It's been over a month since the tornado.
By now you've seen the pictures and you've heard the stats. And if you have been here you have said the same thing as everyone else, "Pictures don't tell the whole story." Each time I hear that I realize that's the same feeling those of us who live here have.
Instead of being on the road with Know Sweat this summer, I've had the chance to prepare a couple of weeks that CIY will host here called Engage the City:JLN I don't know if I can adequately explain my feelings and emotions throughout this process. Remember, this is coming from a person who's home was not damaged, who had no family harmed and didn't have their place of employment impacted either.
But as we sit just a few days from welcoming groups from as far away as Washington and New York, here are a few things I've heard or noticed.
1. Most people I interact with don't have 417 area codes on their phones.
As we put together a plan of where groups will serve, where they will eat, who they will learn from while they are here and who the go to people are, many of them have phone numbers that aren't local. It is incredible the people who have come or in some cases come back to serve. Whether its a church loaning key staff people to come and share expertise or retired teachers returning to the town they love, there are dozens of people in key roles who are real kingdom workers. They have spent days and weeks away from "life as normal" to offer vital support and infrastructure to a rebuilding effort that is going to take years.
2. Everybody wants to work, many don't want to serve
I spoke with a church yesterday so has a unique set of needs. In their words, everybody wants to do debris and construction work inside the footprint of the tornado and when they are asked to do other things they at best complain and at worst say no. Now, this isn't true for everyone but follow me for a second. For most of us we think of disaster relief as something that applies to all work done following a natural disaster. However relief last days not weeks and month. Rebuilding has more sides to it that I've yet to wrap my head around.
This church yesterday said what they need is people to serve in less glorious and behind the scenes ways. Maybe it is sorting clothes in a warehouse, maybe it is keeping that warehouse clean. Maybe it is cleaning porta potties. As they said, "For someone who is living in a tent, trying to rebuild their lives and sometimes have to go pee in the woods, a clean porta potty is a luxury. That was a perspective I hadn't thought of.
3. Multi-purpose buildings really do have multi purposes
There are countless churches in our area who are functioning as distribution centers and volunteer coordination hubs while continuing to be church buildings. This goes way beyond the tents of bottled water and clothes they are still sorting and distributing. Whether it is meeting places, shower houses, temporary lodging or sites where the temporary AT&T office can be located, they are community centers in ways never before imagined.
4. There are 2 ways to tell every story
It is true, in a fair estimate, 25% of our city was destroyed in less than an hour. It's hard to fathom just what that means. But it is also true that 75% of our town was not physically damaged by the tornado. There is untold strength and resources available and those continue to rise to the forefront as more organizations and groups pack their bags and head home or to the next site. Joplin has enormous needs but also incredible assets.
5. Our prayers have changed
Everybody tells me this. People are learning to ask for help. People are learning what's really irreplaceable. Even my kids. Brynn, our 4 year old discipleship pastor who always prays for our family at dinner has even changed her prayers. The usual things are still there, "Thanks for the food, thanks for family" etc have been joined with another prayer that comes out of her mouth differently every time but always has a common denominator "Help Joplin". What she thinks and prays about at 4 years old has changed for a long, long time. Both our kids are aware of a reality in life that smacks against the latest development on Yo Gabba Gabba or who Dora will use her map to get through the forest.
So please, don't forget Joplin. Find ways to serve it. Find ways to encourage the incredible pastors in our town. Find ways to encourage those doing kingdom work. And listen, listen for truth and understanding that you can take from those here that can impact who you are and how you engage the community you live in.
By now you've seen the pictures and you've heard the stats. And if you have been here you have said the same thing as everyone else, "Pictures don't tell the whole story." Each time I hear that I realize that's the same feeling those of us who live here have.
Instead of being on the road with Know Sweat this summer, I've had the chance to prepare a couple of weeks that CIY will host here called Engage the City:JLN I don't know if I can adequately explain my feelings and emotions throughout this process. Remember, this is coming from a person who's home was not damaged, who had no family harmed and didn't have their place of employment impacted either.
But as we sit just a few days from welcoming groups from as far away as Washington and New York, here are a few things I've heard or noticed.
1. Most people I interact with don't have 417 area codes on their phones.
As we put together a plan of where groups will serve, where they will eat, who they will learn from while they are here and who the go to people are, many of them have phone numbers that aren't local. It is incredible the people who have come or in some cases come back to serve. Whether its a church loaning key staff people to come and share expertise or retired teachers returning to the town they love, there are dozens of people in key roles who are real kingdom workers. They have spent days and weeks away from "life as normal" to offer vital support and infrastructure to a rebuilding effort that is going to take years.
2. Everybody wants to work, many don't want to serve
I spoke with a church yesterday so has a unique set of needs. In their words, everybody wants to do debris and construction work inside the footprint of the tornado and when they are asked to do other things they at best complain and at worst say no. Now, this isn't true for everyone but follow me for a second. For most of us we think of disaster relief as something that applies to all work done following a natural disaster. However relief last days not weeks and month. Rebuilding has more sides to it that I've yet to wrap my head around.
This church yesterday said what they need is people to serve in less glorious and behind the scenes ways. Maybe it is sorting clothes in a warehouse, maybe it is keeping that warehouse clean. Maybe it is cleaning porta potties. As they said, "For someone who is living in a tent, trying to rebuild their lives and sometimes have to go pee in the woods, a clean porta potty is a luxury. That was a perspective I hadn't thought of.
3. Multi-purpose buildings really do have multi purposes
There are countless churches in our area who are functioning as distribution centers and volunteer coordination hubs while continuing to be church buildings. This goes way beyond the tents of bottled water and clothes they are still sorting and distributing. Whether it is meeting places, shower houses, temporary lodging or sites where the temporary AT&T office can be located, they are community centers in ways never before imagined.
4. There are 2 ways to tell every story
It is true, in a fair estimate, 25% of our city was destroyed in less than an hour. It's hard to fathom just what that means. But it is also true that 75% of our town was not physically damaged by the tornado. There is untold strength and resources available and those continue to rise to the forefront as more organizations and groups pack their bags and head home or to the next site. Joplin has enormous needs but also incredible assets.
5. Our prayers have changed
Everybody tells me this. People are learning to ask for help. People are learning what's really irreplaceable. Even my kids. Brynn, our 4 year old discipleship pastor who always prays for our family at dinner has even changed her prayers. The usual things are still there, "Thanks for the food, thanks for family" etc have been joined with another prayer that comes out of her mouth differently every time but always has a common denominator "Help Joplin". What she thinks and prays about at 4 years old has changed for a long, long time. Both our kids are aware of a reality in life that smacks against the latest development on Yo Gabba Gabba or who Dora will use her map to get through the forest.
So please, don't forget Joplin. Find ways to serve it. Find ways to encourage the incredible pastors in our town. Find ways to encourage those doing kingdom work. And listen, listen for truth and understanding that you can take from those here that can impact who you are and how you engage the community you live in.
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