Joplin: Day 4

Name: Lyndsey Standage

Age: 13  

Blog Post:

Well, A man came up to us (the group) as we were about to leave for a bathroom break, and he he started off the story by saying he was in Aurora to help an older couple list all things lost in the tornado. 

 The man asked the couple, “Was there anything very valuable or special to you?” The couple replied with words and streaming tears. 

“Our jewelry. When people come to throw things away and help out, they throw away valuable items such as our jewelry.”  The man and the couple started to talk about how awful the world was, and how nobody cared, when a Schweitzer van pulled into the parking lot saying they found jewelry in the mission field.  

 At the end of the story, the man thanked us and we all walked away with a knowing that God cares.    John 10:10-11

Name: Ross Duncan

Age: 13 

Blog Post: 
Today was very hot hot hot hot hot. I stepped on about 7 nails today but only 1 went in my foot. Did not hurt much. With that i got a tetanus shot which i thought was kind of fun. Everyday we do volunteer work at destroyed houses and it can be stressful, fun, sad to look at because that use to be a person’s house. Well that is my blog and also a shout out to my family. I love you mom and dad! Goodbye and god bless Joplin.



Name: Tony Rios
Age: 18
Blog Post:
I walked upon a pile of rubble and tugged at a piece of metal. Out I pulled a hanger. On that hanger was a little girl's dress. I stood frozen and I stared at that innocent piece of clothing as I thought about the child that used to wear it. This isn't imaginary; this is happening right now in reality. These are real people, with no homes, with no clothes, and a life that has been destroyed. It is sad when you come to that realization.
" I may be one, but I am only one. I can't do everything, but I can do something. And that which I can do, I ought to do. And what I ought to do, by the Grace of God, I SHALL do." Edward Hale
Tonight I gave a spin and a change on the devotion. God for the past few weeks has spoken to me to tell my story to others. Last night I prayed about what I should do for tonight's devotion and the answer I received was prayer itself. My life story was told through a prayer. I wanted to give the youth the opportunity to see my perspective on my problems and how I approach God. Tonight was the first night that I came out of my comfort zone to speak and it felt amazing! It felt wonderful that I was given the opportunity to talk in front of my friends. To me though, they are not just my friends. We are a family that lives under God. I will treasure that for the rest of my life. I learned that I need to fight for Him and do something to make a difference for myself and for others. And tonight, I proved that to myself and to my family here in the SUMC Youth.

Name: Christopher Dade

Aged: 15 years

Blog Post: 

The number of people shot to date has now climbed to 11 ( one was just a day volunteer). Yes, this means 6 people got shot today. The nail club membership has now climbed to 12. Today we were sent back to the same site as Tuesday. There we employed ropes to pull  large sections of wall down off the rubble heap, used sledge hammers to break up floor boards, and used brute muscle to pull up a furnace and hot water heater. If you are reading this you should also know that it was about 98 degrees with a heat index around 105. Our expedition was blessed with the addition of another church member who volunteered for the day. In the morning there was a man passing trough who told us about another encounter with our church during the tornado  clean up in Aurora( mentioned above). His urge to share a story about how much he appreciated our church for something that none of us there had done shed light on the good in people. After being delivered back from lunch safely, we started back to work. About a half hour later, some volunteers with the Army of Salvation were handing out some much need water and then stayed behind to help us. At about the same time, some indigenous people came by to inspect a  rented out hut, home, and Patti and I got to hear one’s story. She told us about how she rode out the frightful event in her daughter’s closet. She told us how after that she was firm in her conviction tat God had touched her because there was something that she still had to do; she even had a list of questions for God. It was fascinating  to learn that she had decided that church was the place she needed to be and has been every week for church and bible study. IT goes to show how God can make something good out of so much destruction. the group headed back to the secure zone, well the church, at around three to avoid the devilish sun. There have been preliminary reports that we have used up all of the hot water within the secure area; showering early is very beneficial. Based on today’s numbers, I would predict a high number of casualties to nails again tomorrow, especially if we are at the same site. So far the numbers sow that the morning is the most dangerous time to be working. I predict the pattern to hold tomorrow, although for the sake of the group, I hope I’m wrong.    

Name: Lyndsey Standage

Age: 13 years

Blog Post:  

a tetanus shot can feel very very very strange... it kinda hurt but it was entertaining at the same time! 

also, a mile wide tornado is heart breaking once you truly comprehend  it.

here’s a shout-out to my family! 

Name: Aralai Chowfin

Age: 17

Blog Post: 

Today we worked at the same location we did on Tuesday (the house that fell on another house) and then had pretty much the same schedule we’ve had all week, but there were a couple specific things about today that stood out to me. First, while we were working this morning, a man came by our site to share a story with us. A few years ago, our church took a group to Aurora to help out with some clean up. He had been talking to an older lady who was worried about looters, and they proceeded to have a conversation about the sorry state of the world and of people. Right after this conversation, Schweitzer’s van pulled up and they helped to recover some of this lady’s items that she thought had been stolen. This man had remembered our church’s name and what they had done after all these years, and it made me realize just how much someone can appreciate a person who is willing to sacrifice their time and effort for a greater purpose - God’s purpose. I hope that this man’s story can urge us all on to continue doing God’s work and to serve others. 

The second thing that impacted me today was Tony’s talk during devotion. It was a prayer that he read to us and it was his version of his testimony. Tony really opened up to us and I just thought it was a really humble and unique way to do it. 

Lastly, today was the last full day that we all spent together. This week has really made me appreciate the worth of being surrounded by wonderful friends who help to build you up. Kind of like what Hadley said during her talk. It’s so important to have a solid group of friends who can walk side by side towards one goal together. Our youth group is really like a family: sometimes we can bicker and fight and be irritated with one another, but we all have a strong bond though Jesus Christ that will get us through everything. Thanks for a great week, everyone! I love you all, and let’s keep doing God’s work together!