We are working on the property of a woman named Nancy Callahan. She lives on a 100-acre piece of property in Tuscaloosa that has been in her family for 100 years. She was home when the tornadoes hit on April 27 of this year. She said that there was a loud whistling sounds and then she "just did what I could under the circumstances." She survived, but her home and property were a mess. Many around her lost their home and possessions. About 50 were killed.
There was a strange silence when we first drove past the storm path devastation. Three months later the rubble is still a haunting reminder of how frail life is and what the people endured in the stormy spring of this country. Houses are heaps of bricks, mangled metal, and exposed possessions. The still shattered roofs and crumbling walls are a reflection of the lives whose stories we are beginning to hear.
It is good to be here on this trip. It makes me excited for the adult team that is going to Joplin, MO later this month. Sending money is one thing, but standing in Mrs. Callahan's yard and listening to her tell her story of that day with that beautiful Alabama accent is why we come. Like going to Honduras, it is about the people. It is about the team working together, serving in the name of Christ, and helping people in ways that we can. While it is so troubling to see what they went through and it brings the frailty of life to front-of-mind, it is at the same time inspiring to see what God does in the midst of it all. It also makes me proud of the community of faith called St. Andrews.
God has brought the world to the doorsteps of the people of Tuscaloosa. Literally. God brought us and three other mission teams. We will not go home the same. We will have a little more appreciation for life, homes, people, our church, and our God.
It has been hot here. Today had a 108 degree heat index. I kept waiting for the breeze to blow in off of the Gulf of Mexico but for some reason it never came. We decided to start work earlier and end before the day got too hot. Believe it or not the team began work on the property at 6:15 am this morning. Hydration was constantly on our minds. As leaders, we felt like drug dealers pushing product onto our students, only our product was water or Gatoraide. "Hey, drink more. You're sweating a lot." "Here, drink this." We even have them checking the color of their pee. Sorry. Gross, I know, but keeping it real here. "If it is too yellow, you're not drinking enough." We are hoping they will pay attention.
All are well with a few minor exceptions. Almost all of us have scrapes from hauling wood. Some found the heat too much and as a result, we took breaks more often, quit early, and even found our way to a public park with a fountain playground to cool us down. Nicky stepped in a hole and hurt her ankle, though it is better already. In short, all are working hard and taking care of ourselves in the midst of rugged working conditions.
Devotions last night were about finding Christ here in this place. Nicky led them and challenged the team to pay attention to what God is doing here. They talked about how that could happen and we're hoping to hear about what they saw later. This trip is about God and we are striving to make God central in all we do and say. We want the students to pay attention to their inner life as they serve.
The whole team was tired at the end of the night. We didn't have much sleep from the night before. We arrived at 1:30 am on Monday morning and were awakened at 7:00 am. That was after a 13 1/2 hours drive to get here. So last night's lights out was a welcome event and most had no problem sleeping almost at once.
No comments:
Post a Comment