On May 22, 2011 a tornado punished Joplin, a town of 50k in Southwest Missouri (USA) killing 161, injuring 1150 and inflicting nearly $3 billion worth of damage.

Over three years later, as the people of Joplin continue to rebuild their lives and broken hearts, one aspect of the nightmare is gladly remembered and celebrated.

[pullquote align=right]”…the Butterfly people protected us.”[/pullquote]In the wake of destruction, as the children who endured the storm began telling family and friends the stories of their experiences, many of them told of the same, bizarre account…

“The butterfly people protected us.”

As the reports of supernatural intervention and protection were relayed, dozens of children came forward, saying they too saw the butterfly people.

The following are two accounts from the St. Louis Post Dispatch:

A mother and daughter fled their vehicle as the tornado neared. The girl is 3 years old. In some versions, she is 4. They have no time to reach a nearby house. The mother and daughter hit the ground. The mother covers her child. Sometimes they jumped into a culvert. Other times, into a front yard. The mother watches as the winds hurtle her car toward them. She braces for the impact. The tornado passes. They are not hurt. The mother is astonished. “Weren’t they pretty?” the daughter asks. The mom is confused. “Didn’t you see the butterfly people?” the daughter says. In some versions, the daughter describes seeing the butterfly people also ferrying men and women into the sky.

A father or grandfather and two young boys are trapped outside during the tornado. In most tellings, the winds are so strong the soles of the father’s shoes are ripped off. But no one is hurt. Again, it is the young boys, usually described as 3 or 4 years old, who saw butterfly people hovering above them, offering protection.

I can’t help but come to the same obvious conclusion as most of the people who ponder this…

Guardian angels.

I also cannot help but wonder why were the stories were all retold by young children and not adults. Could it be that children are much more sensitive to the angelic and supernatural realm than adults are? Is our world being influenced by forces (both good and evil) that we cannot see, don’t want to see, or won’t believe in?

For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. (The Bible, Psalm 91:11)

For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father. (The Bible, Matthew 18:10b)

Therefore, angels are only servants—spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation. (The Bible, Hebrews 11:14)