our second opportunity to help the Hawkins recover from a major disaster. They had come to ADRN for help when Hurricane Harvey wiped out their home seven years ago.
Once again, the local church stepped up for Paul and Ella with compassionate care and financial support. ADRN helped them with rent for a temporary place to live as well as clothes and other items from the Hope Family Thrift Store. They will soon return to their repaired home in Elgin, but Paul says his story with ADRN isn’t over yet.
“After our journey is over, I wanna be a shepherd just like them where I can show somebody what somebody showed me and bless somebody,” he said.
