Heather Martin, a junior at Union University, was trying to climb into a bathtub for safety when the F4 tornado hit the Union campus in Jackson, Tennessee. It was 7:02 p.m. on February 5. “It sounded like a thousand trains,” she said, describing the funnel cloud that ripped through the school, causing massive damage to all but one campus building.
The wind nearly sucked Heather out of the building. When the walls came crashing down, her legs were pinned between the side of the tub and the floor above. In the tub were three other girls. Crushed beneath her was Julie Boyer, a spiritual mentor of Heather’s. Two nights before, Julie had spent an hour interceding in prayer for Heather. When Heather had called to thank her, Julie said, “I know you would do the same for me.” Heather soon proved Julie right.
As the weight of the building settled, Julie struggled for breath. Her mouth and chin were crushed against the right side of her chest. Her neck was exposed as she describes it, “like a swan when it ducks its head.” Her right lung was so compressed she thought it had collapsed. Heather’s hip pressed into her left lung.
In her spirit, Julie began to pray, “Jesus, I need you . . .” Then she realized she had forgotten to breathe. She told God, “I’m sorry, but I cannot pray anymore, or I won’t remember to take my next breath.” Just then, Heather called out to her, “Julie, do not try to pray, just breathe. I am interceding for you. Focus on breathing.” Heather had no way of knowing what thoughts had been running through Julie’s mind just moments before.
As rescuers arrived and began to dig, the debris shifted, increasing the pressure on the trapped women. Julie wondered if she had survived a tornado, only to be killed by the rescuers. Heather called out to the rescuers, “Someone is stuck under me . . . Her neck is exposed, so you can’t slide the debris. You have to lift it.” With Herculean strength, rescuers lifted off the main piece of rubble, and for the first time in 45 minutes, the women breathed fresh air. All four were safe, sustaining only minor injuries.
Heather and Julie were not the only ones to be miraculously spared. All 1,200 Union students on campus survived the storm. As Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians, and the EMT nurse quoted to Julie that night, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”
In the aftermath of the tornado, churches, Christian colleges, and the local community have rallied around Union to help in the rebuilding effort—which may well exceed 40 million dollars.
This enormous challenge facing Union leads me to do something I rarely do on the air, and that is make a direct appeal for your help. Union—a Southern Baptist university—is a premier evangelical institution. What better proof is there that this school is training students to integrate their faith into all of life than the way these students responded to the storm? Now the only question remains is whether you and I will put our faith into action as well.
To contribute directly to Union’s disaster relief fund, visit the university’s website at www.uu.edu. Or you may visit our website, www.BreakPoint.org, for more information. Help, won’t you? I am going to.
Heather Martin, a junior at Union University, was trying to climb into a bathtub for safety when the F4 tornado hit the Union campus in Jackson, Tennessee. It was 7:02 p.m. on February 5. “It sounded like a thousand trains,” she said, describing the funnel cloud that ripped through the school, causing massive damage to all but one campus building.
The wind nearly sucked Heather out of the building. When the walls came crashing down, her legs were pinned between the side of the tub and the floor above. In the tub were three other girls. Crushed beneath her was Julie Boyer, a spiritual mentor of Heather’s. Two nights before, Julie had spent an hour interceding in prayer for Heather. When Heather had called to thank her, Julie said, “I know you would do the same for me.” Heather soon proved Julie right.
As the weight of the building settled, Julie struggled for breath. Her mouth and chin were crushed against the right side of her chest. Her neck was exposed as she describes it, “like a swan when it ducks its head.” Her right lung was so compressed she thought it had collapsed. Heather’s hip pressed into her left lung.
In her spirit, Julie began to pray, “Jesus, I need you . . .” Then she realized she had forgotten to breathe. She told God, “I’m sorry, but I cannot pray anymore, or I won’t remember to take my next breath.” Just then, Heather called out to her, “Julie, do not try to pray, just breathe. I am interceding for you. Focus on breathing.” Heather had no way of knowing what thoughts had been running through Julie’s mind just moments before.
As rescuers arrived and began to dig, the debris shifted, increasing the pressure on the trapped women. Julie wondered if she had survived a tornado, only to be killed by the rescuers. Heather called out to the rescuers, “Someone is stuck under me . . . Her neck is exposed, so you can’t slide the debris. You have to lift it.” With Herculean strength, rescuers lifted off the main piece of rubble, and for the first time in 45 minutes, the women breathed fresh air. All four were safe, sustaining only minor injuries.
Heather and Julie were not the only ones to be miraculously spared. All 1,200 Union students on campus survived the storm. As Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians, and the EMT nurse quoted to Julie that night, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”
In the aftermath of the tornado, churches, Christian colleges, and the local community have rallied around Union to help in the rebuilding effort—which may well exceed 40 million dollars.
This enormous challenge facing Union leads me to do something I rarely do on the air, and that is make a direct appeal for your help. Union—a Southern Baptist university—is a premier evangelical institution. What better proof is there that this school is training students to integrate their faith into all of life than the way these students responded to the storm? Now the only question remains is whether you and I will put our faith into action as well.
To contribute directly to Union’s disaster relief fund, visit the university’s website at www.uu.edu. Or you may visit our website, www.BreakPoint.org, for more information. Help, won’t you? I am going to.
