Aid To Joplin

Hi, my name is Taylor and I had the privilege of being part of a group of men who took a missions trip to Joplin, Missouri at the beginning of June. Arriving only a few short weeks after the tornado tore through the city of Joplin, devastation and destruction was still essentially all there was to see for about as far as one could see. I had seen pictures and videos of the area prior to leaving for the trip, but seeing it first-hand was an unbelievably sobering experience. The first-hand images of 2x4s thrown through homes, trees ripped from the ground, and entire neighborhoods turned to rubble will be burned in my memory for the rest of my life.

The team with a thankful Jopliner

The piece of my experience that hit me the hardest was the reality of how temporary the things of this world are and how they can be taken away from us in the blink of an eye. Words can’t even describe the emotions and the lasting impact that comes from walking through what once was the foundation of a person’s home to carry out furniture and being in complete shock as to the destructive powers of Mother Nature. It was incredible to see how the people of Joplin weren’t dwelling on the fact that their entire lives had been swept away and destroyed, but rather they were clinging to the people they loved and spoke simply of how blessed they felt to be alive. Every person we came across continuously thanked us for such simple tasks as moving a few piles of debris, that to us were simple tasks, but the help meant the world to these people. I was blown away by the love and sense of community that existed amongst the people of Joplin and all those who came incredible distances to assist with the relief efforts.

We heard numerous stories of incredible survival from people whose entire homes were destroyed except for the tiny bathroom or hall closet that was left standing amongst a pile of rubble. One elderly woman, whom we fixed a fence for, had a dog named Buddy Dee that was caught outside during the storm and had been traumatized by the storm. When we got done fixing this fence, I have never seen such a happy dog in all my life. Buddy Dee couldn’t stop running laps around the yard and I believe the dog’s excitement was only outdone by that of her owner who was ecstatic that her dog could once again run free. I could write for quite a bit if I recounted all the stories from my trip, but this is just one example of how I witnessed the citizens of Joplin appreciating the little things in life that I tend to take for granted. I also learned that little acts of kindness really do make a difference in people’s lives. With the vastness of the destruction our group felt and knew that we were barely putting a dent in helping Joplin on their road to recovery, but that didn’t mean that the work we did was meaningless. It was important to those we were helping and impacted both their lives and our own.

Buddy Dee!

In closing, I would like to extend the all the thanks that the people of Joplin gave to us, to all those who donated to L2F for the city of Joplin. On our final day in the city, we drove around and distributed the money, donated by you all, to the people in need that the Lord led us to. So don’t think simply because you couldn’t make the trip to Joplin that you didn’t and haven’t had an impact on the people of Joplin and contributed to the relief efforts because you have!  I hope that my short story of my experience in Joplin has been meaningful and that you can take something from it that will help you grow closer to Christ and inspire you to continue living each and every day for God and advancing His kingdom. God Bless!

All photos kindly provided by Herb.