Our Hope In Christ Saved Us As Tornado Hit Florida – Pastor

A Florida pastor, Juno Douglas, has revealed that a Holy Spirit-led prayer emanating from hope in Christ saved his life and the lives of his neighbors when an EF2 tornado ripped through his neighborhood with little warning.

The 57-year-old pastor, who leads the Sneads Assembly of God in Sneads, Florida, told CBN News his entire town was preparing for a tropical storm to hit their area on January 9, 2024. 

What they did not expect was a category two tornado to rip through 16.5 miles of land within minutes. 

“We just thought it was going to be severe weather, It was a minute or two before the tornado hit that we received a warning on our phone about it”

Douglas, and his 54-year-old wife Aimee, moved quickly to find shelter within their home. 

“As I was walking out of the living room to go get my flashlight we could hear the wind and rain picking up. And I hear a loud explosion,” he said.

Douglas said he turned to Aimee and instructed her to hide in the bathroom. He ran to get his flashlight and then headed to the bathroom for safety. 

“By the time I got back to where she was, the storm was hitting. The walls of our house were literally vibrating. And the sound was just horrendous,” he recounted. 

In that instant, the couple instinctively began to pray in the Holy Spirit. 

“That’s all I knew to do. God protected us. It was our prayer. As Romans 8:26 says, ‘The Holy Spirit helps our infirmities when we don’t know what to pray. And He knows what to pray.’

“I believe that morning He certainly heard (our prayers) and intervened for us,” he added. 

Douglas also believes prayer spared lives throughout the entire area that was hit. 

“That thing stretched about 16.5 miles. There was no one killed. There were hundreds of people impacted by it through the area, their homes and property – but no one was killed. That within itself is a miracle,” Douglas explained.  

The pastor said the entire incident lasted about 45 seconds, but the damage to their home was extensive. And what was left of his neighborhood was worse. 

“It seemed like a bomb went off,” he described. 

Douglas thought several of his neighbors didn’t make it. When he ran to check on them, everyone was safe. But one couple, Jim and Jeanette, were visibly shaken. 

“I could see the back wall of their house was gone. It was like a dollhouse where one side is open and you can see inside. I’d never seen anything like it…it was a devastating sight to see.”

Douglas revealed that the couple was just waking up for the morning when the tornado hit and they had “literally” seconds to get to a safe place. “I saw them coming out from the rubble and they were in shock,” he said. 

Juno invited the couple to his home, which had suffered little damage compared to most of his neighbors, to stay warm and dry. Aimee offered them coffee and a hot meal. They also took the time to pray and minister to the couple. 

“A home is where memories are made, griefs are shared, relationships are built. That’s something special and they have lost all that,” said Douglas.

Immediately the storm was over, many of the residents in Sneads were left to pick up the pieces.

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