I can honestly say, the last year has NOT been the greatest of my life. One of the most memorable? Maybe, but definitely not the best.
About 2 weeks after my last post, May 22, 2011, our pastor, my family and I went through an EF5 tornado in Joplin. It was a horrible experience. Please bare with me as I take you through the events of the day.
It was a Sunday, and any normal Sunday at that. We went to church that morning, had guests and stood around and talked till almost 2:00 before heading home. We came home, I napped (as always) then when I got up, I was in the bathroom freshening up before leaving and one of the kids came in and said, "Dad wants you to come outside." I said, "Can it not wait, I'll be there in a min." Brian came in and said, "You've got to come see this now." When I went outside the clouds were like I had never seen before. They looked like lava lamp bubbles. If that makes any sense. They were just very odd, and mysterious. I didn't think anything of it really, but Brian (being the science geek he is) thought it was strange, and he became concerned. He called out pastor in Joplin and asked if it was storming or anything over there and asked what it was looking like. Bro. Allen said it wasn't storming and was just cloudy out. He told us we didn't have to come to church that night because we were expecting bad storms to roll through, and we drive farther than anyone in the church, so he would understand if we didn't want to get out. Brian told him we would be headed that way to be ahead of the storm, besides we needed to practice a song for that night any way. So, they hung up the phone, we finished getting around and headed that way.
By the time we left it had started raining, and it was not looking to friendly out. Once we got on the interstate we turned on the radio and they were saying we were under tornado warnings. The tornado had been spotted between mile marker 17 and something. We were AT mile marker 17. I started to panic. The rain was hard and the wind was harder. They said Green County (Springfield) was under tornado warnings. So, I called to check on my mom, no answer. I called my sister, no answer. I got worried. So, I finally called my dad and he answered and I asked how the weather was and he said they were calling for storms but it wasn't anything bad. I told him we were under tornado warnings, and so were they. He said ok. I told them to be careful and I would talk to him later. We hung up.
The further we went the more and more nervous I became. When we got in to Joplin it was getting dark and it was still raining. By the time we came to the stop light the sky was as black as night. The drops of rain were huge, and the lightning was close. I began to cry, because I didn't think we were going to make it to the church. I told Brian just to run the light, but he wouldn't, but I think he knew I was getting scared. We pulled up to the church, the Pastor was standing at the door when Brian dropped us off under the awning. He said, "We have no power." The kids and I walked in the church, and I sat my purse on the floor and then I heard the loudest pop of thunder I have ever heard. The kids all screamed, I think I did too. I grabbed my purse back up and the kids and I headed to the basement. We weathered many storms down there in the basement while the men stood upstairs watching the storm. The kids and I went and sat up some chairs in the corner and were just sitting there. You could kinda see out the kitchen window and it just looked like it kept getting more yellow. Well, I got more scared, so I got up to go see where Brian was, and about that time my ears started popping. Before I got to the bottom of the stairs Brian and Bro. Allen were barreling down those stairs. Brian told me to go sit back down, it was looking bad. Before I got sat down in the chair we started hearing glass breaking. Brian and I immediately ducked over the kids to protect them. The wind started whipping around our heads. You couldn't even tell where it was coming from because it was blowing in every direction and all the way around your head. I looked up at one point, but had to immediately look back down because the debris was flying around so badly. You could feel dirt, water and debris hitting you from every direction as well. I couldn't even form a prayer all I could muster up to say was, "God protect us." over and over and over again. The kids were all screaming and crying all at the same time, it was the most horrifying feeling I have ever had. I didn't know if any of us were going to walk away from this storm alive. At one point I thought, "this might be the last time I get to hold my kids in my arms, or ever see them"
The storm lasted for what seemed like hours, but once it was all over we were told it was like 45 seconds. LONGEST 45 seconds OF MY LIFE!!! It was gone as quickly as it came, and we were left standing in ankle deep water, mud, and debris. The kids were shaking, as was I. Brian told me to stay while Bro. Allen and he went to check it out. They walked to the foot of the steps and could see nothing but sky where our building use to stand. They went upstairs to see what had happened and it looked like a war zone. Brian came back down and said everything was gone. We were all in shock. We went upstairs to look out and see, but it was still raining and I didn't want the kids getting wet and cold. Eventually the basement filled with natural gas, so Brian made us leave. In a situation like this we weren't sure if it might just ignite. So, we went out between where the church stood and where Bro. Allen's house once stood. We found a beam from the church auditorium and stood on it, up out of the mud.
