Hi Sunbun Nice to Meet you

After an emotional and rainy day yesterday today was and uplifting and great day!  We starting working on a house on Harlem Street.  It was fantastic the group really bonded more and enjoyed the sunny weather.  Everyone here is great the liquor store across let us use there bathroom.  Everyone here in Joplin is so appreciative and it just makes me feel all warm in fuzzy in side (as cheesy as that sounds).  It is such a great feeling to give and such a different experience compared to last year.  Mostly because the destruction is so new and fresh.  Seeing the high school really hit home with me simply because the high school I attended is being rebuilt because it leaked and had a lot of issues but never did a storm completely destroy any part of my school.  The people here in Joplin are such a strong group of people with such a strong seance of community.  It's great being here in Joplin and meeting all these people and hearing there stories!!!

Blog again soon,
Tracy Wright

I think I'll invest in some sunblock

Today was awesome! We're working right down the street from the hospital.. what a sight. We're going to be working all week on a house where a married couple live with their granddaughter. When we got there this morning, we couldn't believe how much help these people needed. We raked, moved a ton of scrap metal, wood and trash, finding papers and pictures all over the ground that were important parts of these people's lives. Very hard to know that these items were lost in the tornado. After a long day of scraping paint, sanding, and running across the street to use the bathroom in the liquor store (nicest people there, and also it's a drive through liquor store?! So cool), we got our sunburned selves back to the house to shower and eat before we go BOWLING tonight. Hope I've improved since the last time. Maybe another Sonic's run again tonight? I think we could go for some tots and slushies again :)

Loving Joplin!

Alex

Personality Test

Personality test

Today was our first full day in Joplin, full of fun adventures and activities, as in two delays and the first experience in Dallas’ very huge airport. Once we finally arrived in Joplin we immediately felt the gratitude from its citizens. We were thanked for coming here and we were given a very generous donation for our dinner from a “man in the red jacket.” It also has been very great to get to bond more with my fellow asb –ers. I can see the great leadership we have and how great and flexible most of us are.

We also went to see the path of destruction left by the tornado. Even though it has been almost 365 days since it happened there is still a ton of destruction. Enough devastation that we could not let poor little Joplin see. As we drove through the devastation I was thinking how the city had been destroyed but there was still a ton of life and hope for the future. Houses were being built surrounded by destruction. We did drive by some of the houses that we made on a TV show for the family that we lavish and creative but those were not the houses that stuck out to me. I really enjoyed the houses that reflected the personality of what I think Joplin is; the brand new, yet simply elegant, house next to the 1940 Ford F150. A part of the city had been destroyed but yet the personality of the people is still present. No matter the devastation the people of Joplin experience they will persevere.

I am very glad I have made the commitment to the trip.

-Cruz

First Full Day!

Today was our first full day in Joplin, MO, and what an amazing time we all had! After our morning Starbucks trip we drove around the path of the storm. We saw so much destruction and devastation. Homes were destroyed, rubble piles were packed high in the middle of the vast flat grasslands, roofs were disheveled and hanging onto the houses by a thread, bricks were thrown about and badly weathered, and in the midst of all this nothingness there was hope. As corny as it sounds, the spirit of Joplin truly amazes me.

After traveling to Joplin High, now Hope High School, we saw wooden stars posted to the fences of the construction site reading "God is bigger than any 'monsters' we face", "Always remember" and "No place like home: 5/22". These people lost everything that they possessed, their homes, their personal belongings, some of them lost their children, family and friends, yet they still have their faith and find true happiness being together, supporting each other and helping each other move past this disaster. Looking through the papers strewn throughout the ground within the work site where Joplin High once stood I thought about the history within those walls--people attending school dances, passing their high school crushes in the hallways, making friends, playing sports, mastering a subject they never thought they could because of the help from a great teacher, and I got really emotional seeing the destruction the storm had caused.

Since arriving we have gotten so many thanks-from the airline workers to the man who paid $100 for our dinner at Pizza Hut to the waiter who told us we're touching his heart by helping restore because he lost so many friends and coworkers to the tornado and it really grateful me happy to be a part of this effort to restore some sense of Joplin. By working on a few houses we are putting our work and talents into improving someone's future just a little bit. It means a lot to me to be spending another spring break working in disaster relief.

