Joplin Continues to Tug at my Heart

The tears stream as I write this post. I can't get Joplin, MO and it's people off my mind, and I am currently working on the details to make another trip there this weekend.

I can't tell you how incredible it is to have been a part of what God is doing in the aftermath of the tornado there.  I feel such a bond with the people that live there, and with those that don't, but still come out to help the ones that do.

The needs are changing daily, but the needs are great as you can imagine. The Forest Park Baptist Church has converted what was their "Bus Barn" into what they have now dubbed "Mission Joplin". They are still asking that people hold off on giving clothing at this time as they don't have the warehouse space. 

The items that are currently at the top of the list are:

Diapers
Toiletries
Ladies Feminine Products

Denture Cleanser

Denture Adhesive

Laundry Soap

Queen and King size sheets

Tents, cots & air mattresses

Dishes, pots and pans

Bug Spray

Towels

Cleaning Supplies

I will be dedicating my Check-In piece of luggage to bringing donated supplies.  I know that the notice is short, but if you have an interest in giving and/or purchasing some of the above items, and can get them to me by Thursday afternoon, I will be glad to bring them down for you.  Of course, limiting it to the smaller, lighter weight items will allow me to bring more and not exceed the luggage weight limits.

You can also order items online and have them shipped directly to the church if you so desire.

They are at:

	725 S Highview Ave, Joplin, MO 64801

Here is a taste of 'heart and soul' of the people who were affected as written by Steve Mertens from Forest Park:

My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest…How blessed you will be. -Isaiah 32:18, 20

"Besides Heaven that God has prepared for His children, Isaiah is speaking here of a spiritual place that lies in the Christian’s heart, mind, and soul which comes from a confident strength in the relationship we have with Him.

These past two weeks I have noticed many people who have lost everything in the tornado, including their homes, have such a resolve and peace about them in spite of their surroundings. They meet needs of their neighbors, help clean debris, and are the first to volunteer to help people they have never met. That’s because they live in a “peaceful dwelling place” and an “undisturbed place of rest” that does not rely on a physical structure, but on a life that is constructed by a foundation of walking with Jesus every day; relying on Him to bring security in their lives. To these people, a home is not a physical place. It is an attitude of the heart and soul that accompanies them wherever they are and encourages all those with whom they come into contact."



Joplin, MO Disaster Relief - Day 3

The Newspapers and Television reports can't begin to describe the devastation in Joplin.  You have to walk it, see it, smell it and try to imagine what life in this community looked like before the storm.  You have to wonder where these people will live, what they will drive and where they will work.  Where will next year's graduating class from Joplin High go to school?  You quickly begin to measure the disaster in so many other ways.

But, my purpose in blogging about this experience is not to give the sensational heart-breaker stories, but the "God stories" and the stories of hope and a future.

We arrived just in time to be teamed up with "Team 12" who was going out to take care of tree and debris removal.  There were 1/2 dozen work orders that we set out to take care of, yet found that most of them were already taken care of by random volunteers.  This was becoming commonplace around Joplin, as people continued to pour in from other states and communities to help.  Volunteers came out of nowhere. Others drove the streets handing out water and food. You'd see T-shirts and license plates from all over, from all kinds of organizations.

Our first 'real' job this morning was to help a lady, whose house was not totally destroyed (although severely damaged), to pack up while the guys tarped the roof and shed. 

Her front window blew into the living room and the only power source came from a generator on the front porch, but the mood was good and the blessings recognized. 

 

 It was soon decided that things were under control at this home and 1/2 of the team was then taken to the next stop which was at the home of a middle-aged couple who survived the tornado with their Grandson and dog huddled in the crawl space under the kitchen. Amazingly, this was the only part of the house that was left!  We got to work hauling debris to the street because FEMA would haul everything from the curbs away for free, but anything left on the properties after that, would be hauled at the cost to the homeowner.

The crawl space of this home was just to the left of the steps

 The couple here was fortunate enough not only to survive, but to also have insurance.  They haven't decided if they will rebuild, or what they will do yet.  They are taking one day at a time.  The team will come back after lunch to finish the job and pray with them.

Story after story of survival and hope were emerging from the rubble on a daily, maybe even hourly, basis.  The volunteers seemed tireless and eager to get back out after their meal breaks back at the church.  We were quickly becoming a family, and bonds were formed quickly with almost everyone you talked to.

This was the church in action.  The church was "being the church", and it was wonderful!  I didn't even want to think about having to go home, but our time was up and we said our 'good-byes'.

This is what I am called to do!  This is what life is really about - people, sharing the love of God, the gospel, and eternity.

Joplin, MO Disaster Relief - Day 2

Orientation for new volunteers with Samaritan's Purse would not begin until 1pm, so we were invited and encouraged to come early and join Forest Park Baptist Church for their worship service.  We arrived to a packed house that had almost standing room only.  We took a seat on the back wall and listened as the Pastor delivered a very simple, somber and basic message that at the same time was powerfully anointed.  Here is a link to that message:  http://joplin.fpbc.net/media/media_sermon_watch/the_heart_of_god?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=facebook

After service, we found out that the response for volunteers with Samaritan's Purse was so great that it would be a good idea to get our paperwork turned in by noon so we could make Orientation. (They were expecting about 200 volunteers on Saturday, but the number exceeded 800), 

Once we were teamed up with a group, where Stephan led us in prayer, we set out to the site where we were encouraged to just love on people, and offer them whatever help they needed.


