Our Last Day

It's our last day and we're working hard in the distribution center. We're sad to see the week come to an end, but it's rewarding to see all that we've accomplished!

Kentucky Ave.

Carrie is here and jumped right in! We got back to our roots working on Kentucky Ave. yesterday, helping Stanley. He was in his home with his dog Sparky when the tornado hit. His house is destroyed and will soon be bulldozed but he had a great spirit and sense of humor. He was happy to have help and an audience. All he wanted was his rosebush!

Harlem Ave.

Yesterday we started working on a yard on Harlem Ave. We tore down a shed that had been severely damaged and cleared it from the yard. We also helped city clean up by sorting shingles, wood, metal, brush, and garbage debris into piles on the curb. The owner of the home is 75 and his adult daughter lives with him. We will be helping them sort through their damaged sunroom today.

Shower Trailer!

Here's some pictures of the Christian Appalachian Project's Shower Trailer! We've been getting a steady amount of people come to use the showers and do their laundry. More and more have come each night and we've had to extend our hours. Helen and Bill have been manning the trailer all week, with the help of a few other Apostles here and there. The community seems to really appreciate having the trailer!

Mercy Village Site

For four days we worked at Mercy Village, a retirement facility right next to St. John's Hospital. We helped residents pack up their apartments and load up Pods that their belongings will stay in until the facility is fully repaired. It is estimated that it will take 9 months to repair all of the damage.

Meeting and working with the residents was a labor of love. All were incredibly grateful for our help and were so surprised that we had come all the way from Kentucky. They had a deadline of last Saturday at 5:00pm to be moved out, so we all had to work together to get everything packed up and out. We finished by 10am on Saturday!

This is Patty. She is 74 years old and had lived in her apartment for 5 years. She said that she was the only one who had ever lived in her apartment and she was very proud of the decorating that she had done to make it home. She was dusting her apartment when the warning for the tornado came on the TV. She knew that she had to get to the first floor immediately. She grabbed her purse and headed down the stairs.

She remembers it raining really hard, and when the tornado came, all the residents were in the hallway, crouching down and covering their heads. When the tornado had passed and it was safe to leave, all residents were taken to a shelter that had been set up at Missouri Southern University. She says there were all kinds of people staying at the shelter and she remembers being scared. Luckily, her neighbor from across the hall was sleeping in a cot next to her and that brought her comfort.

The day after the tornado had hit her family arrived to take her to their home. She had been staying there for a week and a half until she was allowed to come back to her apartment to collect her salvagable belongings.
This is where we met Patty.

I had the honor of packing up one of Patty's most prized possessions, her living room hutch that was full to the brim of all her old photos and memorabilia from her life. I sat with her as we wrapped glasses in newspaper and looked through photos of her when she was just a baby. I got to hold in my hands her birth certificate, marraige license, and her 3rd grade report card. I got to look through postcards her mother had collected. It was an incredible experience to share with Patty.

Patty is unsure of her future. She has just moved in to an assisted living community and is hoping to shortly move into her own home provided by Habitat for Humanity. She admitted that she was a little scared to start over, but she was full of hope for the years to come. She was looking forward to playing bingo, going on outings, and maybe even meeting new friends, both in the assisted living community and the street she hopes to live on soon. - Kelly

Joplin Family Worship Center

While we're not on site we're working at the distribution center helping families shop for items and keeping stock.



and the food is really good too!

Day Two Reflection

Today I helped an older woman move her things. When I was done she gave me a little hug and offered me $5.00 and I told her I was not there for money. I told her I came there to help her and others. She told me she had to move back in with her son and she didn’t want to.  She had tears in her eyes and a smile on her face.

After we were done we went back to the church. It was hot and it was a long day. Rudy was sitting down doing what he was doing. I saw a rope and I tied him in his chair. I had to find something funny to do. We got pictures of him. We all worked real hard today, just to help out.  It felt good to help people with anything they needed.  

 – David

The stories I hear have been great. The first person to take a shower was so very grateful. Each person I speak with has such amazing stories, if I wrote all of them, I would have a complete book. There is one story that I will never forget, and each time I tell it I am reminded of how god has a reason for letting us live.

A five year old child was found in a town about 5 miles away from Joplin walking the streets. When asked where he lived and how he got there he replied, “The angels picked me up in the wind and placed me here. They told me not to be afraid.”

The town is bad and I may never be able to comprehend the death, hurt, and pain that was suffered here, but one thing for sure is that seeing people come together in unity, helping one another is a great feeling. And knowing I have had a small part in helping is great.

– Mary June