Joplin Relief Trip

"Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, 

for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other."

1 Thessalonians 4:9

It is a given that we are to love one another. It should be all the more obvious that when devastation hits, we are to reach out and lend a helping hand, doing whatever we can. College students don't have a lot of financial resources, so what do we do? We serve with our hands.

Last Saturday, 20 of us went to Joplin to do just that. In a partnership with Grace Baptist Church, we spent a day in the unreal landscape finding ways to bring some small relief to those hit by the tornado that came through in late May. As with most mission trips, we came away with our hearts heavy and yet humbled by the hope that we encountered.

We split into three groups once we got there. One served by gutting a house all day to restore the foundation of the structure that remained. Tirelessly, the shoveled and removed debris throughout the day. Another team served at the church, unloading and distributing resources that have been donated. The team Aimee and I were on did what they called canvassing. We were assigned streets to walk down and were instructed to pray for each family and home. If we encountered people who were outside, we were to ask them what needs the church could meet and to pray with them if they permitted it.

We were so encouraged by the hope we found. Two ladies we encountered were so thankful that we could provide a truck to come and pick up a freezer and refrigerator that they otherwise could not depose of themselves. We joined in a circle and thanked the Lord for provision. Another couple had major structural damage and had lost two enormous trees but were grateful and shared that they were thankful for the efforts of the church and that they were in turn helping their neighbors. A project we ran into later in the day was salvaging a new deck that had survived while it's home was destroyed. We helped deliver it across town to a new owner.

Though the scene was like something out of a movie, our hearts were heavy with compassion and filled with hope at the same time. It was an honor to serve with a church that was being the church! They did not need to be told that yes, you love those who are hurting and broken around you. To serve alongside our students was a bonding time and an encouragement as well. God is good and is doing a great work in Joplin. Continue to send prayers their way.