Acts 1:8 "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Every summer church groups have opportunities to go all over the United States or into other countries to share God's love. Our youth group has been given a chance to share God's love this week close to our own backyard. We went to Joplin, MO last summer after the destruction of the tornado that hit that town and we are able to go back again this year. We divided into 2 teams and worked at separate empty lots. The assignment: go and clean the lots off with anything larger than a golf ball. The students made piles of rocks, wood, grass and trash that will be picked up later. We teamed up with AmeriCorps of Joplin. We have no idea who the lots belonged to and it is sad to think that homes were once sitting on these empty lots with families living in them. I don't know if the students felt they accomplished much but just knowing they were willing to go and get dirty, sweaty, hot and work without anyone ever taking notice was a blessing to me.
Haley, Nicole, Sarah, Jordan, McKenzie and Rylie
Garrett and Kelsey
Before we left Joplin we drove down the street where the Extreme Home Makeovers took place.
This house looks like a life size "doll" house.
"Surfer House"
In the picture below, this nice man was coming out of his house and allowed us to take a picture with him.
Jessica, Madison, Natalie, nice man, Keely, Jordan and Lauren
There has been a lot of clean up done in Joplin. There is still a lot to do and there are many empty lots that were once businesses or houses. It is easy to become disgruntled with your surroundings or homes but how many people of Joplin had their lives changed in a matter of minutes. May I not take for granted having a roof over my head with ac/heat and a bed to sleep in each night along with never worrying about where my next meal will come from.
"Today is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it."
Haley, Nicole, Sarah, Jordan, McKenzie and Rylie
Garrett and Kelsey
This house looks like a life size "doll" house.
"Surfer House"
Jessica, Madison, Natalie, nice man, Keely, Jordan and Lauren
As a resident of Joplin I want to thank you so very much for coming to help in the clean up. While you may not feel like you did much by cleaning up those lots you have no idea how much you really did. It means so much to those of us who are residents in this town! We very very much appreciate your help. What a blessing you have been to us to come and help us clean up the mess that even after a year is still there. We have made great progress but it was a huge mess and it will take many years to completely clean up so thank you for coming for two summers to help us out!
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