Sarah Kern, a senior at Trinity, was heading home to Wadena, Minnesota for the weekend to visit her family when she encountered a severe storm that produced a tornado. She recalls watching the tornado touch down a half-mile in front of her. With God’s strength and protection, Kern was able to find an open house with a basement after stopping at three other houses only to find them locked.

Also, serving internships in Wadena for the summer were students, Dillon and Alyssa Urlacher. Suddenly they realized the tornado was just across the tree line. Alyssa said that in the aftermath of the storm, “Our mouths dropped as we saw many roofs missing, garages flipped over, and houses wide open.” Dillon has taken part in the cleanup of yards and houses.

This past Sunday, Ken Helgeson, 1985 Trinity alumnus, turned the corner onto Main Street in Billings, MT and saw debris swirling in the air. Realizing it was a tornado, he began to look for cover. In a matter of moments the street turned into a river from the torrential rain. Over the next several minutes, Helgeson laid across the passenger seat as the storm lifted his SUV slightly off the ground three or four times. It was during these moments that he cried out to the Lord for protection. Ken escaped the storm unharmed and gives thanks to God for His protection. We are thankful for God’s protection in the lives of our students and alumni.