Other events today included the purchase of a plush snuggie, stepping into a huge puddle, and making first of many ventures to SONIC! I'm running out of steam, or else I would totally write more in-depth.

Til next time!
Stephen

Have Hope Joplin

Since the night started at Kendra's, I knew this trip was going to be a blast!  The people here are so amazing and so greatful... Our first night here, we went to Pizza Hut for dinner.  A man asked us where we were from and we shared our story of why we were there... Without us knowing, he put $100 towards our bill.  Hours before that when we were at the Joplin Airport, a man thanked us for being here.  The kindness of everybody down here is amazing.  This is an experience of a lifetime and I cannot even begin to explain how much fun I am having.  Today (Sunday), we saw all of the damage the horrible tornado caused... We went to the high school and finally saw the hOPe High School sign.  The ironic part is when we got out of the vans to walk at the school, that was the only time the sun came out and it stopped raining... I feel as if it was a sign of some sort... It really made me appreciate my education and school.  Who cares if we don't have the newest computers or our desks are 20 years old, we have a school.. That is all that matters. These poor students have lost memories... As we were looking through the fence, we saw papers from classes, including paperwork from 2002.  Having the tornado happen 10 months ago, it is amazing seeing everything still lying around.  We have done so much and have seen so many things but I'm not going to write a book... I'll let others share. Long story, short...  THIS TRIP IS AMAZING AND LIFE CHANGING AND EVERYONE FROM THE FRAM*ILY TO THE PEOPLE OF MISSOURI ARE AMAZING.
XOXO,
     Erin :)

Joplin's in my heart: my experience so far

Today was our first full day in Joplin, and it has been great so far. I was woken up by Jorge yelling--so I threw my pillow at him! haha--then we all had pancakes for Breakfast which were yummy, and then headed out for a drive through town to see where the tornado hit down, and created destruction to peoples homes, businesses, churches, schools,cars, and even lawns. It took the lives and livelihoods of so many here in Joplin, and to see that first hand was overwhelming. We stopped at where Joplin High originally was and saw how uprooted and destroyed the building and neighborhood is. It honestly was so shocking to see just how bad it really is here--the pictures you see don't give it justice. I saw homework and textbooks on the ground still in tact from being thrown around.  It was just very emotional to see and experience what a natural disaster looks like first hand, and what these people go through every day.  This is honestly a huge learning experience and I am so happy to be a part of this. I am going to have memories of all the people we have met so far (the man who helped us pay for some of our meal at Pizza Hut, just to say thank you, the manager of Pizza hut who lost 6 friends and 2 employees in the tornado, Scott the director of Project 195, and locals from the airport and town) and I know we have many more to meet before we leave. I just can't express enough how powerful this experience has been so far--and I can't wait to see how the rest of the trip goes. --As we just got back from cleaning and painting the other volunteer house, its time to eat din din--so I'm signing off now--but I just want to say I love our group, the people here in Joplin, and the opportunity we have been given. Love, Mary

Restore Joplin: Day One

After a VERY long day of planes, trains and automobiles (ok just cars, planes, and 15-passenger vans I guess), we finally made it to Joplin around 4pm yesterday afternoon. We spent a few hours waiting at the Joplin airport for the vans to be ready, where we saw another group of college students who had just completed their week of restore. That really got us excited when they exclaimed how great their week was and how much fun they had. We were also welcomed to Joplin by some gracious residents and airport employees who were so happy to have us help with the clean up and restoration. We took this time to get to know each other a little better, playing name games, "two truths and a lie", and took some funny (and some pretty ridiculous) pictures.

