This was our second day of work with Americorps, and as Brenna mentioned yesterday, our assignments are different every day (so far, who knows about tomorrow!). We and hundreds of other volunteers from all over the country headed over to a large wooded area which was in the center of the tornado's path.
A lot of chainsawing has already happened, and there are Missouri mountains of debris all over the place - that is to say, about 10 feet high. We formed bucket brigades with groups from all over the country - I met a boy from Atlanta and a girl from Ithaca - and passed branches and debris hand-to-hand.
After a few hours of this, I became curious as to how much wood we were actually moving - about 48,000 pieces an hour! For 6 hours! As Stephanie put it, we were seriously backlogged. Everybody really enjoyed this project - it was nice to get to interact with lots of other groups and to talk about what we all had in common.
We had lunch at Cunningham Park, and had lots of fun messing around on the fancy new playground equipment!
Our appetites were enormous when we returned to First UMC to prepare our meal. Jonathan and his awesome meal team put together an All-American feast, with burgers, dogs, and baked beans! I am still so full I can barely type this. Stephanie led a devotion on the hope that can come out of suffering, and I definitely see that everywhere in Joplin, in the citizens, the volunteers, and even the sides of buildings. We're so thankful to have a chance to share God's love and fulfill that hope with the people of Joplin!
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