Tornado Dodging

So this story is a little bit belated, but I think it is still worth sharing.  So everyone I'm sure still remembers the storm system that contained the extremely destructive tornadoes that hit Washington.  Well on the same day, after church and a wedding reception in Latty Ohio we (Alyssa Knobloch and I) were heading to Bluffton from Latty after visiting the Klopfenstein family who was up on furlough.  I had been warned of the potential for really bad storms that day, and as we were leaving Latty church, I began getting texts from the Purdue weather service and Lafayette weather services of tornado warnings.  I also knew that tornadoes were very spotty and that we still had to get home.  So we decided to take the trip and be cautious as we drove.  The weather at church was fine, even pleasant as we began the journey.  Up ahead, we could see some dark clouds, although they did not appear to be anything out of the ordinary besides a storm system.  As we continued to drive, things started to become more ominous, although nothing was significantly out of place.  We could tell that the system up ahead could be serious.  It is at this point where praying seemed like a good idea.  So as Alyssa drove, I said a prayer for safety from the storm.  Then the power lines began to dance in great wavelengths between the poles.  It was a strangely surreal sight.  There was little wind, and the sky was not overly dark, but obviously there was something going along down the line.  We continued on and proceeded to approach the system.  I look to our right and see a flat wall of rain.  For some reason this fact did not merit a comment.  I just looked at it, slightly intrigued and I wondered how long it would be before it hit us.  Turns out not too long, and hit us it did.  The weather went from fairly calm to flat-line winds and torrential rain in a moment.  Branches were flying sideways at our car, and we could not see the road.  Alyssa hit the brakes and we came to a stop.  We had just passed a house.  I knew that vehicles are unsafe in a tornado, and I knew that there were tornadoes in this system. so I told Alyssa that we should back up and stop at the house.  We pull into the driveway and run up to the door and knock.  after a couple of knocks someone comes to the door.  Feeling slightly sheepish I ask if we can come in out of the storm.  After slight hesitation, they graciously invite us in.  There we introduce ourselves and meet the family.  They had just finished up their dinner and were tracking the storms on their television.  It turns out that we are directly in the middle of the tornado zone.  Then the television goes black, with just a banner that reads "Tornado Warning."  I was so glad to be inside.  As we talked with the family, and explained that we were visiting some friends who were back from Haiti, they expressed that they too were believers, and that they were looking for a new church.  We were in Ossian, just a few miles north of Bluffton, So I gave them the address of the church as well as the elders number.  The next few minutes consisted of them asking us questions about our beliefs and sort of  'testing' us out with pointed questions over topics such as infant baptism, submersion baptism, and various others.  I guess we passed, because they seemed content with the answers we gave, and seemed excited to talk to the elder.  By this point, the storm had passed, and we decided to be on our way.  we thanked them, and we all agreed that God had sent us there for a reason.  God protected us, as well as sent us to a home who was searching for a church.  I don't know if they ever contacted the elder there, or if they will attend the church there in Bluffton, but perhaps someday I will go to church there and meet them again.