Joplin, Missouri (July 18 - 22, 2011)

Late in the afternoon on Sunday, May 22 an EF5 multiple-vortex tornado struck Joplin, Missouri. It reached a maximum width in excess of 1 mile during its path through the southern part of the city with deadly and devastating results.

 

Click here to see an amazing before/after drive through Joplin - video shot from car

KUMC's Jubilee Band performs "Brother Joplin" - a tribute to our sisters and brothers in Joplin 
(song written by Erika Whittaker and Rocky Marlowe, sung by Erika).

The Kirkwood United Methodist Church community, like so many others across Missouri and neighboring states saw the need to reach out to Joplin as they clean up and begin the long rebuilding process.

Twenty-two volunteers joined together for the inaugural Joplin mission trip, hopefully the first of many, departing KUMC on Monday, July 18 for a week of debris removal and other assistance.

If you were unable to participate in this work trip, but want to help the residents of Joplin rebuild their lives, please consider donating a gift card. JOPLIN RELIEF envelopes are located in the church office: make your check out to KUMC and select the store(s) and the amount you wish to donate. The gift cards will go directly to the people of Joplin who have suffered loss. Gift cards valued at $9000 have now been given to the people of Joplin. Thank you, KUMC members and friends!


Day 1 - Monday, July 18

We have landed in our home-away-from-home in Joplin: Christ's Community UMC. 

Sue Mitch's observation: the amount of work that has been done at the tornado site is amazing! It's obvious that there is so much support and love from the community and an inpouring of resources. It's a different place from a even few weeks ago.

We spent the afternoon helping a distribution center get ready for massive distribution event - up to 5,000 people will receive clothing, supplies and food this week. The youth will be back there tomorrow helping out.

Sue and Ron sorting clothes

Sylvia and Chris: "What size are these jeans?"

The rest of us? We don't know specifics, but we will leave the work assignment in Travis' (our AmeriCorps contact) and God's hands. We are eager to get busy and make a difference here in Joplin.

After dinner we took a driving tour to see the devastation first-hand. The new life on the trees and the beginning of reconstruction is inspiring. The utter devastation is something that we couldn't imagine and seeing it in person made quite an impact on all of us.

What's left of the trees - tops limbs gone, bark stripped and now new growth on some of the remaining limbs. There are badly damaged vehicles around the area yet to be removed - but nothing at all like the numbers of even a few weeks ago.

American flags hang all around the area.

This was a hospital.

Foundations and a few parts of walls - block after block look like this!

Day 2 - Tuesday, July 19
We have concluded that the weather reports were, indeed correct. Keyword = HOT!

Yes, there was still time for Sue and Leah to pose! Those facemasks make such a fashion statement!

The KUMC adult crew headed to a residential area just west of the hospital. We cleared debris - everything from chainsawing parts of trees and brush cut into manageable size to sorting debris from homes. We took frequent water and shade breaks under our small tent, but at the end of the day we felt like we'd made some good headway on getting the area cleaned up.

Our chainsaw guys.

Reminders of the personal lives that were touched - the toys were especially touching.

Leah found a prayer book written in Bosnian.

This reminder of God's love spring up everywhere - here in rough chainsaw "art" by tree removal contractors left on a (former) home's foundation.

The KUMC youth crew returned to the Family Worship Center to help sort and organize clothing and other miscellaneous items for "Croc 'n Roll." The youth helped hundreds of families select donated clothing for their familie and set up a small "day care center" for those families who had small children with them. Later in the afternoon the youth moved indoors to help with the distribution of food and personal care products - and as an added plus, each family got a free pair of Crocs! Lucky us, each of the volunteers were given a pair of Crocs, too!

A makeshift childcare area created by our KUMC youth freed parents to collect much-needed clothing and supplies on Tuesday.

A good night's sleep tonight (in air conditioning) and we'll be ready to go out early tomorrow and do more work.

