Joplin-Saturday June 4

Joplin-Saturday June 4

Hello friends, just wanted to pass along some "news on the ground" in Joplin, MO from a Columbia friend...grab your mug and drink deep...

 

Catherine Shanahan

Today’s post is going to be rather long. So much is going on. I have been getting up at 4 o’clock, praying for a while, getting dressed, and then coming down the street to McDonalds where I have a cup of coffee and try to process all of this.

I wrote about the first evening I was here and how things looked just like the pictures you have seen. That is true, but I had only seen a part of the destruction that evening. Yesterday, I was able to go see another area, which defies any words or picture to describe it. Obviously I can’t describe it, but I will say that as people told me, “Nothing can prepare you for what this looks like.” I couldn’t even think enough to pray, I just kept saying that little phrase in the Bible, “Jesus wept”. The fact that less than 200 people were killed is a miracle, even if it doesn’t seem so. I cannot imagine anyone escaping the area I saw yesterday. Miracles truly saved so very many hundreds if not thousands. I have heard many stories of escapes, as you all have, and it is amazing at how the hand of the Lord worked.

Yesterday was very busy. Disaster recovery includes so many things that have to be done. I thought I would be out in the field more, but doing what I am is really giving me an inside look at how disaster recovery operates. In the gymnasium where I am most of the time, we send out teams for Volunteer Coordination, Volunteer Health/Counseling, Site Assessment, Debris clean-up, Community Services (taking people to the store, laundry, etc.), Mental Health, Nursing, Transportation (getting all of the volunteers to and from locations), Spiritual Counseling, Food Services, Child Care, Helping folks fill out paperwork, Mass Care, Logistics, and Supplies (where I have been). I know I’ve missed a bunch.

There are so many hundreds and thousands of supplies needed. Yesterday I had to call Home Depot and Lowe’s, and a bunch of other stores, all over MO and in KS and AK trying to find items. I put in orders for 2,000 push brooms, hundreds of orange parking cones, 3,000 rolls of duct tape, 500 more cots and blankets, just to name a very few of the thousands of items just for yesterday, the topper of which was 50,000 packets of Pop Tarts, Yes, 50-thousand! And the ordering of mass quantities of supplies goes on day after day.

There are far more workers behind the scenes than out in the field. These are the folks that quietly go about their jobs for 10-12 hours a day, making thousands of nametags, putting batteries in thousands of flashlights, putting pillow cases on thousands of pillows, filling vehicles with gasoline, hauling hundreds of cases of water to outside workers, and filling out untold stacks of paperwork. Please pray for these folks who don’t get as much encouragement as those more visible. Every one of these people are doing what they do just because they want to make the victims lives a little easier.

And the wonderful nurses, EMT’s, military personnel, police, fire, clean-up teams, and shelter workers. These have such a hard job here. The Red Cross does a great job providing them with rest and counseling. How many thousands of hands are working to help this area is just something to see, not to mention all of those who have made it possible for volunteers to be here, including my employer, Columbia College.

One of the many things that I saw in town was Postal Inspector trucks. I guess they have to deal with tens of thousands of pieces of lost mail. Wow, the effects go on and on.

This town has really stepped up as well. Pharmacies giving out free prescriptions, free laundry services, free haircuts, you name it, someone is providing it.

I am extremely blessed. I have a lovely place to stay. Last night the main warehouse where the volunteers were staying was condemned because of structural defect. They are now being sent to various locations, and many don’t even know where they will sleep. Many are in tents on the lawn of the University (as are many victims). God will make a way, as He has for all of the needs that have come up.

In contrast to the wonderful people I have been around, as I was driving back to where I am staying yesterday evening, in the right land of the highway a bunch of items had flown out of the back of a pickup truck. I pulled over to help these two ladies get them out of the road, and as we were cleaning them up the cars (except for a couple) didn’t event slow down, and some even honked and cursed at us. These ladies were crying and told me that this was all they had left in the world and people were just running over it. We were on a very flat area that was easily visible long before you got to where we were, and the left lane was completely free of items. A lot of what flew out of the truck was toys. One car drove by and just ran over a bunch of toys, and she cursed out the window at the ladies. She could have easily gotten into the left lane, but didn’t. It was so sad to see how hurt these ladies were. I got to pray for them, and I am thankful for that.

This afternoon I am going to The Bridge. It is an area where 40+ agencies are set up doing hands on work with the victims. I will convey that our area is thinking of and praying for them. Today is already hot and humid. I ask God to protect all of the victims and volunteers.

Again, thank you for all of the prayers for this area. Everywhere I drive I see signs thanking everyone who is praying.

Also pray for the Red Cross. I am so impressed with how good this organization is to both the victims and the volunteers.

All of the prayer requests of mine from family and friends have been answered. I am safe, not yet affected by the heat, working for a great supervisor, I feel good and not tiring out very much at all, and using my skills to help. God is so very good.

Thank you to everyone who helped make it possible for me to be here. All of those who helped others get here are here too in spirit, and God sees that.

Until tomorrow.

