Having just spent 24 hours in Moore, Oklahoma serving food and just helping where needed in the moment, I'm a bit overwhelmed at the devastation and destruction this town (and several surrounding towns) were hit with last week. Being a photographer, I really wanted to come back with some great pictures to communicate what I saw. I couldn't.

Oh, I took some pictures.

I hope I took pictures that mean something. But not lots of pictures of what it looks like there.

I just couldn't.

I woke up several times in the night last night and asked why. I feel like God spoke and told me why.

Now-when I say He spoke, I mean impressions or mental images come to me that speak a message to what I just asked.

What He showed me was some images of watching the news. Of seeing images on the Internet, of watching tv shows.

I asked about this.

What came to me is the fact that with television and the Internet, we see so much. We have seen destruction in movies and with special effects and photoshop, images can be made to look so much more graphic than real life.

No amount of pictures could communicate the horrific experience these communities are walking through. Nothing can capture the smell of rotting food mixed with gas leaks mixed with sewage leaks. No amount of photoshop can show the emotion (or shock) these people are walking through life with, in this moment, just to keep walking. No image can capture the block after block, street after street, mile after mile of nothingness that was once thriving neighborhoods.  NO picture can shout the sound of silence that screams, and the echo that a single car can make.

and i do have pictures.  the pictures i chose to take are the ones that speak of the chosen condition of humanity when hard things happen.  pictures that tell of humor, hope and hard work that goes into making the best of a rotten situation.  I truly don't want anyone feeling like I am gawking.  Or taking advantage of them.  while there are stories of great tragedy, there are stories that tell of the goodness of God in the miracles that happened.

the humor and practicality in these next 2 pictures was great.  things like this were all over!

I loved this!at first, I thought this tent was someone who didn't have a house.  it actually was someone who came down from Chicago to serve.  He came with his dog and was staying as long as he is needed.....now that's heart!OU pride was EVERYWHERE!  Our American flags were flying all over, too!

some pictures were given to me by a coworker who took pictures while I drove ;)  Thanks, Angie!