Moore, Oklahoma

For a couple of years, I have been feeling a tug to go on a mission trip. Would I go overseas, would I do something in the inner city, what was I being called to do? Recently, our pastor at church had us reflecting on "Who are we" and what is our identity tied to.  For many of us, we look to years past to identify who we are now. But is that who we really are and is that who we really want to be? What are we doing now to be the person that we want to be?

It was during that service that I learned my church was going to Moore, OK for tornado relief. Immediately, I knew that it something that I needed to do. I needed to get outside myself and my circumstances for a while and serve. For me, May is an insanely crazy, stressful time of year. I always find myself re-evaluating my life and purpose during this time.

So Tuesday morning, approximately 65 of us headed out in vans and cars for Moore, OK. Three of Cross Point Community Church's pastors are from Oklahoma, so there was a personal connection. Our Nashville campus pastor, Blake's, family's church hosted us for the week and were super hospitable, providing meals and a place to crash.

 Journey Church was the command post. Volunteers file in each morning and Journey assigns them to a work order. Some go out and help at individual homes while others work at the church, filling boxes with food and supplies for the victims, unloading trucks, etc.

 They had a hug tent full of supplies. They had "shoppers" who went around and shopped for victims and filled their carts with what they needed.

 Our crew arriving for our morning work.

 Our first job--clearing debris at a property. When we arrived, the roof was in the front yard. We demolished it and took it to the road, then cleaned debris in the yard.

 A child's stocking--made me think of Owen and that there was likely someone his age in that house.

Our second stop was at Ground Zero--a neighborhood that reminded me of where I grew up. When we looked on Google maps, the picture of the house was a 1970ish ranch house on a street full of trees. The picture above is after the tornado--not a tree standing. Below is their car. When we arrived, we thought were were going to try to salvage stuff from the house, but the lady really just wanted her pictures and mementos. We found stacks of pictures, a camera and some memory sticks in what she said had been her bedroom. The place looked like it had been picked up in a blender, chewed up and spit back out in a pile.

Pictures of Plaza Towers Elementary School. This was the most emotional spot for me. The kids that were killed were the same age as Katelyn. The fence was lined with stuffed animals. While we were there, a little girl came with a stuffed animal and then turned to her father with tears running down her face. I wonder if she was just touched by it all or if she had friends in there that she had lost.

 Our last stop was an elderly couple's five acre property. They had tons of debris. Their windows had been blown out, so we spent time picking up shards of glass in the yard. Others picked up sticks, trees, and roof shingles. The picture above is of some of the amazing girls I met on the trip---Clarissa, Lexy and Megan.

One story came out of the trip that I loved. One of our workers was walking around the neighborhood. A man hollered out to him, "Is that a red Explorer?" The worker looked down the street and saw a red vehicle wrapped around a tree. He went with the man, climbed in his window and got his papers from the glovebox. After taking a picture of the man with his registration (for insurance), the man asked, "Are you a Christian?" The worker said, "Yes, I'm here with my church." The man said, "I prayed to God to find my truck, and he sent me you."  

The whole trip reminded me of the hospitality and heart that we saw in Nashville after the flood. I am so thankful for Journey church taking the lead in helping all the Oklahoma folks in need. I appreciate the volunteers that fed us--volunteers ourselves. And while, my intention was to go and help those in need in Oklahoma, I think I turned out to be the most in need--in need of stepping outside myself for awhile, in need of serving others without restraint,  and in need of seeing the love of Christ at work.