About the Author

Jennifer is an artist living in rural Nebraska with her US Army veteran husband. She loves to create and seeks to reflect the beauty of Christ and encourage others in meaningful, beautiful ways. You can find her and see more of her art on Studio JRU.

(in)side DaySpring: things we love
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(in)side DaySpring:
things we love
& you will too!
Find more at
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  1. Jennifer,
    The pictures I have seen of your home state have been devastating. So grateful you are okay, but heartsick for those that lost everything. I will most certainly pray for the people of Stanton County and other areas hit by the tornadoes. I used to live in Illinois and my daughter still remembers being so frightened of the tornado sirens. In things like this we truly cannot lean on our own understanding…
    Blessings and prayers coming your way,
    Bev

  2. Praying with you over the devastation…a tornado wiped out (a long time ago) the small town near where I grew up – and I remember how hard it was for old friends and neighbors. Your post tells the story so well, and points us all to trusting God in the midst of all our circumstances…

    Blessings,
    Cindy

  3. That is so sad and scary. I just ordered something from you. And I am praying for all in the affected area.

  4. Prayers for the people affected by the tornadoes. Just a few short weeks ago Arkansas was slammed, my cousin, her husband, and children were praying in their closet and heard it. It missed their home by 1/4 mile. Even through the devastation, so many stories of faith and trusting God came from Mayflower and Vilonia, Arkansas.

    • So grateful to hear your family is ok, Sharmin. It is quite an experience to see the path of a tornado and see how close you were to it. Yes you are right, so many stories of faith comes out in these times!

  5. I’m heartbroken just reading your sad, sad tale. In fact your ‘story’ has immediately re-adjusted my own priorities.
    Minutes ago, I returned from my garden where I’ve learned from our trusted tree surgeon that our majestic cedar tree (it must be well over 90 years old and is WAS offering shade & shelter to an enormous surface of our terrain) will have to be taken down. The very strong hailstorms and rainstorms we had since New Year have damaged the bark so badly that all the needles are falling off, the tree is bleeding exceedingly and branches brake off…. I said to the gardener that it breaks my heart as this tree was part of why I absolutely fell hard for our house – but this is NOTHING in comparison to you friends who’ve lost everything.
    I shall pray for all of you concerned and I am also thankful for you to be spared. What heartache – and yet God will help you to go on. Big hugs over to you, a wave of thoughts and a warm heart full of prayers.

    • I can understand how a beautiful old tree can become part of your home nearly as much as your home itself. And we feel the same way about damage to our home we had a few weeks ago from a huge hail storm, it just doesn’t compare. Puts things into perspective, doesn’t it, Kiki? So grateful for your prayers.

  6. It was so awful to see the news reports of that disaster. Then another tornado or two caused devastation (not quite as bad) in South Dakota. Wessington Springs was hit hard and some farms in eastern SD. Those storms really are no respecter of persons, places, or things. Some homes are destroyed and one across the street can be left totally intact. I am thankful there was no loss of life.

  7. As a fellow Nebraskan, and farmer, my heart and my husband’s heart also ache for the devastation that happened this week. You captured so many emotions so well in sharing your story – the fear, the relief, the sadness, the emptiness. And your photo caption “Someone else’s loss is our heartache too” could not be any more true. Please know our hearts are broken as yours are, and we have been and will continue to lift up you, our neighbors in prayer. Wrapping my arms around you in a giant virtual hug from several counties away.

  8. Being from Missouri, I too can understand sitting in your basement waiting and praying. I’m so sorry to read of the loss of life. 🙁 Loss of everything else is so hard, but eventually can be replaced or rebuilt. Life cannot. My heart hurts for them and they’re in my prayers. God’s at work in the situation and He will be revealed. Strength and courage to all. XO

  9. So many tears here reading this Jennifer – how yes, there is always another part of the body in the way of the Tornado, and when it’s hit we all hurt. Thank you so much for sharing this glimpse with us.

  10. My heart breaks for these people who have lost so much. I will pray for the people there and the many rescue workers. May the Lord give peace that passes all understanding.

  11. Thank you for sharing this with us Jennifer so we can have a better understanding of what it is like and expanded our compassion. For sure, someone else’s loss is our heartache too. The devastation from this week’s tornadoes breaks my heart. Will be praying for Stanton County with all my heart.

  12. Oh Jennifer. You WERE near. It is always so very still before a tornado. Eerily. Then the noise. There were none when my Dad was a boy in the 30’s but in the 60’s when I was little, quite a few. Strangely, there was a tornado ( small) here last fall. I called my Mom. It looked like tornado Sky to the east. Still. Toward the hilly part of our city. I never forget the look of funnel as we hurried home in NE when my two sisters were alone as my parents had taken me to the dentist. My mother crying. A funny looking Sky. Then the funnel moving toward our farm and my Mom telling Dad drive faster. My sisters had gone to the cellar and were afraid. Luckily my older sister realized the need to go down…but we neared home and the funnel moved north and took two other farm houses that day. The hail and heavy rain came after. But last fall, I got that same memory of the Sky. I sat then looking out my French doors and a roar kind of like a train passing by the north side of my house, was twisting my very straight cypress tree and it literally looked like a palm tree as this passed on only the north side of my house with such force and noise like a heavy train rolling by. Then gone. And that weird colored gray blue sky and heavy heavy rain. Now that was nothing but still forceful. The quiet? Then the noise? It was passing by you and turned as it was touching down. My mind cannot grasp foor I’ve seen it with my eyes a scattered doll, a leveled house….and owner just wandering–I wept and waited for news on you. Verse art I’ve purchased from you kept me comforted. Blessings. Love, and I pray you never…EVer…feel nor hear nor experience a tornado again. Gwen

  13. Jennifer,
    Thank you for a powerful description of your experience with the Pilger tornado. I live in Lincoln, so I feel an identity with fellow Nebraskans who lived through this tragedy. We are praying for those who were devastated by this storm and asking God to provide comfort and strength as your community goes forward.
    Janet

  14. Bless your hearts! Thank you so much for sharing! I’ve been fortunate to never experience this! Take care!
    Stacey 🙂

  15. Prayers from Omaha for recovery and rebuilding. We were praying as we watched on the news. Coming from Kansas, and relief efforts from the Greensburg tornado, prayers will continue. Blessings!

  16. Jennifer,

    Prayers for Stanton county. A few years ago a tornado, or something similar, hit upper E. TN in Greeneville. The devastation was bad. We must lean on God in times like these and trust that He knows best.

    May God help those who lost everything!

  17. Jennifer,

    I was huddled in my parent’s basement in Wakefield, NE that same day. Like you, we were holding our breath, waiting to see what path these tornados would take. They ended up going just a mile east of where we were crouched, terrified. You are so right in saying that our hearts ache for others’ loss. It was amazing to see people from all across the country come help with clean-up. There is still so much good left in this world – in God’s people and their love for each other.