Day 3 - Wednesday, July20


The adult crew kept busy in the heat and the dust, clearing debris from a home/business building of Bernie Collins. He'd cleared most of the structure, but needed a what was left of a lone tree on the property cut down and the final debris removal from the foundation. Mission accomplished by 2:30 - we came back to home base glad to have been of help. Bernie shared his story of how his wife and daughters rode out the tornado in the women's restroom at Walmart, where they worked.

This is the building we cleared - BT (Before Tornado)

Tom removes rubble left behind after the tornado.

Dan, Bernie (building owner), Ron and KUMC Pastor David Bennett

Leah and Randy working hard to clean up.

Work crew at the cleared work site - job well done!

Bernie told Dan "thank you for the help!"

Car on the lot behind our work site

Wood impaled into the car's windshield

The youth really had a really busy day helping at the donation center, where people impacted by the storm continued to come in to get food, clothing and personal items. They have some great stories to share about their connection with the families.Our KUMC youth team was the only group of volunteers at the center, so by the time they finished at 5:30, they were exhausted.

Day 4 - Thursday, July21

While part of the KUMC team returned to the distribution center to help tornado victims reclothe their families and restock supplies, half of our team was down on the farm today - near Pierce City, MO. A farmer there had significant tree damage from the storm, which our chainsaw/debris removal crew attacked with enthusiasm. From morning into the afternoon they sawed, cut and hauled everything from the remains of some grand oaks to smaller trees and bushes. The crew also got to know the farm family, which included a couple of children who charmed their way into the team's hearts.

Ron looks like he's ready for some serious work!

Rich, Becky and Stu are encouraging their friend, Hamilton, to return to his pen.

It's hard to believe tomorrow is Day 5/Friday. Most everyone will spend the morning at the distribution center; after lunch and quick showers, we'll be Kirkwood-bound. 

Day 5 - Friday, July22
Friday the group returned to the Family Worship Center's distribution center to sort even more clothes, food and person care items and to help clients gather together the items that they need. After a quick lunch, showers and loading the bus, trailer and van we were on the road for the drive home to Kirkwood. We were welcomed by family and friends - a welcome sight after the week. We all have a lot to process - memories of experiences and stories that have greatly impacted each of us.

We'll look forward to returning to Joplin and supporting the next teams from KUMC who go to help Joplin folk rebuild and heal.

Thank you, KUMC family for supporting us and praying for us. Thank you, Christ's Community Church for your generous hospitality and friendship. 

Thanks be to our great God, who has so blessed us that we can reach out and help our Joplin brothers and sisters.

Observations and Comments by our Joplin Mission Team:

Dan Stokes: The Joplin trip was amazing in many ways. I have been in and seen a number of tornado damage areas. The scope of this devastation was awe inspiring. Having worked with the “Good Friday Tornado” here in St. Louis I know that the scope of the clean-up is tremendous.
     The people are always the memorable part of any trip or disaster relief operation. I was impressed with the ability of our group to go with the flow. Plans changed by the hour and our group changed with them with little or no complaint or concern. Our youth were standard bearers at the distribution center – few others worked as well or as hard as they did.
     I was most impressed with the staff and volunteers at Christ’s Community UMC. They were there for us all of the time. They provided food and drink, showers and clean towels, cots and rooms, air conditioning and prayers. They organized a dozen meals for us. Even with all of the work that we did at least two of us came home with significant weight gains! KUMC missionaries “flew in”, did our thing and “flew out”. CCUMC are there for the duration.  They had the tornado, buried their dead, and opened their church. They have been doing this for seven weeks and continue to do it. They bent in every conceivable direction to meet OUR needs. What extravagant generosity!

