But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.—Job 23:10 (NIV)

We’re no strangers to tornadoes in Alabama. Living in Tornado Alley means we’re never far from the touchdown sites, and this last one was no exception, marking a path of destruction only eight miles from us.

The next day, the sun came up and we could see the needs growing. Suddenly, the idea came to me: diapers. I live in a young neighborhood where almost everyone has kids, so having an extra pack of diapers around is the standard. I hustled to our group page and asked, “Would anyone like to put any out on their porch, or send me cash to buy them at the store?”

Two days later, I found myself with over $500 and a map dotted with pickup locations. Over and over, people thanked me for allowing them to feel useful, to help in such a hard time. In turn, I thanked them for allowing me to be the hands and feet gathering their goods. I ended up going to the store five times. Each time I would go and spend the donations plus some money of my own, I would get home to find that more money had been dropped off. Back to the store I went!

In the end, our little neighborhood gave almost 1,300 diapers, enough to cover plenty of bottoms for several weeks until parents could get back on their feet. And while we gave a lot, the feeling of community gave us all that we needed that day.