Hungry, anxious, and completely exhausted, we got to dinner last night and couldn't wait to dig in. As a group of 26 people with northern accents, we knew we were bound to get some questioning from other people around us. A man and his son were seated at the table next to us, and sure enough, he inquired about our origins. When we told him who we were and what we were doing here, he paused for a moment, pursed his lips in what looked like an effort to hold some tears back, and said how truly grateful he was that we were there and that he was so proud of us for taking the time to come down and lend a hand. We said we couldn't be happier to help, and with that, he got up and left. A moment later, the manager of the restaurant came over to us and said that an anonymous customer had already paid $100 of our bill. That right there proved that we were meant to do great things this week, and we owed it to the residents of Joplin to help make their lives even a little better.

Another staple moment of the trip so far was just this morning, when we drove the path that the tornado took that fateful day just 10 months ago. We saw houses with roofs torn off, trees completely uprooted, and a scene that was just simply unimaginable. Visiting Joplin High School, now appropriately renamed "Hope High School" was truly a sight. Completely destroyed, we learned that these students have been moved to the Northpark Mall (which we saw this morning also) to resume classes this year. An overwhelming sense of emotion rang through all of us when we saw the ruins of the school building. To know that they are persevering and moving on with life is so uplifting and it makes what we're doing here feel even better.

Time for dinner now.. nothing like a huge vat of pasta for 26 people :) More to come later this week!

Alex

Home

I wrote this entry as we waited for our flight to board. We have since arrived in Joplin and have experienced an amazing amount of gratitude. For now though, I will just tell about just one experience :)

The journey to Joplin, Missouri has begun. Technically, it began at about 3:45 AM. Right now all 26 of us are waiting at the Dallas Fort Worth Airport to board our final flight to Joplin. We have had some delays though so we are resting, eating candy, and filling our bodies with caffeine for the week ahead.

We have not even arrived in Joplin and the experiences from the tornadoes are already being told and leaving impressions on us. I asked out loud to the group if anyone knew if the Joplin Airport was affected by the tornado. No one in the group knew the answer but a young guy sitting by himself chimed in and said that it hadn’t. He was also waiting for the flight to Joplin to board and I could tell he had a story. He started listing off the streets that were affected the most, including the local businesses. He also said that he had to attend four funerals that week. Even the Home Depot he worked at was destroyed. My heart broke. I wanted nothing more than to just hug him and say I’m sorry. He asked about where we were from and what we were doing. He was kind enough to thank us. It consistently amazes me how thankful people are for what we are doing. Yet, WE are the ones who should be thankful. We should be thankful for this opportunity and for being the ones who can do the giving rather than the receiving.

As the airlines had us move to a different terminal to board our flight, I overhead him say to himself, “I just want to go home.” Home. Joplin is his home. It made me think of my own home and what it would be like if I had to see it in such a state of devastation. The thought was enough to make my heart hurt. So while we begin the journey to help rebuild we should remember that Joplin is not just a town that has a tornado touchdown in, it is home to so many. It is a place of comfort, a place of serenity, and a place that they can go back to everyday and be who they are.We have the chance to bring a little piece of that back to them and we are so appreciative.

Thank you Joplin!

Molly :)

Tomorrow!

I cannot believe that we leave TOMORROW for Joplin! I just finished packing for the trip and really hope I didn't forget anything- I've been packing and repacking for a week because I am so excited. Right now I am a mix of emotions; beyond excited, nervous, (a little scared for the plane ride) but mostly anxious. Now that it is so close to being here I just want to hop on the plane and leave! Last night I barely slept so I can only imagine what tonight will bring. 

I am excited to be going to a new place, with new people who want to devote their spring break to helping others. I am ready for a week full of hard work, dedication and an amazing life changing experience. I truly have no idea what the next week will bring; all I know is that I am ready for this once in a lifetime opportunity. 

Carolyn Holland  

Expectations

Joplin and me were kickin` it the other night, and he asked me a great question. What are your expectations on the trip? I was like gawwlee i have no idea. So i thought about it. Luckily, we talked about it during our meeting too. I think what i am expecting the most is, that it is a once in a life time experience! How often will i ever be able to go to Joplin for tornado relief. My answer is probably not that many, like 2, because im broke and such. I believe it will be a once in a life time experience, even if i was lucky enough to go a second time it would not be the same. The time spent with fellow students will somehow make this an experience uniquely different to experiences in the future. 

-Cruz-