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 Rich Glass: So much devastation. So much that needs to be done. One feels insignificant when looking at the scope of the work that has been accomplished and that which is yet to be done. Our adult team worked in the field three days and, at the end of each day, we could look around at vast stretches of devastation still to be attacked. It is daunting and humbling. We know that our small piece is joined by thousands of others, from people around the USA and around the world, who have brought Joplin close to the start of rebuilding.
     We had a great team of adults and youth and a great leader in Dan Stokes. KUMC can be proud of the youth who served in Joplin. They garnered praise at the distribution center for their caring way with the clients, their work and their work ethic. They brought a brief glimpse of light to people in great need.
     Our whole team was supported through the extravagant generosity of the Christ’s Community UMC and their support network. People from churches 40 miles out came into Joplin to prepare and serve dinner. People within Christ’s Community church served breakfast and lunch, washed towels each day, and provided us with a loving atmosphere. These folks have been doing this since the tornado in May and will continue as long as they are needed. They are one of many in Joplin who have poured out their hearts, their time and their resources to support the thousands of volunteers who have served in Joplin. They are the exemplar of a Christian community.
     I think that, for many, the greatest sense of fulfillment came from our interaction with those we were serving. We heard their stories. We shared, for a brief time, their burdens. We provided a positive example of  Christian love and serving to people in great need.

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Randy Carrier: I was honored to be able to participate in this first, of what I hope will be more, missions to Joplin. Our inaugural KUMC Joplin mission crew was truly a pleasure to meet and serve with. What a fabulous opportunity to work side by side with a wonderful group of people on a worthwhile endeavor.
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Leah Halley: When we first saw the devastation in Joplin, I was struck speechless by how the tornado had essentially leveled such a vast area. There is still a lot of work to be done – but I think Pastor Sue said it best that the cleanup is beginning to look almost tidy. I was inspired to see that those trees still standing, even with limbs ripped off, have new leaves. In the midst of the devastation, a few residents are already building the framework for new homes. And, of course, there are two new Walgreens already nearing completion.

     For many of the residents, their wounds are still fresh.  One of the women who helped prepare a meal for us shared a story of a family that was driving when the tornado struck, stopped at a quick trip, but were turned away because the freezer was too full.  Going back out to their car, they took cover – with the father laying atop the mother, both of whom then covered their child.  Somehow, the tornado passed through and they survived – only to sit up and see the gas station was gone.  As the woman finished the story, tears were in her eyes and it took some time before she was able to speak again. Yet through sharing these stories, and seeing volunteers from all over the world coming to serve, the people of Joplin are healing. They have hope, and are so thankful for the volunteers.

     The adults were out trying to complete debris removal at a different location each day. It was hot, but as is true on mission trips, we became a family: all of the team members looked out for each other, telling our neighbor to stop and drink some water in the shade when they had been working a bit too long. Despite the heat, and with a welcome and somehow sacred breeze, we were able to complete most of the work at each site.

     Though part of me “knows” that God is always with me, I don’t think I ever feel God’s presence as deeply or as assuredly as when I’m removed from the comforts of family, home, and my daily routine. I felt God with me all week – when working to remove debris the first day, I was filled with hope at each trace of life found in the devastation: a small toad, a wooly caterpillar, and even many butterflies that fluttered by. But I was also reminded of something that my campus pastor had once told me: God is in relationships. Each conversation I had – either with a member of our mission team or a Joplin resident – I could feel God’s presence. He is always with us, and we feel His presence most strongly when we serve Him by serving others.
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Stu Safranski: Despite the devastation in Joplin, I feel it important to emphasize the positive, uplifting nature that still exists in this town. Throughout the destruction can be found messages of strong patriotic and religious meaning; these residents have not given up, and they refuse to let this monstrous tornado destroy their spirit. On the side of many destroyed homes exist spray-painted messages of hope: "God has a plan for Joplin", "We Will Rebuild", "God Bless Joplin"- just to name a few.
      Throughout our trip we came across multiple groups of volunteers from all over the country and all across the world. We encountered a group of Muslims from Maryland, a large church from Texas, and even a man on his own all the way from Brazil - all working side-by-side with members of KUMC and thousands of other volunteers in an attempt to lend a hand in the wake of this tornado.
      There is not a doubt in my mind - the Lord is very present in Joplin, Missouri.