MaryFreeman

I am hard pressed to write my thoughts down today.... It's hard to put them into words when you see the degree of suffering close up. I mean, we see it on television all the time.... Live footage of the Japan earthquake pulled at your heart strings.... The news of flood activity.... Twisters everywhere.... The stuff was made for television.... But to see it.... All up close and in your face.... To physically be there.... To see peoples memories.... Their hard work.... Their life.... Stacked up in front of you in piles of twisted debris.... To know they will never get those years back.... It's almost too much to express.... My heart shattered as I looked around the worksite.... What used to be three or four homes in a nicely treed area was now a lot of building materials and lumber.... Or firewood.... And tons of twisted up metal that may or may not have been there before.... Each toy I found.... Each picture.... Each memento.... reminded me the pile of rubbish I was standing on used to be someones home.... And my heart would break all over again....
I walked around the worksite overcome with the magnitude of what happened in Joplin.... Half of a fairly large city was wiped out.... Gone.... And I was cleaning up one site.... One site out of literally thousands.... Like Pastor Greg said.... It was like spitting in the ocean.... And I heard so many stories.... One that particularly moved me was of a woman with two small children.... She lost her life to the twister.... Her girls are in the hospital in Kansas City right now.... She had a 6 year old and an 18 month old.... The 18 month old was found in the arms of a woman no one in the family knew.... This woman lost her life as well.... But she saved this babys life.... So many stories like that.... And some will probably never get told....
But here is one I can tell.... Pastor Bjorklund and Abundant Life Chuirch have responded so beautifully.... They housed folks till they could find family and friends.... They brought aid.... They housed Service International volunteers.... They fed them.... They still do this to this very day.... And their food warehouse is to this day used for disaster relief.... They truly are the hands and feet of Jesus.... They "shall in no wise lose their reward"....
The second day I worked in the warehouse.... We spent from about 8:30 that morning til about 5:30 that evening with an hour break for lunch.... And many sit downs for the less than in shape (Me.... LOL).... First we sorted literally tons of canned goods by what they were.... Then we sorted again by what size they were.... Then we lined them up in nine not so neat layers (but the cans had to all be the same EXACT height.... They could be fat or skinny.... But the EXACT same height.... Or you would be running after about a hundred cans of whatever it was....)and wrapping them up with some industrial strength cling wrap.... I mean this stuff gave new meaning to the jingle "It ain't got a thing if it ain't got that cling!".... And you do NOT want to get wrapped in that stuff.... No it didn't happen.... But still.... Just sayin....

And after these tons and tons of cans were properly stacked one layer on top the other and sufficiently wrapped in the strongest celophane I have seen yet.... We turned our attention to dry goods.... And more sorting.... All cereals and cereal bars in one box.... Granola snacks in another.... And don't even think about trying to box up multipacks of Gatoraide and juice boxes.... The tape on the bottom of the box just will not hold.... And not even a high school wrestler can lift it properly....
But I think the most memorable moment was when Kyna and Tiff stood in front of a fan that would have been able to put a prop engine crop duster in the air with Donna for a picture.... The turbulence ruined their girlish figures.... But I think Tiff has a different memorable moment involving wind....
At any rate.... Enough about wind.... It was really hot in the warehouse considering.... Well considering it is a warehouse.... Very few air conditioned spots in that huge an area.... It just isn't feasable.... So they had.... Like I said.... A fan that could lift a prop engine crop duster in the air.... Maybe even a single engine Cesna.... It was so huge it did not come with a cabinet around it.... They had to BUILD one.... Custom made.... And man it felt wonderful....
So we got the work done for the day.... And found that our Leader was heading back to the ponderosa.... And man his absence was felt.... We went for the third and final day back out to the field.... To clean up more debris.... We went to a different site with different leaders.... Which is why Pastor Gregs absence was felt.... Of course we may just be biased.... Things just weren't as smooth the third day.... But bless everyone.... We all tried.... And got some things accomplished before we left....
When you look at it all.... You think "Man I didn't make a very large dent".... But all of us working together to help.... Well we created what could be equated with the hail dammage on my car.... And just think.... If more created that kind of dammage.... I wouldn't have a car....
And if more folks became large balls of solid ice.... All that hail dammage will ammount to a huge chunk out of a major disaster....
I drove through Topeka today.... Headed to Walmart.... Remembering the site of a bare hill.... Which used to have a Walmart on it.... I needed to see trees with bark and leaves.... Homes and people.... Businesses and cars.... An intact city.... Got to Walmart and was going inside when I saw this lady screaming at this guy to get out of the crosswalk she didn't bother to stop for.... And if anyone knows me.... They know the lady did not get out of there without understanding a thing or two she didn't seem to understand before.... That SHE had the stop sign.... HE was a pedestrian.... And that life is too short to hurry that fast....
I walked through Walmart in absolutely no hurry today.... Had folks begging pardons for getting in my way.... I told them "I am in no hurry...." One lady said "That is the way to be isn't it?".... And I said "I just got back from Joplin".... And promptly started crying ( again).... Luckily she was the "Say no more" type.... Couldn't have said more anyways.... All she said was "OOOO Yeah.... Put's things in perspective doesn't it?"....
I found myself wanting to look at everyone I came across for an extra long time.... I tried not to because they didn't know where I had been or what I had seen.... But I had a deep desire to really look at them.... To remember that I had seen them.... To notice the child in the basket eating the food as mom put it in there.... The father shopping for his family.... The couple buying the party tray for the basketball game.... So I tried hard to really notice them without seeming like I left my mind in Joplin.... For certain I had left my heart in Joplin....
I've wondered what I would say to the person the toys and pictures I was picking up in Joplin represented.... What would I say if I had this child.... That mother.... The man in the picture.... Standing right in front of me? And really.... What can anyone say that would NOT sound like so many petty and cliche platitudes and patronizations? These people lost everything.... And some lost everything.... And then had to bury their loved ones....
And all I can think of when I ask myself this question is "My Redeemer lives".... Regardless of all of it.... The Lord God Omnipotent reigns.... Satan is defeated.... My Redeemer lives....
It blessed my heart to hear that people in Joplin were not blaming God for this.... Because it is Satan that comes to steal and kill and destroy.... I met up with a girl I knew at the carnival I went to right after returning home.... I tried hard to explain to her that the tornado was not God.... That man was given the title deed to this earth and gave it to Satan when they sinned.... And he is the one wreaking havoc in the atmosphere.... I don't think it worked.... But I can pray my words are remembered one fine day....
If you are considering a trip to Joplin.... Don't pray too long about it.... Go.... Serve your King....
And take me with you....