After the devastating tornado that ripped through Nashville and central Tennessee on Tuesday, volunteers immediately began looking for ways to help. However, few expected one of those helpers to be a 3-year-old on a tricycle!
Susan Stout Dyer posted a photo Friday of her grandson, Dax, riding his trike through her devastated neighborhood of Cookeville, Tennessee. Apparently, the little man was on a mission to rebuild his neighborhood.
"My grandson Dax, in our subdivision," she captioned the photo of the little boy in a green dinosaur T-shirt on his red trike. "He told me 'he had to come work to help his neighbors with their broken houses.' He said that’s what God wants us to do ... what you can’t see, he has his hammer and tools on the back of his trike!"
"Our neighborhood was the first touch down of the tornado," Dyer told TODAY. "Day care was closed, and his mom was at work so he was spending the day with me.
The next morning, Dax heard me speaking with his older brother about going to help down the street. He got his tools and placed them on his trike, put on his goggles and off we went. He said to me, 'Suesue, are we going to help our neighbors because their houses are broken?' I replied yes, and asked him why he thought we should do that. His reply was 'because that’s what God wants us to do, help our neighbors!'"
Dyer lives in Prosperity Point in Cookeville, one of the areas affected by the tornado that killed at least 24 people, destroyed homes and buildings and caused major power outages across the state. There has been an outpouring of support for the tornado victims, including help from celebrities and members of the music community urging people to donate. But no one could have imagined such a small boy would try to make his own impact in the aftermath.
"God Bless you Dax for having such a compassionate heart!! So precious and may God Bless you all in Tennessee," one person posted after viewing the heartwarming photo.
"Out of the mouth of Babes!" wrote another person. "I Love how he thinks at such a young age! You are so Blessed as a grandma to have him as your grandson. God is speaking to him and he is listening."
Earlier this week, Gov. Bill Lee addressed the residents of Tennessee saying, "In the worst of circumstances the best of people comes out, and that’s what we’re seeing here in Tennessee."
Apparently, Dax got the memo and is proving that even in the worst of times, there is always hope.
"As a grandparent I try to be very intentional with using the time I spend with him to teach him what love really looks like based on our faith," said Dyer. "I wasn’t surprised at all because he is a sweet child! Our community has experienced something horrible and something beautiful at the same time. We are broken but we are strong."