Today’s guest blogger is Mysterious Ways assistant editor Daniel Kessel.
This winter has brought more intense weather than we’ve seen in years. By now, most of us have spent a snowbound day or two at home. What keeps me warm are the stories of those who have come together to help those in the cold.
A few weeks ago, in Atlanta, when snowstorm Leon caused drastic traffic jams throughout the city, resident Michelle Sollicito created a Facebook page called SnowedOutAtlanta, which connected thousands of stranded drivers with those in a position to provide assistance.
One SnowedOutAtlanta story stood out. Katie Horne had spent 12 hours in the car when she used the page to send an SOS: “I’m eight months pregnant and have my 3-year-old with me,” she wrote. “Is anyone on the road and might happen to have any food or some water?”
Meanwhile, 25-year-old Craig Catalfu had sent out a message of his own–an offer to help. “Anyone in the Smyrna area stuck or need a ride let me know….” He knew his all-wheel truck could handle the snowy roads better than other vehicles.
Other visitors to the page quickly pointed Craig in Katie’s direction. The two connected, and around 2 a.m., Craig navigated to Katie’s exact location and led her back to her home in Marietta, keeping a careful pace of 10 miles per hour back to the neighborhood. Katie and her child walked safely through the front door around 5 a.m.
Not a moment too soon. As soon as Katie walked through her front door, she began to feel Braxton Hicks contractions–a warning sign that her body was dehydrated. Thanks to Craig, she was out of harm’s way.
“I had never met Craig or any of these people who kept posting messages saying they were praying for me,” Katie told NBC.
Her story is just one more instance of how technology has allowed people to reach out and help one another at exactly the right time. As Editor-in-Chief Edward Grinnan wrote after Superstorm Sandy, we have “an unshakeable faith that we are watched over and protected, that the worst that we can imagine is nothing compared to the good that God brings.”
That’s a good thing to remember as more storms roll our way. The power may go out, but there’s a stockpile of compassion and love out there to get us through.
How have you, and your community, been weathering the blizzards this winter? Share your stories with us.
Photo credit: NBCNews.com
