(click on the picture to see photos of the PCM Joplin Tornado Recovery Trip)
On May 22nd around 5:25pm an EF-7 tornado 1 mile wide ripped and tore it's way into the small city of Joplin, Missouri. The estimated strength of this monster was 300mph vortex winds leaving a devastated area 13 miles long. Imagine a huge blender with 4 vortexes inside a huge cell of rain coming over the horizon shredding and hurling into the air everything in its path. The vacuum action of the tornado combined dirt, shingles, steel, tin, glass, wood, siding, and fiberglass, along with all the belongings inside and outside businesses and homes as it ripped and tore a path destroying 8000 residences, cars, people, businessses, schools, electrical transformers, gas lines, a hospital, an adult learning center, and playgrounds along the way.
As we carefully worked our way through all the debris, under the direction of Americorps and the families who had given us permission to cleanup their property, we found pieces of photos, torn up children's toys, jewelry, clothes, cash, perfume, social security cards, watches, keys, half finished craft projects, DVDs, appliances, and many other personal items such as a wedding invitation, a child's pacifier, and the celtic cross in the photo above. This cross in the photo above was caked with mud but we were able to brush it off and set it up on top of the other items we thought the homeowner might keep.
Joplin is a town of 50,000 and all the residents in and around this area have been affected by this supernatural tornado. The mixed blessing from this disaster was to see so many from around the US and (even all the way from Japan) respond with an outpouring of generosity and love. Our team of 10 was also inspired by how well the victims and volunteers were being cared for.
During the day we worked in the 95 degree sunshine cleaning up and sorting the debris with rakes, shovels, and our bare hands, always wearing masks to guard against inhaling the fiberglass filled dust, and lots of sunscreen and long sleeved shirts and long pants to guard our skin as well. The most common injury was from nails sticking up randomly on the ground or poking out of broken boards. It was a blessing that our team members recieved tetanus boosters prior to the trip because nearly all of us ended up with minor puncture wounds by the week's end.
In the afternoons our team would escape the bright sunshine (since all the trees are gone and there is little shade to be found in the area of devastation), by going to work in the warehouses that received the truck loads of donations coming in from all over our wonderful US of A! We were amazed to see the outpouring of donations of food, clothes, work gloves, tools, furniture, toys, carseats, strollers, cribs, diapers, household cleaning supplies, and on and one. Our team helped to sort and organize the donations in two locations. It was memorable to see the families come in and help them find the items they were most in need of. I will always remember a little boy named Dylan who was looking for a superhero toy. I am sure during the tornado he was hoping a superhero would save his family. Thank God, his family all survived but none of their belongings were savable. Some of the downed trees were being chainsaw-carved into reborn creations of hope. And the Joplin High School sign illustrated this with new letters renaming it "Hope High School" with the "H" and "e" created out of gray duct tape...
What a great honor and blessing it was to our mission team to be invited into the lives of the citizens of Joplin in the aftermath of this disaster. We will remember the Grandma's story of her little 5 year old granddaughter and her mother who miraculously made it to the bathroom of the Walmart and came out to find the rest of the huge store totally destroyed. And we were told the sad story of the young father who had just returned from serving in Afghanistan who took refuge in the Home Depot with his two little girls. He was found still clutching onto them crouched in a corner of the store. Sadly all three had died in the destruction.
Our team members will always remember the afternoon we spent with the Miller family to plant a memorial rosebush for Tripp Miller who lived in a group home for the disabled. Tripp and his buddies were all killed along with one of their caretakers. The home was located beside the Joplin High School that was also destroyed. His parents, were so thankful that we came from New Jersey to comfort them in their sorrow. We all mourned the loss of Tripp with his parents as we planted a tree and a rosebush. They are long time active members of the First Presbyterian Church in Joplin that partnered with us on our first tornado disaster response trip. After spending time with the Millers we felt we knew Tripp well. He was a very special man and his contagious smile will be remembered always.
The Americorps banner (below) is a hopeful statment that we witnessed everywhere we went: "The Miracle of the Human Spirit." As Christians we also acknowledge that it is the Holy Spirit that inspires and bonds people together in times such as this. Many of the people in Joplin communicated that our presence had an impact on their lives. One warehouse worker said, "We know God cares when people like you come all the way from New Jersey to help us."
It was a great privilege to be the hands and feet and loving arms of Jesus for these people. They loved to tell us story after story of survival and of loss. We listened and tried our best to share the burdens with them. Jesus said, "Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest." We hope that our presence gave a touch of loving comfort and a sense of God's peace to those we served. It will be many years before this area recovers. But our faith in the resurrection assures us that God who is faithful will restore our souls. Whether or not we regain our material possessions, we trust that our souls will be restored - if not on earth then in heaven. And we know that through it all, NOTHING, not even the most monstrous tornado can separate us from the love of God that was demonstrated by the life and death of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Almighty and everlasting God, the comfort of the sad, the strength of those who suffer, let the prayers of your children who cry out of any tribulation come to you. To every soul that is distressed, grant mercy, grant relief, grant refreshment; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen
(from the Liturgy of St. Mark)
