Joplin MO Tornado

Our stake was asked to travel to Joplin, MO to help with the ongoing tornado relief efforts. Around 250 men from the Rogers Arkansas Stake, with shovels, rakes, wheel barrows, chainsaws and other tools, left Bentonville at 5:30 a.m. and arrived in Joplin by 7 a.m. The remainder of the day was spent helping the residents of Joplin continue to deal with one of the deadliest tornados in the US since 1950. We put tarps on damaged roofs, sifted through rubble for personal belongings and cut and cleared tree after tree. The work was hard, but very gratifying.

It was really humbling to talk to the residents who had just lost all or many of their worldly possessions and now had begun to, both physically and emotionally, sort through the aftermath. Many of them wept as they described their experiences. We introduced ourselves to one lady who was walking around the neighborhood down the block from her demolished home. A few seconds before my work group approached her, she looked in the rubble and found a childhood picture of her son who is now in his thirties. Her joy in finding this treasure was evident as the tears started to flow. Something that may not have meant as much to her before the tornado was now a priceless gift.

I'm grateful for the opportunity to lend a hand to these people who are going through so much. I know it has influenced my outlook on what is important.

Below are some pictures I took throughout the day.

-Shaun