I have never felt such a sense of helplessness and hopelessness. The town, from where I stood, was gone. There were no houses. You could see the Wal-Mart was destroyed. There were people roaming to and fro hollering for their loved ones they couldn't find. I stood there with no where to go, no way to go, no phone service. Nothing! It was starting to get dark and I wasn't sure what or how we were even going to get home. IF I even had a home. Everyone around me had lost theirs.
As we stood there in the rain a total stranger came through and asked if we needed help. Brian told him we had lost our van, Bro. Allen had lost both his cars and we had no phone to contact any one. He told us he had his whole family with him and he was in a pick up, but if we needed a ride somewhere he would be happy to take us wherever we needed to go, but we would have to ride in the back of the truck. We had no idea where to go. Brian hated to ask the guy to drive us plum to Sarcoxie. So, we asked him to take us out to another church members house. They lived far enough out of town that we thought they might still be ok.
The gentleman drove us through the war zone. I looked around in shock and awe. People were every where. Out on the streets, with no homes left. I have an image indelibly placed in my head of a woman sitting on a curb, clothes tattered and torn, blood on her shirt and she was crying. My heart broke for her. I'm sure she had lost her home, but what else? A husband? A child? Other family or a friend? And there were thousands more in town in her shoes. I still wasn't even sure if I had a home yet. We finally made it to the Mooney's house, and when we came around the corner and I saw my friend Sarah I was so happy and relieved. I didn't know if I would ever see anyone I knew again. We made arrangements. The Mooneys volunteered to take us home, and Sarah and Stephen took Bro. Allen to Springfield to his daughters house.
We went in to the Mooneys for a bit. To warm up and use the restroom. By this time it was getting dark out. The ride back to Sarcoxie was a very long one. It was pitch black too. There were no street lights anywhere. It was very eerie. You couldn't really see any damage because of the darkness.
We finally made it home. And our house was still there. The tornado had only hit Joplin, and had not come out this far. I was so thankful, but when I went to bed that night I felt guilty. Even without electricity, and everything we had been through that night, I came home, put my pajamas on, got my kids ready for bed and climbed in to my own warm bed. Bro. Allen walked away with the clothes he had on his back and that was it. As well as many other people in town that night that would be sleeping at the local university on cots because they had no where else to go. We didn't sleep much that night. The sounds of the storm ran through my head all night. Early the next morning, Brian's parents showed up. While Brian went to the church to sift through the rubble his parents sat with me and the kids in the dark. All I remember is staring out the window for most of the day. It was still raining.
I didn't go back in to town until Wed. Even then we didn't take the two little ones. The oldest 2 went cause they wanted to, but Brice didn't want to go, and Carrie didn't need to go. Things were already beginning to take shape. They had already torn down the Walgreen's store and started rebuilding it, only three days later. People were already cleaning up their places and getting things done. No one was sitting around wonder who was going to help them or what the state was going to do for them. They jumped in and all the towns people helped each other.
Our first service wasn't till the next Sunday. We couldn't find a place to meet on Wed night. Sunday it was like a grand reunion. Each person that came into the church tears were shed because I was just so happy to see them alive. We had gotten word from each family in the church, and we knew every one was fine and alive, but we hadn't yet seen any one. Other than our pastor 2 other families lost homes, but no lives were lost from our congregation and we are so thankful for that. That service was a great celebration and praise service. We were all so thankful to be alive and that God spared us all.
A lot has happened since then. In August of last year, Brian quit his job to head up the rebuilding of the parsonage. His employer decided to be a real pain about him quitting and would not give him his unemployment. Brian appealed the decision with no more luck than the first time. He never got any unemployment from H.E. Williams after he had worked there for almost 3 years. But that's ok, it just allowed God to prove himself to us anew each and everyday. We are thankful to him for his provision.
After the parsonage was built, it took 3 weeks to get an occupancy permit for our pastor to move in. So, while we had some time to wait, we took the kids to Disney World in FL. We had the time of our lives, and made memories I don't think the kids will soon forget. (Neither will Brian or I)
Back in April of this year, after a long drawn out process with the city, we finally got our building permit for the church to start rebuilding. Brian has been overseeing that project as well, and it is coming along nicely. We're hoping to have our first service the first of 2013 sometime.
That brings you up to date on the surface things. I hope now that I have caught up with the big things, I can post more of the little things that have gone on over the last year.
Thanks for reading.
Dixie
