On May 22nd, a F5 tornado ripped through Joplin, MO, leaving a path of destruction, displacement, and death in its wake. I imagine many of you were like me as you watched and read reports over the next few days. Overcome with grief and sadness, you wanted to help – to do something to let the people of Joplin know they were not alone and that help was coming. When we see such tragedies unfolding on TV or in the news, it seems so helpless and even inhumane to not do something. When we add to the mix our love for God and our desire to love others because of God’s love, we are overwhelmed with the urge to go and do.
So many of you generously gave in that first week. We collected over $1,500 in Wal-Mart gift cards and countless numbers of bottled water. Many of you gave through other organizations as well. As the emergency responders arrived and took care of needs and infrastructure in a way only they can do, we began to look for opportunities to do more.
Just yesterday, Thursday, June 2, a team of twelve from FBC traveled to Joplin for the day. Through contacts that Rod Maples put together, part of our group went to First Baptist Church, Joplin, to sort donations for victims of the tornado. They spent the entire day sorting piles and piles of clothes so that people could come and begin to replace in a small way what they lost. The rest of our team partnered with Forest Park Baptist Church and Samaritan’s Purse. In the morning, we also sorted just a few of the donations that Forest Park received. They had a warehouse full of items and people were able to come shop in a very dignified atmosphere which is so important after an experience that is completely humbling. After a quick bite of lunch, we went through orientation with Samaritan’s Purse and headed to our first work site to remove debris. When we arrived, another team from another organization was working so we were reassigned to another location – a street in a neighborhood where everything had been flattened. It truly looked like a war zone.
What once was a beautiful, lush neighborhood with an abundance of trees and homes was now a desert-like wasteland. Instead of green, all you saw was brown. Trees stripped of anything green and bare nubs standing erect out of the ground. Most houses were completely flattened and the few that weren’t only had a wall or two remaining. Debris is everywhere and possessions are mixed throughout.
Our job was clean-up. We brought one chainsaw so part of our group began working on one of the trees that was down and covering a majority of the yard and part of the driveway. The rest of us began going through all the debris around the foundation of the house. The only things left standing were the piano and organ – nothing else. As we began to work through the piles, we learned more about the couple that lived in this home. She was the church organist at Forest Park Baptist Church although not at the time of the tornado. She loved to play piano and organ which was obvious by the abundance of sheet music all over the place. Not long after we arrived, a long-time friend and coworker of the husband stopped by to try and find out about his friend. He had not been able to find out if they were okay. Unfortunately, we couldn’t tell him anything other than we were assigned to the house. We directed him to Forest Park where hopefully he could receive some good news. Truly, if they had been at the house during the tornado I don’t know how they would have survived. It was completely destroyed.
It is so easy to get overwhelmed and to be frozen in place by all that needs to be done. Let us be encouraged by one another to keep moving forward – no matter how slowly. Joplin has a very long road ahead of them. Months and months of clean-up. Years and years of rebuilding. It is our privilege to encourage them and to work alongside them. For the glory of God.
We will organize more trips to Joplin for clean-up work. If you are interested in going, please email me so I can add you to our contact list. We will promote church-wide but I will make sure to contact those who have contacted me. We don’t have exact dates lined up yet but we are working on it.
In the meantime, we have moved our youth mission trip location from Kentucky to Joplin in order to help with these very immediate and pressing needs. Pray for this team of 45 that will be working in Joplin July 10 -17.
And as always, pray. Pray for the people of Joplin. Pray for all those who are grieving, burying their loved ones amidst all the chaos, looking for a place to live and a place to work trying to figure out how to start over. Pray for all the volunteers, emergency responders, and churches that are bearing the brunt of the relief efforts not only in the moment but for the long haul. Pray for our church and for your involvement in this clear opportunity to share the love of Jesus Christ with those who are desperately hurting. May every action and word that we provide during this time bring glory and honor to our God.
Peace -
Melissa Hatfield, Pastor of Youth and Missions
Since the devastating tornado hit Joplin, MO, on May 22, First Baptist Church has been sending financial support and teams to Joplin.
