A Joplin Journey: Missing

18 April 2013

Amy was at work in the mall when the tornado hit Joplin. Though the mall was outside the path of the tornado, her home was not.  As the news trickled in, she quickly learned that their home was dead center.

While Amy was working, her husband Matt was at home with their two children. As he looked out their back door, there was no doubt that trouble was coming and Matt needed to get the kids to the safest place in their home.

It was an interesting decision he had to make. Their house was unusual in Joplin, because it had a basement. This would usually be considered a safe place. Another option is to go to the bathtub. Matt deliberately chose another location – a very small closet in the bathroom.

It was a decision that saved their lives.

As soon as they got into the closet, the tornado hit. The bathtub was one of the first things to go (they never did find it!). The tornado continued to batter the house and soon, it would dissolve and collapse. After a few minutes, what was left of the house collapsed into the basement, including the closet in which Matt and the children were huddled.

As the storm passed, Matt and the children literally crawled out of the debris of what used to be their home. Stunned and not knowing what to do, they began to walk.

In the meanwhile, Amy was rushing home. Unable to get her car any further because of the devastation, she abandoned it and ran several blocks to her house in high heels. When she arrived to where their house used to be, it was a moment of panic. There was so much destruction, she was not even sure which house was theirs.  As she narrowed down her location choices, she began picking through the debris and calling out their names. But there was no answer.

This was not a time of sorrow though, at least not yet. Her family was missing and she was going to find them. "Please Lord, let me find them."

I call on the Lord in my distress, and he answers me. 

Psalm 120.1 (NIV)

More of Matt & Amy's story coming!

A Joplin Journey: Why Me?

14 April 2013

Before anyone knew how dangerous this tornado would become, Betty Jo watched it touch down as a much smaller funnel. It was coming right toward her and the house. Instead of moving to a safe place, she froze in place and watched.

Mysteriously, the tornado lifted off the ground and sailed over her house. It did do some damage. Her trees were ripped apart and a neighbor unwillingly donated his boat onto her lawn.

Betty Jo would move to the other side of the house, and see the tornado touch down again, lifting a neighbor’s house off its foundation and out of her sight. She would later find out that the house was planted in a nearby field.

In a few minutes, this tornado would become the largest on record, and destroy the city of Joplin.

For Betty Jo, this was a life-changing event, for she asked, “Why me? Why did this tornado hop over my house and destroy so many of my friends’ houses?” It was a day that changed her mind.

He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.

Psalm 103.10, NIV

More of Betty Jo's story to come!

A Joplin Journey: Together

11 April 2003

Franklin took one look at the sky and knew this was a big one. There was a strange green tint in the air as the massive black sky was marching toward them.

Within minutes, Franklin moved his wife Andrea, and their two boys, Franklin III and Jackson into the crawl space under the house. It was just in time as winds exceeding 200 miles per hour began destroying their neighborhood.

As they lay in the crawl space, they could hear the roof coming off their home. Then they heard their vehicles slam into the house eventually becoming nothing more than twisted metal. Piece by piece, their home was flying away. And then, the floor of the house was collapsing on them.

Then the gas line broke. It was a moment of panic. Should they crawl out and get away from the gas? With all the electricity in the air, it was hard to feel safe there. Their fear of a gas explosion caused them to crawl out, but as soon as they did, the wind began to pick up the youngest boy.  Franklin grabbed him out of the air and they crawled back under the house.

In a few minutes, the tornado did pass.  As they crawled out, there was an eerie silence accompanied by the leftover hail and neighbors screaming for help. Franklin’s first thought, though, was to get his family to a safety. After assuring his neighbors he would be back, the family began to walk toward Joplin to find a safe place.

Hoping to find a stable house untouched by the tornado, they found none. Instead, there was devastation everywhere. So they kept walking, precariously dodging power lines laying on the ground and ponds of water.

They were, however, alive and together! These were facts that had not escaped them, and for which they were grateful.

The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.

Proverbs 18.10, NIV

More of Franklin's story to come...

A Joplin Journey: Build

2 April 2013

In May 2011, a catastrophic tornado demolished a large part of the city of Joplin, MO. Many have heard about this tornado, but like myself, it is hard to get a grasp of its magnitude until you go there and see for yourself.

Early in the week (March 11-16), as I gazed over the devastation that this tornado caused, I spontaneously began to weep. I literally could see a path miles long and mile wide, and all I could think about is the sheer terror of the thing as winds exceeded 250 miles per hour.

Joplin has been rebuilding, but it is a slow and painful process. For people who lost everything, the fear may never go away. But it was good to bring a portion of hope to such people. Our ministry team from the University at Buffalo participated in building new homes – adequate in size – with safe rooms from future tornadoes – so that families in Joplin could experience a rebirth of a kind, and a hope in Jesus that is real.

"Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people." 

Isaiah 57.14, NIV