(To the left is Pastor John with Franklin Graham)

When we reached 'Ground Zero', we found it hard to wrap our minds around what we were seeing.  For blocks, and in some places - miles, everything was totally leveled.  Everything was mowed down.  Houses, trees, cars - everything!  It looked like a bomb had gone off.

The first family that we met, who's rental house was almost totally gone, told us that the 5 of them, along with 3 kids from the neighborhood who were visiting, and 4 dogs all survived huddled in the bathroom.  They had pretty much scoured the area for the last week looking for salvageable and sentimental items, and we resolved to letting the rest go.  They would be staying with family locally, but would need a place to live.  A Pastor who was with us told them he had heard that the local radio station was giving out info on homes that were being donated or made available to families.  They welcomed our prayers and thanked us for the offer to help.

The next home we stopped at already had a team working that had been given permission to help out, so we joined them to go through the last of the rubble for precious keepsakes.  The home was owned by an 87 yr. old man who had been there around 57 yrs.  His daughter was over the day of the storm and he had just enough time to throw her against an inside wall and try to shelter her before it hit and took nearly 1/2 of their home (the 2nd story was totally gone).  They both survived with only minor scrapes and cuts.  As he sat on his front porch which was still standing with the volunteers, he recounted the memories of life there, and was thankful to God for his life and family.  Occasionally, a volunteer would find a picture or a piece of memorabilia and bring it to him which brought a brief smile.  I was surprised to find a page torn out of a coloring book of Snow White that was in perfect condition and colored by his Great-Granddaughter Allie.  It said, "I love you Grampa" on the bottom.  I think this may have meant more to him than the thousands of dollars worth of Baseball Card Collections, and other collectibles that he spent his entire life compiling.  We later heard that a baseball autographed by Babe Ruth was found several blocks away and brought to him.

This is now an 'outdoor' bathroom!

The last home we stopped at was owned by a lady named Josephine.  A group of young people, who joined SP after working with Convoy of Hope earlier in the week, were already hard at work moving what was left of Josephine's furniture and belongings out to some pickups that would later haul it a few blocks over to a home that she and her husband recently purchased to fix up and rent out.  Josephine was pretty feisty and was schooling our young men on church and prayer!

As we would walk the neighborhoods, and offering help, their were groups of volunteers and organizations who would drive around offering cold water and hot meals to the homeowners and volunteers.  At one point, the Red Cross came through and gave us a meal.
It was amazing to see so many who were willing to come and bring the skills and talents, whatever they may be. We saw one man offering to fix flat tires for free in the parking lot of a Dillon's that was totaled.  He had the equipment on a trailer to take the tires off the rims and repair them.  One family was there with their van that had the windows blown out, but were getting a tire fixed.  Another man was going around and sharpening chain saw blades.  The list goes on and on of "Good Samaritan's".  What a blessing to see and be a part of this!

Joplin, MO Disaster Relief - May 28, 2011 - Day 1

I am totally amazed at how God provided for every aspect of this trip - down to even the minutest of details!  

Let me back up. On Sunday, May 22, 2011 around 5:30 p.m. a multi-vortex tornado (now verified as an EF5) made a "direct hit" near 13th and Rangeline Road (a densely populated neighborhood and major thoroughfare) where several buildings - including a Walmart and St. John's Hospital - were toppled to the ground or totaled. The tornado was approximately 1 mile wide, and it tore a path 13 miles long, leveling almost everything in it's path and causing severe to moderate damage to the areas directly on either side.

On Monday, while I was at work, it was so heavy on my heart, that I wanted to go down there and help in whatever way I could.  I immediately felt in my spirit that God was telling me, "You CAN go. There is no reason not to." The thought of it took my breath for a minute, but as I started to consider the possibility of changing a few plans, and cashing in that 'Vacation Fund' from the piggy bank, I started to get excited. At that moment, I made the decision to go, and believed that if God was in it, He would take care of the details.  That first step opened up a floodgate of blessing and provision that was beyond what I could even ask or think. I began to search the Internet for a group to hook up with, and found that the Samaritan's Purse Disaster Relief Team would be there and they were looking for volunteers.  That was as far as I had to look, and within minutes most of the connections and details were taken care of.  I even put the word out, and dared to ask some friends and family to help fill my back seat with supplies and goods for the tornado victims.  They not only filled my car, but all the funds to pay for gas, meals, and even some lodging were taken care of.  I was also looking for a travel companion, which came through just the night before I was ready to leave.  Not only that, but a last minute text by my Daughter-in-law to a friend of hers in Springfield, gave us a place to stay while we were there!  After all of this happened, I recalled a quote from Leonard Ravenhill who said, "If God be your partner, make your plans large!"  (I'm sure going to remember that for next time!)  
Shari and I left around 6pm on Friday, May 27th; stopped for about 5 hrs. of sleep, then arrived in Joplin, MO around 4pm on Saturday.  We pulled up at the Forest Park Baptist Church which had quickly become a Headquarters for several Volunteer groups including Samaritan's Purse.  They directed us to their property across the street where we could empty the car of all the donations, then park and go to work with them in their bus garage which was converted into a Drop-off Site/Store, where the victims could come and shop "free" for all the goods and supplies that they needed. 

 

It was like a beehive where all the workers were simultaneously unpacking boxes, filling shelves and helping people to "shop" all at the same time!  

 It was so wonderful and amazing to see people from all over the country and community coming together to do anything and everything they could to help!