Remembering To Never Forget

     Remembering things has never been an easy task. When I was a kid, people would put a string around their finger or a rubber band on their wrist to help them remember things that they were trying not to forget. Simple things, like picking up milk or bread at the store or picking up the dry cleaning on the way home from work. 
     As a young adult, there were organizers, dashboard scratch pads, and mini cassette recorders to help us never forget the "small, but important stuff". Nowadays, we have wonderful "smart" phones that not only help us remember ("there's an App for that") but also shows us everything we need to know about anything we ever wanted to know about everything. (Help!)
     Sometimes it's easy to see how some folks lose themselves in the journey. We all need "markers" along the way that reflect our chosen path so that when we do lose our way, we can remember where we came from and hopefully not have to re-trace our steps back to the beginning.
     Holidays, Celebrations, and Remembrances are the ways our country and culture provide those "markers" naturally. In recent years we have "moved" some of those "marker"dates for our convenience and lost a little of the remembrance for the next generation to understand. It saddens me when the focus of the day becomes something other than what was intended originally. It's hard for young people coming up to understand who we are as nation and people if the main focus of those times becomes our personal leisure.
     Thankfully this weekend of Remembrance and Memorial still stands as a beacon among many of our "defining days" that celebrate those who have paid the ultimate price for the freedoms we so richly enjoy by the grace of our Heavenly Father.
     Friends let's savor, pause to remember, and be thankful this Memorial weekend. So that we never forget where we've come from and who we are as a nation and people. Hold your children close and tell them why they must never forget.  God Bless the United States of America .

Winds of Change - When life goes tsunami

      Here in Columbia the winds of Spring have been coming from every direction. At times it seems that winter's chill just won't go away! Temperatures have been all over the map lately as we have been in the low 40's one day and upper 80's the next. At times like these it's hard to make sense of what is happening, and when will things stabilize.
     Life can be that way too. Recently, while putting the finishing touches on some Easter music, everything seemed to go sideways all at once. Differences of opinion cloud the issues, while logistical plans that were normally stable suddenly went into a state of limbo. Challenges in my workplace had boiled to a sudden spill that is beginning to calm. Life seemingly got really crazy, really fast.
     As I write, I am reminded of the storm that Jesus calmed on the waters of the Sea of Galilee. Mountains surround that very large lake that is below sea level. Many times the conditions made it easy for the west winds to swoop down, without a moments notice, to create a mini-tsunami like wave that struck fear even to the normally sea-worthy fisherman / disciples in the boat.
    Life gets like that at times when everything appears calm, then "wham!" nothing is stable. Where do you turn when life goes sideways? Is there a rock you use when life storms come. People today see their lives differently than in the past. How do you navigate the tough times? Many people handle crises differently. What is your life anchor in times of trouble. Friends? family? Personal drive? Faith? How's it workin' for you?
    

Fresh Pot brewing...

Hey there!

   If you weren't able to catch us over the holidays, we hope yours was a blest time with family, friends, ...and maybe a little SNOW!
   It's been a really crazy, wonderful ride in preparation for Christmas this year as I have been working a bizillion hours at the Joe Bank store in Columbia. Sorry that this pot of coffee has gotten pretty stale since August, but rest assured a new pot is brewing.
   Christmas was wonderfully peaceful here at the Athans home. Kinda like the song "Silent Night", it was restful and reflective upon the celebration of Christ's birth. Drinking deeply in the story of God's love reaching to all mankind through His precious Son, Jesus.
   Last time we talked alittle about building relationships and how trust and intimacy are built. This holiday season was filled with renewing friendships across the miles through cards, emails, and facebook, while also developing new friends connected to folks we already knew. I really enjoy that about the holidays as well as throughout the year. Like one of my all-time classic song faves by Streisand, "People who need people are the luckiest people in the world". Yeah, there are some "diamonds in the rough" out there. But in a culture that seems to over-emphasize the "dark and bitter" side of life, I think it's well worth the time to "look for the good stuff" in everyone. We are all in this together and I believe God wired us that way for a reason: to need each other and need Him. New Pot, New Year!

Coffee's On...

     Hey there, welcome to the h2hcofe blog!
     Pull up a chair with you favorite brew and join in the discussion.
     If you're wondering about the blog name, it is a short version for "heart 2 heart coffee". (or "have 2 have coffee" if you prefer ) We like both. Anyway, as you can guess this blog is about the stuff we have a passion for in all of life. You can also guess that as missionaries with the AMF (American Missionary Fellowship) that there will be a good blend of how God is working in our lives. (the very good, the not-so-good, and the UGly!) We believe God has a deep desire to interact with us in all the stuff of our lives, on all levels. This is important because even though we have more and more opportunities to communicate with one another via every form of tech media possible, we find it hard to be "real" with folks. We love the guarded experience of techno-relationships. Trust is an essential ingredient in any relationship. I think it starts with many shared and challenging experiences that stretch everyone. How do you build trust? How do others build trust with you?
From the start, this life is all about relationships...and that's a good thing.