Heavy Heart

I'm really not sure where to start...this week has been rough (we'll start there, I guess). As it is for the rest of the nation, Joplin remains heavy on my heart. I had the opportunity to spend 2 consecutive days there this past week and though they were long, exhausting, and emotionally draining, I am thankful for an active "body" that lives close and can just help where needed. It was massively encouraging to meet the vast amount of volunteers from all over the country who took time out of their lives to offer help and support. Literally, one day i worked with people from 4 different states who had just showed up to use their specific skills in helping.
The creativity of how people used their God-given talents was tremendous. The stories of the people of Joplin were heart-wrenching yet, oddly enough, uplifting in some respects.

One person took us through their flattened home and showed us the tiny bathroom that protected their entire family...his neighbor, however, had just pulled their 12-year-old son from the rubble; he did not survive.

Another lady wanted my help in looking at her sister's flat tire. As we were looking at it, I asked about her sister. She had been thrown into a field and died...her daughter in ICU from the storm...this poor lady was just trying to get her deceased sister's car out of the parking lot.

Some men from our team were helping a lady sift through the rubble that once was her house. She said the only 2 things she wanted to find was her wedding ring and a stuffed animal she had as a child. The men miraculously found both.

A group of us unloaded a packed uhaul of case of water into a semi for a good hour. I randomly asked the driver of the uhaul where he was from (thinking NWA); he was from Texas. Took a donation at his home church and drove it all the way up - with 2 flat tires on the way.

It was very common for people to load their cars/boxes up with food and water and walk/drive up and down the destruction offering it to the workers and families. One guy made a massive make-shift cooler with a pulley system attached and drug loads of fresh-cut watermelon, grapes, and other fresh fruits through the streets offering it to people.

Logan's Steakhouse (this is the group we got hooked up with) had 6 or so regional managers from all over the country cooking gigantic thick burgers for the people. They've been there since Sunday in the same spot, cooking about 2,000 burgers/day from 10-5. They plan to be there at least a week doing the same thing every day. One lady said it was the first hot meal she had since the tornado.

When we were giving burgers to a lady, a friend recognized her and ran to hug her. It was obvious they had not yet seen each other since the tornado. They both broke down crying in each other's arms...completely overcome with emotion.

One family whose house was completely destroyed, could not find their little dog the night of the tornado. The next day when they came back to sift through the rubble, their dog was there waiting on them.

These stories are just some of the ones I heard during my short time in Joplin. I'll be honest, after those 2 days, my mood was down. I didn't sleep well and I was having a hard time finding joy. In that day, I got news our buyer's loan went through successfully and we were set on closing this coming Thursday. But shortly after that, i got news from our buyer's that there is one potential glitch, completely independent of the loan and all, that could jeopardize the sale. We will know for certain if it's a "go" or not Monday. This crushed me and caused a wave of anxiety that added to my overall mood yesterday.

So I've prayed a lot these past for days. For the people of Joplin...for God's provision...against my own worry.

He is faithful.