"Six Minutes"

There were 21 of us that went to Joplin, Mo. Thursday, July 28 and worked in the relief effort from the May 22 tornado. I was completely taken as I thought we were at the end of the clean up only to discover it is still a mess! We worked Friday and Saturday, staying in a building at the Mt. Hope church of Christ. It was long and tiring not to mention the 100 degree temperature each day. But the devastation is just incredible.

We took down and cleaned up some 6 different homes in those days along with one rock wall. It was dirty and they warned us about a lot of contamination within the structures we cleaned up. Sometimes the stench was great in certain parts. While we worked at the sites, I took a picture of our work area. Then someone pulled up from Google maps the site before the tornado and we compared. It was amazing what was and what is.

At one place where a home existed, the homeowner came out and described how he and his family had escaped into a closet in the home only to have the roof and walls ripped away while they covered themselves with just carpet. As I listened to different stories and related clean-up projects it struck me at what was really happening. It made me stand in wonder at the great and majestic power of God. I don't know if others thought that but I did. Here we were, mere humans laboring by the sweat of our brows and many many more months to continue. In a matter of six minutes, the Lord's power demonstrated that He can altar lives that would take years to recover. My mind shifted to Nahum 1:3 where God is described as the storm is His way and clouds are the dust beneath His feet. I thought of Job 38-39 where God uses the storm and commands the lightening. I know there are people who don't believe that but I do! It brings the awesome presence of God into focus. 

As more and more stores came forth, I was focused on the mighty hand of God. As people spoke of the lives taken, I saw something different. We were standing in front of the high school. The gymnasium looked like it was actually blown up. Two sides missing, the roof caved in and a pile of bricks. The time of the tornado, they were to have the graduation at this gym but because of such a crowd of people, they moved it to the north part of town at the college. Thousands were spared because of this. It was incredible that more lives weren't lost but then I think of mercy of God in such a disaster. I sang a song, several songs as I helped with clean-up.

Six minutes and man is working for years to recover. Six minutes and the course of lives were changed. Six minutes, that's how long this tornado lasted taking out a one mile wide stretch and 6 miles long. Six minutes and heaven speaks: I am the Lord God, the Almighty! Six minutes...