In response to the horrendous tornado in Joplin, MO, the Episcopal Churches in the Tulsa region came together to collect donations for the victims. Four churches were chosen as donation sites: Trinity Episcopal in downtown Tulsa, St. John's in midtown, Christ Church in the south and St. Patrick's, in Broken Arrow. Pictured on the left are clergy representatives from those congregations who blessed the truck on Wednesday morning: The Rev. Kristina Maulden, Trinity; The Rev. Everett Lees, newly called to Christ Church; The Rev. Irv Cutter, St. John's, and the Rev. Shelby Scott, St. Patrick's.
We were able to fill, not to the top, but nearly, a 14 foot U Haul with donations of food, water, clothing, toys, diapers and personal hygiene items. Many thanks to Jim Hinds from Trinity and to those who helped at the other churches to load the truck!!
As we drove through Joplin, the damage was devastating. It was hard to believe that anyone could have survived inside these homes. One woman, who lives nearby in Baxter Springs, told us that she had lost 18 friends in the tornado.
It was not uncommon to see cars being driven or parked in lots with all the glass gone from the windows. A very eerie sight to me, was the remains of a gas station - no building or pumps - just the wiring poking up from the ground.
We brought all the donations to The Hope Chest Thrift Shop. Most locations were no longer accepting clothing - but they were. Any victim of the tornado could come there and pick up clothing and other supplies for free. They had also reduced the prices on their regular items for those who had not lost their homes, because they realized that everyone was affected by the storms.
We saw many signs of hope amidst the destruction. Business had signs offering free services to help clean up the mess. There were messages of unity and messages that announced that they would survive and rebuild. Some businesses that had their buildings destroyed had found temporary locations. It was strange to see directions to the new locations written in spray paint on the demolished buildings.
Like other tornadoes, the damage path was very clear - everything torn apart, trees uprooted. Yet, not 500 ft away, a completely untouched building.
It is hard to imagine the amount of emotional energy that will be needed to move beyond this. Not only is there tremendous grief over loss of life and loss of dreams, there is also the guilt that many feel who had homes that were spared. Life in Joplin has been over-turned. The unbelievable power of the wind stripped the trees not only of their leaves and branches, but also all the bark. They stand like bare, broken sticks poking up at the sky. That storm also stripped away from the people of Joplin, their sense of security and safety. One young girl told us, as she weathered the storm in a church that was damaged extensively, that she now feared tornadoes.
Take a moment today to give thanks to God for your life and your many blessings. Ask God to continue to build up the spirits of the people of Joplin and the other communities around our country and our world who are facing chaos due to natural disasters and human conflict. I give thanks to God that we have the resilience to rally and to carry on. But, I wish we didn't have to.
Thank you to Cynthia and Andy Zeiler and Chris and Hannah Middlebrook who came with me to help with the unloading of the truck. Thank you also to all who donated items for the truck. Your offerings are much appreciated!
The Rev. Kristina Maulden
