“JOPLIN, Mo. -- A tornado killed at least 116 people on Sunday afternoon. It hit St. John's Regional Medical Center on the south side of the city and collapsed the roofs of two city fire stations. It also heavily damaged Joplin High School, which had its graduation ceremony on Sunday at Missouri Southern State University.”
On hearing this and other reports, I was appalled at the devastation that occurred. However, hearing and seeing pictures through the media did not adequately capture the damage done until one actually beholds it visually. I spent July 11- 22, 2011 in Joplin
(along with a Mary J. a cohort) working in a warehouse manned by the Adventist Community Services Disaster Response (ACS DR). The warehouse is operated by the “Mark S, Mark G & Kelly who have made it available to the ACSDR team. There was no accommodation for us during our stay in Joplin, thus we had to room in Carthage, some 20 miles away and commuted everyday to Joplin. I ran the warehouse for a week as the Warehouse Manager and Mary, as the Office Manager.
We (Mary and I) realized on touring the affected area that it was God’s protection that had sheltered many of these people – Such devastation would have probably claimed hundreds of lives if God had not extended mercy. Working in the warehouse was a thrill especially when we were assisted by the various groups (from churches, corporations, individuals) – volunteers came from MO, KY, TX etc. By the way, Mary and I are from MN. The real problem affecting the warehouse was the scorching heat– it soared as high as 111 degrees, not to mention the heat index. Sometimes, the warehouse had to be closed early because of the scorching temperatures – we wanted to ensure that our volunteers were safe. All the volunteers drank gallons of water daily while in the warehouse (operating hours while I was there was 8:30 am – 5:00 pm).
There is also a place where displaced people were staying affectionately called Tent City. Yes! People literally live in tents with their minimal possessions. You can just imagine
how uncomfortable it got when the daily temperature is above 100 degrees. Anyway with God’s help working through Mark, Mark and Kelly, along with the warehouse managers they are receiving assistance. The journey to recovery for Joplin is certainly long term – keep them in our prayers.
For a blow by blow description of our stay in Joplin visit Mary’s blog below:
It is indeed a blessing when we can unite and help the fallen or those in need of assistance. I hope that we as a people will continue to assistance others as God continue to bless us. Remember it is more blessed to give than receive!
See pictures below
See pictures below
A very interesting post!! We should always be willing to lend a helping hand to others that are in need. You and all the other workers who went ot Joplin are good role models.
ReplyDeleteYou may find an article about you and your wife on my blog: http://iknowihaveit.blogspot.com/