Joplin - 5 months later

It had been about two months since we were in Joplin, and as Gary and I went back last week, it was a very encouraging visit.  The last time we were there, I could not bear to look at a lot of the damage.  (The Joplin tornado came soon after we had just seen the flooding devastation along the Mississippi River and the tornado destruction in Birmingham and Tuscaloosa.) 

I'd like to share a few pictures with you of this visit, and pass on a story of survival that was shared with us.

 

Piles of rubble were evident on many parking lots

that were in the process of being cleared. 

The trees, although having put out new growth,

still looked mishapen and showed signs of trauma.

Evidence of new construction abounded with multiple port-a-potties

being one of the good indicators at most building sites!

Rows and rows of FEMA trailers gave credence

to the number of people that had lost their homes.

Someone  told me that FEMA furnishes the trailer

rent free for 18 months to give them time to get re-established.

In contrast to all the rubble and construction,

a newly opened Wendy's stood out like a shiny new copper penny.

The manager shared this story with us.

On the evening of the tornado as the sirens were screaming

the warning of the impending disaster,

she spoke to her employees by phone.

Her gut instinct instructed them to huddle together

in the men's bathroom, instead of in the walk-in cooler which

was the usual designated safe place.

She was praying to God for His protection 

as she and her husband drove to the restaurant.

A semi-truck/trailer lay on its side

where the dining room had been.

The only part of the building that remained

was the men's bathroom which contained

seven frightened employees - none with serious injuries!

Truly God had protected them.

Of course, no town in America is replete without its Walmart Store!

The motto on this trailer sums up what we saw in Joplin:

"Rebuilding Together"

A couple of Bible verses that seem appropriate
are from Jeremiah 31:3-4 where God says,
"I have loved you with an everlasting love;
I have drawn you with loving-kindness,
I will build you up again
and you will be REBUILT..."


To see some names of God from A to Z,
check out my Rock4Today blog!

Linking with Women Living Well Wednesdays, Alphabe-Thursdays, Brag on God Fridays, and Spiritual Sundays.

Everybody Can Do Something!

Last week my husband and I made a trip to Georgia

to be with my youngest sis on her birthday. 

On the way there we encountered some of the damage that was done

by the F4 tornado that had wound its way through several Southern States. 

  

Our 6th grade Sunday School class had been studying the story of the Good Samaritan from Luke chapter 10 in the Bible.  After studying the lesson, I showed them some of the pictures that I had taken of the disaster area that my husband and I had encountered.  

 We called their attention to the poster on the bulletin board that said,

"What Can I Do?"

 

After brainstorming, they came up with several ideas of ways they could help.

 One of their ideas was to have a car wash.   

We have had a cold, rainy spring,

so although they probably would have enjoyed doing this,

for the sake of the teachers involved

the idea was put on hold until warmer days arrived to stay!  

They all agreed that

EVERYBODY CAN DO SOMETHING! 

 The artists in the class got to work and made this poster.

The idea that got the most enthusiastic response was a Toy Drive,

which we hoped could help bring comfort to the children who had lost their toys due to the tornado.  Our class quickly got to work to cover collection boxes with colored paper.

 We used the pictures that I had brought to decorate the boxes 

to call attention to why we were doing this.

We enlisted the help of our church's technical staff to produce a short video

to make others aware of our project. 

This video is to be aired in "Big Church" next Sunday

 and we hope to post it on YouTube. 

We are filled with anticipation and excitement as we begin the collection and distribution process.  With the recent horrific devastating F4 tornado in Joplin,

 we have an area closer to home that can benefit from our efforts.

So, as a Sunday School class, we challenge you:

What Can You Do?

EVERYBODY CAN DO SOMETHING!

This post is linked with Spiritual Sundays

and Jenny Matlock's "Alphabet Thursdays"

Thanks for stopping by!

Visit my companion blog at The Rock4Today