Tim Ellsworth

Now I know how Jack Bauer feels.

The past 24 hours have been the most intense day of my life. Many of you have read about the tornado that ripped through the Union University campus last night, reducing several dorm buildings to heaping piles of debris and trapping nine students in the process. (Timmy Brister has a good collection of resources, and The Jackson Sun is another place where you can find lots of info.)

To walk around the campus and survey the damage, there’s only one logical conclusion: that God’s providence is the only reason nobody was killed. It is staggering to see these buildings now and wonder how everyone got out alive. Thanks be to God for His kindness to us.

I came home last night at 3:30 a.m. for all of 30 minutes — long enough to take a shower and head back to campus. By my ballpark estimate, I’ve probably received more than 300 phone calls during the past day from media outlets all over the country. I did interviews (in the freezing cold) on Fox News and CNN, as well as ABC, NBC and CBS affiliates in Memphis, Nashville and Jackson.

Challenges abounded. Our web site was down, so we had to find alternative ways to communicate to students, parents and friends about what was happening on campus. One of my most bothersome problems was keeping my cell phone charged. Worst of all was the uncertainty about the welfare of our students who were trapped in the dorms.

I returned home about 6:30 this evening, physically exhausted and emotionally spent. And the difficulties are just beginning, as we are now faced with the difficult task of rebuilding a campus that largely lies in ruins. The trajectory of my professional — and personal — life has been altered significantly.

I’m so thankful for your prayers for me and for Union University over the past day. They have encouraged me greatly.

I received offers of help almost immediately, most significantly from my friend Chris Turner. Many uplifting messages came from other friends and from people I don’t even know. The outpouring of support has been overwhelming and humbling. And I know it’s just beginning.

Please continue to keep Union University and its president, David Dockery, in your prayers in the weeks and months ahead. Dr. Dockery now faces pressures and burdens I can’t begin to fathom. But I can’t help but think that God is going to use him in a powerful way to accomplish something wondrous on Union’s campus. I’m thrilled to be a part of it.

The needs, however, are massive. Please consider making a donation to:

Union University Disaster Relief Fund
1050 Union University Drive
Jackson, TN 38305