Victory!

Home, Sweet Home!

With God's help we made it home safe and sound!  What a thrill to see our dear family in Christ at CC Pocatello once again.  As we formed a circle to pray before going our separate ways, we were reminded once again of the Lord's faithfulness, to pray for our new friends we met in Joplin and for those who had heard the gospel, and of how precious a family we have in Jesus.  Thank you again for taking this journey with us via the blog and for your prayers and support.  Until next time, Joplin Team 2011.

p.s. Don't forget to join us this Sunday evening at 6pm in the cafe at Calvary Chapel to hear our stories and testimonies of our time in Joplin.

Journeying Home

The team is now making the long journey back to Pocatello.  We will be met in Colorado Springs by two families from CC Pocatello who will help drive us home after we turn in our rented vehicle there.

Thank you so much for your prayers.  God worked amazingly as a result!  Please continue to lift us up as we travel and then reunite with our family and friends in Pocatello.  Truly the Lord has been faithful and magnified Himself among us!  We can't wait to share with you.  Please join us this Sunday evening, 6pm, at Calvary Chapel Pocatello for a special time of sharing and testimony of all that Jesus did in Joplin.

Love in Christ,
CCP Team Joplin

Joplin Photo Blog Update - Day 5

Below are photos and some descriptions of what we've been doing and experiencing here in Joplin.  Thank you so much for your continued prayers.  We will be sharing about our trip in full detail this Sunday evening, July 31st at 6pm, at Calvary Chapel.  We hope you can join us!

This is the food and clothing distribution center at CC Joplin.  To earn our stripes as a team, all newbies must serve the community here. This is the place where we can serve the people of Joplin most effectively. Many souls have been ministered to here and have then come to know the Lord.

                            

After food and supplies are loaded up by a team member, we then talk with, pray with, and most of all, cry with those to whom we are ministering as we try to help in any way we can. There is an amazing work being done through the Lord to the community and our team too.

                          

Close up view of the clothing and misc. supply side of the distribution center. The shade is nice, it's only about 97 degrees in there compared to 107 in the direct sunlight.

After going through and getting clothing, we give out Bibles to all and then we load up boxes of food. This is a good place to minister because all who come to the distribution center will always go through the food side. As food starts to get low, I've seen some random semi trucks coming through route 66 and say "I saw your center here and have half a load of extra food/supplies and thought maybe they could use it" (meaning the distribution center here at CCJoplin) The Lord has perfect timing!!!

Crystal has never stopped helping!!! She has been the standard (of how a servant should be) and example to us all. She has inspired the people Joplin and has shown through her hard work that Christians are different and they have a hope (in Jesus) and a willingness to serve.

                            

Ray has been in distribution center to help those who first walk in.  He ministers to them and gives direction to begin recieving the supplies and help they need. There have been many people who have come through the distribution center for whom english is their second language. Through his gift of being bi-lingual, Ray has lead people to receive Christ as Lord and Saviour right there in the parking lot.

 

Trenni also uses his bi-lingual skills to minister too and give the good news of Jesus to all. Through the use of his gifts the Lord has saved marriages, abused wives, and has lead them to recieve Jesus as Lord.

                            

Who knew that chairs facing each other could be such a good bed. After a hard and very hot days work this is a very well received resting place.

                           

With wind speeds of 300-350mph, this was the world's first documented EF6 tornado. All objects in the epicenter of Tornado Joplin (TJ) was obliterated. This car was ripped in half and thrown half a mile.

 

On the right side of 20th street, the houses were just sucked up and foundations were only left. Clean up of this part of town is slowly moving toward this area.

 

More of the right side of 20th street.

                           

Front view of Hope High School with ol'glory at half mast. God Bless Joplin.

Front signage of Hope High School.

 

Typical view of businesses and homes in Joplin. Some businesses have been able to move to temporary locations until they rebuild.

 

This house was lifted off the foundation and then slammed back to earth.

 

View of a neighborhood in the "red zone".

 

More apartments that were damaged.

 

Even with all the damage, people want to stay in their homes and defend them to the bitter end.

                           

Greg leads us all in a Bible study every night after work.

The rest of the group and I finally got Valerie and Veronica in a picture. I am "picture Rambo"!

Joplin Team Update

7-21-2011
Just a brief overview of the last 24hrs.  The team traveled through the night and as day peered over the horizon our team stopped at a Denny's in Limon, CO.  We all had breakfast and it was time to get back on the road.  As we went to get on the freeway a collision between one of our cars and a semi occurred.  No one was hurt in either vehicle and the Lord truly had His hedge of protection around us all.

Luke 10:19 - "Behold I give you power..."

7-21-2011 (cont.)
Even with all the trouble that the Calvary team has ran into today there continues to be a spirit of peace and hope that the Lord has blessed us with.  The Calvary team knows that the Lord is always in control.  It has been this blogger's experience that when times of great hardship, trial, and spiritual warfare happen the Lord is working out the details to a miracle or greater good that only He in His Divine nature could understand and accomplish. Our team feels that this might be our time of trial and spiritual warfare too. Like the old saying goes, "it is always darkest before the dawn."  Perhaps this is our dark time and the sunrise will happen any second now.

Peace and love in our Lord Jesus Christ.  Sincerely,
CC Pocatello Joplin relief mission team.

7-22-2011 (cont.)
We finally made it!!!  The spirit here is amazing.  We just had breakfast and look forward to our assignments

...more to come!  Here are a few pics so far...

                                         Touring the devastation.

Steph and Krystal getting ready for the day and eating breakfast.

Map at the front desk showing the path of "T.J.", a.k.a " tornado Joplin".  This is the name that the locals gave the tornado. Whole city blocks were annihilated as the path in red shows.

                                          Greg, our fearless leader.

Trenni and Ray before they were off to help all day in the supply handout tents. Their Spanish skills were priceless in helping those who came and couldn't speak English. The Lord truly has picked the perfect team for this trip!!!!

Following, more of the devastation around town...

 

Joplin Relief & Evangelism Mission Trip

Thank you so much for your prayers and support for this outreach to Joplin, MO.

On May 22, 2011, an EF-5 tornado first touched down near the western edge of the city among large, newer homes, at about 5:41 pm. It was reported to have been about 0.75 miles in width and 22.1 miles long. About 8,000 houses, 18,000 cars, and 450 businesses were flattened or blown away in Joplin. The tornado narrowly missed the downtown area. St. John's Regional Medical Center was significantly damaged, with many windows and the exterior walls damaged, and the upper floors destroyed. A total of 159 people died from tornado-related injuries as of the end of June, 2011.

Our plan is to drive the 1300 miles from Pocatello to Joplin in two vehicles, along with various supplies and food items that have been donated to help with relief efforts there.  Thank you again to all those who have generously donated toward this cause!

We will stay at Calvary Chapel Joplin and be assisting them in their already ongoing work in the community.  Some of the things we'll be doing are working in the distribution center (sorting, hauling, and distributing food, clothing, and other supplies) and going out into the community to help with cleanup and reconstruction projects.

We'll update this page as often as time allows, so please check back daily for fresh reports of what God is doing in and through the team!  Thank you again for your prayers!  - Calvary Chapel Joplin Team.