Demonstrating the Love of Christ
//Joplin Update
People have compared the sound of a tornado to a passing freight train. To one survivor of the EF-5 tornado that devastated Joplin, Missouri, on Sunday, May 22, 2011, the roar sounded as though he was lying next to the tracks with the train rumbling by at full throttle. It lasted only a minute or two, but to him it felt like an eternity. “It just didn’t end,” he said. “I’ve done a lot of stupid things, but this was the first time in my life that I truly thought I was going to die.” Tragically, more than 160 people did die in the tornado, described as the eighth deadliest in our nation’s history. Within minutes, 30 percent of Joplin, the heart of Missouri’s fourth-largest metropolitan area, was destroyed. Semitrailers lay crumpled like aluminum foil. Houses and business buildings were blown apart. For many, life as they knew it abruptly came to an end.
“It was amazing to see how the Rhema family reached out and absolutely supported us.”
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After the storm, Kenneth and Lynette Hagin immediately sprang into action. RHEMA Bible Church members were emailed asking for donations of food and water. By 9 a.m. on Tuesday after the storm, the first of three truckloads of provisions was on its way to Joplin. Teams of volunteers were organized and taken to the disaster zone. Over 300 RHEMA Bible Church members helped with the cleanup. RHEMA alumni were also alerted and volunteers from RHEMA churches in at least 25 states poured into Missouri to help the people of Joplin.
Abundant Life Christian Center (ALCC)—pastored by Larry Bjorklund, a 1989 RBTC graduate, and his wife, Judy—became a hub for food distribution and disaster cleanup. ALCC teamed up with Service International, a disaster relief organization founded by Jeff Perry, another RHEMA USA graduate. Together the two groups worked tirelessly in coordinating the efforts of more than 5,000 volunteers from across the country who descended on ALCC to help storm survivors.
Joplin residents were overwhelmed by the outpouring of love from total strangers. Many of them cried as they thanked volunteers again and again for coming. But the relief effort affected more than just the survivors. Many volunteers were also changed. A couple from Louisiana who were on the verge of divorce decided to make their marriage work. A man from Nevada rededicated his life to the Lord. And hundreds—both survivors and volunteers—gave their lives to Jesus as they experienced His love firsthand.