Welcome to Peace for the Storm, a ministry project started by two sisters, Amanda and Lindsey, as a way to grow closer to God and to spread His message to others.
The Story
December 2, 2015, is a day our family will never forget. We were separated by hundreds of miles across the country when we heard the news that Amanda, along with many of her coworkers, had been shot in San Bernardino, California, in an event that has now been deemed an act of terrorism. For hours we didn’t know if Amanda was alive or dead. Those terrible hours were spent in constant prayer that she would survive.
We finally did receive the call that Amanda was alive. The relief that flooded over us was soon replaced with the reality that Amanda would not recover for a great deal of time. She sustained injuries to her right arm and both legs, and has a large amount of shrapnel throughout her body, including in her head.
The Project
After the incident, Amanda began getting through difficult moments by singing hymns and reading Scripture. One morning while lying in her hospital bed, Jesus gave her the idea to share Bible verses and hymn lyrics online and via social media, so others could also be encouraged during trials in their lives.
She told her sister, Lindsey, about her ideas, and together the two of them began to brainstorm ideas for the project. Both were encouraged by the idea of possibly turning something so tragic into a way to reach others. Amanda is limited in what she can do because of her current physical disabilities, but with the help of God and family and friends, she began to put together a list of verses and songs that have encouraged her, uplifted her and strengthened her. Lindsey, a graphic designer, works from that list to create the images you see here on the site and on social media. You can read more about the design process here.
Of special significance to Amanda is the name of the project–Peace for the Storm. Christ promises to give us perfect peace when we depend on Him and go to Him with our struggles. Peace for the Storm (rather than in the storm or in the midst of the storm) was chosen because we believe it is vitally important to fortify your mind with Scripture and hymns before a trial or struggle comes along. Our parents taught us from a young age to depend on Christ, so it was natural for our family to turn to Bible promises and sing hymns after the December 2 incident. Certain hymns she hadn’t sung in months came to Amanda when she was hospitalized, because by God’s grace, she had fortified her mind and had developed a relationship with Jesus from childhood. We’ll be sharing more of those stories right here on the website.
Our Mission
It is our prayer that the Peace for the Storm designs will uplift and strengthen you, and turn you towards Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith. It is also our prayer that these designs will inspire and encourage you for both the good times in life and also the trials that inevitably will be encountered.
Our theme verse is Colossians 3:16.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Thanks
We are so thankful that uplifting thoughts about Christ can be shared with others in this way. Thank you to everyone who has shared inspirational verses with our family–we will be using them in this ministry! Please share Peace for the Storm with your family and friends! In addition to this website, we have content on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, and Twitter so you can follow along on your social media account of choice.