On Sunday, November 6, 2005, a three-quarter-mile-wide, 60-mph tornado, the worst such storm to strike the area for over 30 years, swept through the states of Kentucky and Indiana. And within 42 minutes, 23 people were left dead, many more were injured, hundreds of homes were demolished and many families were affected.

Upon hearing of the disaster, fellow practitioners from the Midwest Centers of Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky responded quickly, meeting on November 8 at the Indiana Center to plan an aid effort. The sisters and brothers then prepared approximately 300 packages containing bottled water, flashlights, healthy snacks and personal supplies, and early on the morning of November 8, a relief team traveled by car and U-Haul truck to Newburgh near Evansville, Indiana, the area most severely affected by the tornado.

Upon arriving in the vicinity of Newburgh, the initiates were met with a scene of mass destruction. Many mobile homes were flattened, tree limbs hung broken and the shrubbery was filled with wind-blown debris. The area also appeared to be completely devoid of people. The practitioners then prayed to Master to be led to where they could be of the most help, and suddenly an angelic young man appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and volunteered to take the team to victims in need of assistance.

The neighborhood where the young man brought the initiates was surrounded by military personnel, who were allowing no one to enter. But upon learning of our Association's previous relief work with the Red Cross, the team was allowed into the devastated area. In this community,

many people had remained but there were homes without roofs or windows and others with merely the interior walls remaining. In addition, some houses and vehicles had been completely destroyed. The locals were extremely glad to see the initiates, saying, “We've been without assistance since the tornado struck and you're the first help we've seen.” The young man who had guided the team to the neighborhood also insisted on helping distribute the gift packages. And being without electricity, the recipients especially appreciated the flashlights the parcels contained, as well as the healthy snacks because they were unable to cook.

Upon departing, the initiates noticed that the victims' faces were much brighter than when they had arrived, and felt deeply grateful to be able to witness the transforming power of Master's compassion. Through Her grace, they were led to the right place to render assistance and were the first to help in the area. Moreover, through the recipients' joyful responses, the practitioners saw how Master's care brings hope to the needy so that they might have the strength to start over. Even though many of the people did not understand why, they felt uplifted after receiving Master's gifts. And thanks to Her, the sisters and brothers understood that the victims' happiness arose from the truest gift of all: God's infinite love.