On May 22, 2011, Joplin, MO was hit by an F6 tornado straight through the heart of the city. Volunteers from all over the country flocked to their aid. There were 142 killed and countless injured and thousands lost their homes. We have seen the devastation through photos and videos but this week 16 people from Osceola Grace in Osceola, IN are headed to Joplin to assist in the relief effort. This lament is framed in the anticipation of what we will see and hear, then it will explain the real images that enter my eyes and the real sounds that enter my ears firsthand. Finally it will close with a statement of trust in the sovereignty and mercy of God. Joplin is the fourth largest city in Missouri, population 50,000 according to the 2010 census; however, in a 40 mile radius the population swells to 400,000. The daily commuter count in Joplin raises its population during the daytime hours to 270,000.
O Joplin, we mourn for you
Even though it may be few, we mourn for your motherless
And for your lost children.
We mourn for lost love-
Of the newlywed woman whose husband protected her at the loss of his own life.
Of the father, whose baby was swept from his arms in the gale winds.
Of the baby rabbits whose mother left them in the protective hole while she perished.
O Joplin, who saw the tragedy of the destructive winds of gale forces Who ran to hide from the mighty power of the winds of God.
Isn’t it enough? Why do the winds come and tornados pillage day after day?
I see you from afar, via the news broadcasts and the internet videos, but soon I‘ll see you in person.
When that time comes, what will I think?
Will I ask God why? Would I question the Almighty?
Who can inquire of the Lord regarding His decisions and His purposes to build up or to destroy?
Will we take the good from the Lord and not accept the bad as well?
Could this be the birth pains that Jesus spoke of? As these tragedies get closer and closer, are we seeing the signs of the end coming? Does this provoke in my heart a sense of urgency toward the lost?
Joplin, O Joplin, will you turn your heart toward God or turn your back upon Him? He stands with arms opened wide.
Church, O Church, will you rise to be the hands, feet and voice of the Living God? His Spirit prompts you to act, to begin the job as ambassador which you have been given. His Spirit gives courage to speak, to move to act and to live out the love of Christ.
O Joplin, O My Lord in Heaven, the videos, the footage, the photos – they do not begin to tell the story.
Now I see with mine own eyes, I mourn deeply where I stand amidst the tragedy.
Now I hear with my own ears – the noise of machinery removing debris and the silence of the night – no animal sounds, no breeze in the trees, no sounds of cars moving. The silence is eerie and unnatural to my ears – in a neighborhood which once bustled with activity around the clock.
Now I hear with my own ears the sadness and shock in your voices as you tell the story of your experience. I hear the hope in your voice as you explain how you protected your daughter with your body and she saw angels holding you down.
Now I smell the stench of rotting debris – it sticks in my nostrils, sickens my stomach – in the midst of this place where thousands of homes once stood.
Where people bought and sold services and goods.
At this broken down fence where neighbors met,
At this decimated deck where friends gathered,
At this windowless and wall-less IHOP where workers once served.
At this shell of a gas station where people filled their vehicles.
And now – it will not happen again – for months – maybe years – maybe never in some areas.
And now what once bustled with life and laughter is a mound after mound of debris and waste. Thousands of lives and millions of dollars reduced to a pile at the curb of their street.
Three miles wide and seven miles long of destruction,
A bomb blast could not have been worse.
A war zone without burned out buildings,
Trees swept of their bark and foliage,
Eight thousand homes – condemned as dwellings,
Stores, places of business, a livelihood ended for many.
How were so many saved and so few killed?
Yet there is hope in Joplin, each morning the streets come alive with people helping people,
Neighbors helping neighbors, strangers caring for strangers.
New people from all around the country arriving daily to dig out,
to sort through people’s lives on display through their possessions,
to serve food and water in the streets to work crews and volunteers,
to impart hope and to pray and uplift.
I now see hope infused into hearts that are broken but not destroyed.
I see a new passion for life in eyes where once I saw lifelessness and a downtrodden spirit.
I see a fresh desire to rebuild on a newly cleaned up site that hours before screamed utter despair
I hear hope in those who have yielded to Christ amidst the hopelessness as a result of this tragedy.
I hear the story of one who recognizes now the truth of God.
I see the church coming alive to be what it was meant to be as the bride and ambassador of Christ.
There is hope
There is a future
There is a healing beginning through prayers to the Almighty.
As the Lord moves in hearts in the aftermath of tragedy and the quiet after the storm – we see life eternal.
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