A small, tornado-ravaged town in northeastern Oklahoma finds comfort and strength in trying times. Samaritan's Purse volunteers continue to work on the ground in Jesus' Name.
Melissa’s heart swelled with sorrow—and gratitude—as Samaritan’s Purse volunteers handed her beaten down photos salvaged from the rubble. Her husband, Josh, held back tears behind his sunglasses.
One picture showed her as a child, goofing around with her cousins at her uncle’s house. Another showed her at homecoming with her best friend. Some photos showed family members that have passed on.
“These pictures are irreplaceable,” Melissa said. “My grandma was a big part of my life and she only lives on through these photos from a long time ago.”
A Samaritan’s Purse volunteer team arrived at Josh and Melissa Pearson’s property in Barnsdall, Oklahoma, less than a week after an EF4 tornado tore through the heart of the humble town. The twister carved a 37-mile trail through northeastern Oklahoma and decimated more than 200 homes, spewing debris dozens of miles away. Barnsdall, a town of just over a thousand people, took a direct hit, leaving it unrecognizable.
Melissa stands in what used to be her laundry room. The EF4 twister scattered the bins of family photos she stored in the back of the house.
As the storm approached on what was supposed to be a normal Monday evening, Josh was in St. Louis on his way home from a work trip. Melissa waited, unsettled, at home with her children.
“As soon as the sirens went off, we loaded up and headed to the shelter. It was scary; all the emotions flooded in,” Melissa recounted. “The tornado sounded like 10 trains overhead.”
Josh arrived to a frenzied Barnsdall at 4 a.m. “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” he said about the chaos when he pulled up. “I was overwhelmed.”
Josh’s new garage in the backyard flipped over onto the neighbor’s house and the backend of the home was ripped to shreds. The mainframe of the house still stands, but the foundation shifted rendering it uninhabitable. Josh, Melissa, and their two children are living across town with a friend in a camper for the time being.
Josh and Melissa Pearson were presented a Bible by one of our volunteers after the project was completed. Before leaving, our volunteers prayed for the family who face an uncertain future.
Despite the devastation, the Pearsons found solace in the love of their community and the help they received from Samaritan’s Purse volunteers. The family was presented a special Billy Graham Study Bible after our team finished removing debris, cutting fallen trees, and salvaging belongings drawn from the rubble. The couple could not hold back their tears.
“I love you all,” Josh said. “Even though you are complete strangers,” he added jokingly.
The father is thankful that his family, including his two dogs, are safe and uninjured. Encouraged by our team, he plans to rebuild. The Pearsons look forward to the summer with a newfound sense of gratitude for life and each other.
Among many things, Samaritan's Purse volunteers remove fallen trees from homeowners' properties.
Having a Godly Perspective
Barnsdall is a hard-working, get-your-hands-dirty type of town, but there’s plenty of love to go around too. The tight-knit community stretches no further than a couple miles each way, and in every direction, the people of Barnsdall know Beth Bell, a resident in the center of town for the last 80-plus years. Like hundreds of others in her community, Beth worked at the local wax factory. For decades, she invested in her community—from serving with her local church to teaching swimming classes.
“I can hear my mother saying, ‘Buck up, bucko! It’s only going to get worse,’ and I keep going. I raised three sons, I’ve had breast cancer for years, and now I survived a tornado,” Beth said confidently. “Things will be alright. God wants me to still be alive.”
Beth embodies the rich culture and unique love found in Barnsdall.
Beth laid in her bathtub when the twister was overhead. When she stepped out and saw the damage, Beth remained level-headed and responded the only way she knew how: “God has something more for me in this life. Jesus still needs me here.”
Beth’s gratitude overflowed when a Samaritan’s Purse volunteer team arrived and began to work on her home. The volunteers cleared the debris from her yard and tarped the back half of her house. She was overjoyed that she could still sleep in her home after our team patched her roof.
“You all are tremendous,” she said as the Samaritan’s Purse team presented her with a Bible. “Please don’t make me cry,” she added.
Beth’s favorite Bible verse is 2 Corinthians 5:7, which says, “We walk by faith, not by sight.”
No tornado will stop Beth from exuding joy, and no hardship will silence her praises to God.
Samaritan’s Purse continues to serve on the ground in Barnsdall and Bartlesville, Oklahoma, as well as multiple locations across the country in the wake of severe storms. Pray for each homeowner as our volunteers serve in these hurting communities. Pray that the Lord would be glorified wherever Samaritan’s Purse serves.
