Help for Oklahoma Tornado Victims

It's tornado season. Again.
Lives have been shattered. Homes and neighborhoods devastated.
And we have many ways to help.
  - Prayer is the best first place to go - prayer for those who lost loved ones, who've lost homes, who don't know when, or if, they'll rebuild or move on. We can pray, too, for those who help, and who will help, with recovery efforts.
  - We can give. Right now cash is the best gift. Gifts-in-kind may be appropriate in the future, but for now transportation, storage and distribution of goods are all issues that take away from first responses.
  - Eventually, perhaps a group from CtK can go to Oklahoma, or another tornado/extreme weather stricken part of the country, to help rebuild.

From Lutheran Disaster Response:

May 21, 2013
  
U.S. Tornadoes

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Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1).

Yesterday, a two-mile-wide tornado ripped through Moore, Okla., claiming many lives and leaving behind a devastating trail of destruction. Plaza Towers Elementary School stood right in the path of the storm's 166-200 mph winds.

Many Oklahoma residents already were recovering from storms even before Monday's tornado hit -- hundreds of homes were damaged or destroyed this weekend as 28 tornadoes touched down throughout Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Illinois and Iowa. As strong winds and warm fronts continue to move across the nation, the threat for future tornado outbreaks is looming.

Your help is needed to bring hope to our sisters and brothers in need. Lutheran Disaster Response affiliates are already on the ground, assessing the immediate and long-term needs of those affected by the tornadoes. We already know it will be a long road to recovery, and your gifts are needed now to begin coordinating volunteers, rebuilding homes and offering spiritual and emotional care to those in need.

Checks or money orders should be sent to:

Lutheran Disaster Response
39330 Treasury Center
Chicago, IL 60694-9300

Write "U.S. Tornadoes" on your check memo line.
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Give by phone at 800-638-3522 or online.