A series of powerful tornadoes tore through parts of Illinois and northwestern Indiana on the evening of March 10, leaving behind widespread destruction and communities in need of urgent relief.
Among the hardest-hit areas was Kankakee, Illinois, where an EF-3 tornado with winds reaching up to 165 mph carved a path of devastation. In the days that followed, Texans on Mission disaster relief teams deployed to the area to assist residents with cleanup and recovery efforts.
Jacob Moneybrake, TXM associate director of disaster relief, arrived four days after the tornado to begin assessments. What he encountered was overwhelming: neighborhoods littered with hundreds of fallen, splintered trees and homes heavily damaged or destroyed. Some had lost roofs, others were totaled.
Some residents had been trapped in their homes for more than a day, unable to evacuate due to the debris.
“They were pretty upset by everything that had happened, but they were grateful for the help,” Moneybrake said.
TXM teams got to work, partnering with a disaster relief non-profit called God’s Pit Crew, headquartered in Danville, Virginia. Overall, crews focused on removing trees from homes, clearing debris and restoring access to properties.
By Monday, larger teams began arriving, bringing trucks and heavy equipment to accelerate cleanup operations.
“They [the homeowners] were pretty receptive,” Moneybrake said. “Because we went in with this other ministry, they kind of paved the path for us.”
TXM’s impact was evident. One homeowner, whose property had around 40 fallen or uprooted trees, saw her entire yard cleared in just two and a half days by multiple teams.
John Skelton, a TXM volunteer skid steer operator, worked on a property along Lake Kankakee that once belonged to jazz musician Miles Davis. The current owner faced the daunting task of clearing 36 trees from her property, and her home was likely beyond saving.
According to Skelton, that’s just the nature of these disasters — some houses are destroyed, some sustain hardly any damage at all.
Skelton said getting the work done was tough, but fulfilling. He said a healthy dose of friendly competition among teammates also helped move the job along when fatigue set in.
“It’s a great opportunity to be on mission for the Lord and to work with people that you know are capable and have been trained,” Skelton said.
For volunteers like Bruce Kirby, with experience on about 20 deployments, the work is as emotional as it is physical.
“When you get to the scene and you're dealing with the people there, it gets a little emotional,” Kirby said. “They're excited to see you there. You're still in shock from what happened.”
One of Kirby’s first jobs in Kankakee was assisting a homeowner named Derek, who was recovering from a recent motorcycle accident. A large tree had been destroyed in the storm and left heavy debris on his property.
Using a man lift and skid steer, the team cleared the damage before taking time to pray with him upon completion.
“He was very appreciative of our efforts,” Kirby said. “I told him that we were glad to help out and that we were there to be the hands and feet of Jesus, showing love for folks that needed a little help after disasters.”
What came next was evidence of God working through TXM, Kirby said.
“We gave him a Bible that all of our team had signed, and I asked if we could pray with him,” Kirby said. “I think we were all surprised when Derek said he wanted to pray for us.”
Kirby said Derek revealed during his prayer that it had “been a long time” since he last prayed. He then thanked God for the TXM team and asked that He watch over them as they continued to work other jobs in Kankakee.
In total, Kirby’s team completed a total of 12 jobs and distributed 13 signed Bibles to homeowners.
“It’s one thing that we can take off their plate they don't have to worry about,” Kirby said. “These things are really appreciated and well received and make a difference in someone's life. There's just no other feeling like being a part of something like that.”
