Isn't it amazing how when you meet some people their lives are instantly woven into your life?

That's the way it was when I met Elva several weeks ago.

Elva and her children, Cindy (8) and Kevin (5) lived in one of the neighborhoods that was devastated by the tornado that ripped through my hometown, Raleigh, NC on April 16, 2011. Their home was rocked from the foundation and crushed by the trees that used to dot the neighborhood. Their home was a complete loss. They were only able to retrieve clothes and just a few kitchen items once they were allowed to return to the trailer. Everything else was either damaged beyond repair, soaked by the torrents of rain that continued to pour down after the winds slowed or crushed from the trees.

Yet Elva and the children count themselves blessed as they survived. Their neighbors didn't. Four children were killed in their neighborhood that afternoon. One of them was Cindy's classmate. Many homes are still standing in their damaged state waiting to be removed or maybe repaired.

Since the storm, Elva and the kids have lived in two shelters and an extended stay hotel. Saturday, we celebrated her moving into her new home. Several of us from my church have been working with Elva through the mountains of paperwork and details to put her life back together. It has been overwhelming in the sheer magnitude of what needs to be done, but little by little a sense of normalcy is beginning to return- like making up the top bunk and sharing a simple lunch with the move-in crew and Elva's family.

Tuesday, Cindy will board the bus with her friends to go to school. Kevin will re-acquaint himself with his friends in the neighborhood. Elva will continue to dig through the list of what needs to be done, but in the comfort of a permanent home, again.

The sense of community has touched me in a way it never has before. I am humbled to have been able to walk alongside this family as they put things back together. It reminds me of the hundreds of stories just like theirs all across our country that have been affected by the string of tornadoes.

There are agencies just like Centro Internacional de Raleigh, which is how our group met Elva, helping all over the country. Just search for tornado relief efforts and look for the local newspaper's and TV stations sites of the hardest hit areas. They have links that will lead you to ways to plug in and help.