RELIEF MINISTRY IN JOPLIN, MISSIOURI

By Quentin Washispack

“Let your light shine before men so that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven.” - Matthew 5:16

On Sunday, May 22, an F5 tornado hit Joplin, MO at 5:30 PM. At the time, I was leading a meeting of 16 people who were preparing for a China trip in July. One of the guys going to China whispered to me that he had to take a phone call from his brother who lived in Joplin. He returned with the news that a massive tornado had destroyed a large portion of the city.

New Life Church (www.newlifechurch.tv) is about four hours from Joplin. By Friday morning, we had 50 people ready to go to Joplin. We partnered with Ignite Church (www.ignitechurch.tv) in Joplin which is at the corner of 7th Street and Maiden Lane, just a few blocks from the destruction.

Some of our people helped in the disaster zone with chain saws to cut trees and limbs. Others helped tear down houses and bring items to the roadway. The city of Joplin wanted wood in one pile, metal in another, sheet rock in a third and household trash in a fourth. We helped one family tear down their entire house. We moved next door to help an elderly lady. It was too overwhelming for her and she asked us to back off so she could process some more. We moved across the street and cleaned another family’s yard.

Other members of our team stayed at Ignite Church and helped receive and organize food, clothing, toys, hygiene items and minister to displaced people. The church was a temporary shelter for 20 people. The children’s rooms, nursery and hallways were used to store all the donated items.

On Sunday morning, we helped the church set up chairs outside for an outdoor service because the interior of the church was being used to shelter people.

A man named Lee traveled from several states away to come to Joplin. His wife had divorced him, and the tornado hit Joplin on his birthday. He felt compelled to come and help. He ended up at Ignite Church and was put in touch with one of our New Life Church teams to go into the city to help with tornado relief. Lee was a broken man emotionally and spiritually. He ended up trusting Christ while helping a family. We gave him one of our T-shirts. All of his other shirts were decorated with skulls and cross bones. He is now growing in his walk with Christ and helping others.

The next weekend, June 3-5, we sent 37 people to Joplin to continue the relief efforts. We plan to send a team every weekend in June. These trips are resulting in wonderful bonds among people, and moving them closer to God. They help our people to serve God and their neighbors, and they present an opportunity to share the gospel with a needy world.

What projects and ministries is your church doing this summer to meet such needs?