We visited Joplin yesterday and today. My (Susan) mom's brother Fred lives there. We enjoyed having dinner with Fred, Jana and my cousin Ariel. After dinner we got a tour of the tornado damage. What a sight to see the devastation in person. We saw where many houses used to be. It was hard to imagine that the barren places used to be homes, stores, and businesses. Many places have been cleared but there are still many places that haven't been touched along with countless piles of debris. We saw St. John's hospital. It remains untouched since the tornado.
During our visit we heard many horrible stories. These stories will be with them for a long time. But even more remarkable were all the stories of God's protection. A little girl shared that she wasn't scared because she saw the angels there with her, a large family gathering with minimal protection was spared, buildings collapsing right after the people got out, people feeling "someone" holding their hand. You could say, "Where was God in this?" Just ask the people of Joplin. God was right there with them.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Big Brutus
Unless you have been through Kansas you will have no idea what Big Brutus is. Big Brutus is a retired piece of machinery from a coal mine. Now, this isn't your average tractor. Big Brutus at its tallest point is 16 stories tall. This thing is massive. I will post pictures when I can figure that out. We got to climb up into the cab and walk around in its belly. Did I mention that this thing is massive?
When I was walking down the last flight of steps I thought that there would be no way to describe how wide and tall and long and big this thing is. Unless you have seen this for yourself, you'll never be able to grasp how big this machine is. This reminded me of God's love. Unless you have seen for yourself how wide and tall and long and big is the love of God, it is hard to understand and to imagine.
We all should experience Big Brutus and God for ourselves.
When I was walking down the last flight of steps I thought that there would be no way to describe how wide and tall and long and big this thing is. Unless you have seen this for yourself, you'll never be able to grasp how big this machine is. This reminded me of God's love. Unless you have seen for yourself how wide and tall and long and big is the love of God, it is hard to understand and to imagine.
We all should experience Big Brutus and God for ourselves.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
More Than Half Way
Well, we passed the half-way mark of our drive to North Carolina. We have driven more than we have left to drive. This is a good feeling. We are in Wichita, Kansas. Our last 3 nights were spent in North Platte, NE, Rock Springs, WY and Elko, NV. We have seen miles and miles of salt flats, empty deserts, roaming hills and corn fields.
Everything has been going smoothly. On our first day of travel, after about 400 miles Connor asks, "When are we going to get to the airport?" We realized that we had been talking about taking this long trip. Every time we have been on a long trip, we have flown. Bless his little heart that he patiently waited 400 miles before asking about our airport destination.
We are at Todd's cousin Hink's house and are blessed to be staying with family. The boys are in the basement alternating play between the Wii and the pool table.
Everything has been going smoothly. On our first day of travel, after about 400 miles Connor asks, "When are we going to get to the airport?" We realized that we had been talking about taking this long trip. Every time we have been on a long trip, we have flown. Bless his little heart that he patiently waited 400 miles before asking about our airport destination.
We are at Todd's cousin Hink's house and are blessed to be staying with family. The boys are in the basement alternating play between the Wii and the pool table.
Monday, July 18, 2011
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