The Body of Christ in Action

Checking in with Karen by telephone on Sunday evening, I found she was distressed by what she'd heard on a morning news program. In reporting on the tragic bombing and shooting in Norway, the report identified the perpetrator as a "right-wing fundamentalist Christian," associating his heinous act with his supposed association with Christianity. Segments of our society seem to grasp at any opportunity to associate the bad and the awful with Christ and His followers. I believe we have seen what Christianity is really about this week in Tuscaloosa . . .




Our group is from an American Baptist Church, along with members of a Cincinnati Christian businessmen's group who happen to attend Roman Catholic, Independent Baptist, and Vineyard churches. We are being graciously housed by the Hopewell Baptist Church, a Southern Baptist Congregation. Behind the church is a trailer where we can shower and do laundry, provided by the Southern Baptist Convention and an SBC church in South Carolina. As we drive to our work site, blue tarps with the insignia of Samaritan's Purse provide short-term protection from the weather for damaged homes. A World Vision tractor-trailer is set up in front of an elementary school.



The recovery work in the Holt area in which we are working is coordinated by the Soma Church. In front of the church are tents and a huge mobile kitchen from ACTS world relief and the Northland Church in Orlando. Every day lunch is cooked and provided for volunteers and others in the community by volunteer groups, including a team from the Covenant Church in Gainesville, FL which has joined us staying at Hopewell Baptist.


In the neighborhood where we are working, two new houses are already under construction -- by Habitat for Humanity and their volunteers. At our work site, we work alongside a couple from a Lutheran church in Iowa, and were joined one day by a team from a Roman Catholic church in Milwaukee and an Episcopal church in Maryland. Some of our team members spent the day today serving at a distribution center run by the Salvation Army.

This, I believe, is the real face of Christianity. FEMA is providing some important overall coordination, but a tremendous amount of the work on the ground is being provided by people who love the Lord Jesus and take seriously his call to love and to serve others. This is the Body of Christ in action.

". . . in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others . . . Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality . . . Rejoice with those who rejoice, mourn wiht those who mourn . . . " (Romans 12:5, 9-15, NIV)

Jesus is the Master Even in the Disaster

Walking through a nearby neighborhood, I came across a wooden sign which read, "Jesus is the Master Even in the Disaster". How true!

Work continued yesterday and today as we continue to clear out some lots in the small city of Holt, Alabama. Although we continue to find pictures and a few personal items, we are mostly down to the debris left over from trees and fences. Trees, branches, fence posts, and barbed wire have become one as a result of the tornado, and we are using pitch forks, hard rakes, clippers, sawzalls, and chain saws to separate them.

The weather is HOT!!! Today was in the lower 90's with 65% humidity. We started working at 7am and were spent after 6 hrs. I drank 5 16oz water bottles by lunchtime, and I am usually not a good water drinker.

At lunch, I had the opportunity to meet a woman named Kenya. Kenya had just delivered her newborn baby girl Sykya on Good Friday, 5 days before the tornado. The baby arrived prematurely and was kept at the hospital while Kenya was allowed to go home. You can imagine the anxiety and emotions she was feeling as she and her older daughter and husband rode out the storm in a hallway in their home, not knowing if the hospital where their 5 day old baby was being taken care of would be a victim of the tornado. She said her husband was watching the tornado approach their home as it appeared to split into 2 funnels, one heading in one direction, and the other heading in the opposite direction. Amazingly, their home only suffered some roof damage while their neighborhood was completely anihalated. Even after the tornado passed, all phone lines were down including cell phones, and she had no way of contacting the hospital, no way of knowing whether or not her baby was safe. Praise God, within a day, she was able to contact the NICU and confirmed that her little Sykya was absolutely fine. God is good! She is still amazed that she can see from one end of the city of Holt to the other - few trees, and few homes remain.

Just a reminder, the tornado was 26 miles long (that's a marathon for all you runners!), and 1 mile wide. We encourage you to go outside, take a one mile long walk and reflect on how destructive this tornado was.

Here is a link to an incredible video of the tornado taken from a shopping mall 2 miles from where we are staying. Amazing!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ohIVzIZLuQ

Just some background information: There were actually 3 tornadoes that went through Tuscaloosa on April 27th, but the largest one which tore up the city at 5pm stretched 26 miles long and was 1 mile wide. It was on the ground for 30 minutes - unheard of!
Today was our first day on the debris field. After a brief orientation, we drove the 3 miles to the work site and were instantly overwhelmed with our task. Our instructions were to clear the fields and to carry all the debris to within 8 feet of the road where work crews will eventually pick it up and carry it to the landfill.

We cleared branches and trees that the tornado had twisted together, tore down a chicken coop that had been crushed by a large tree and then cut down the tree. Although it was a very physically demanding day, it was also a very emotionally draining day.

I know the pictures can't begin to represent what we've seen - kind of like looking at the grand canyon through pictures vs. experiencing it with your own eyes. As we went through the debris we came across personal items, some of which broke my heart. A water stained picture of a dad holding his newborn baby, a white baby shoe covered in mud, baby teething rings, a gold ring that had a heart with the word "Mom" inside", and the same Capri Sun juice packs that my kids drink. In addition to silverware, shampoo, canned goods, and pillows. Somebody lived here. Somebody experienced a tornado and lost everything. I just pray that they survived and are stronger for having gone through such a tragedy.

We also found out that some of the debris from this tornado was found 180 miles away towards the boarder of Georgia. Sentimental items such as family heirloom quilts were found and amazingly returned to their rightful owners after the winds carried them almost 200 miles away.

The emotional state of the city is a mix of sadness and hope. It's only been 3 months, so people are obviously still dealing with grief from losing loved ones, neighbors, and homes. But people are already rebuilding too. Roll Tide Roll! Alabamans are filled with hope and encouragement. They have truly come together to rebuild and recover together. Everywhere we go we are thanked and blessed by the locals. We are humbled and thankful for the opportunity to serve them.

Hope

Elementary School

Apartment Complex

Neighborhood

These pictures, sharing glimpses of the destruction at Tuscaloosa, Alabama, they only show the material damage. Sure, having your house ripped off the ground by a tornado is a horrible thing, but no one can contemplate the emotional damage done to the community here. Several hundred people have lost their homes, and have been dependent on their family neighbors for food and shelter. No one can actually imagine the damage until you see it with the eyes.

By the grace of God, people have opened up to each other in the communities, at church, and the entire city for that matter. No one is surviving alone right now, which brings a sense of God into the picture. No one could survive, if it were not for God. As of now, God has blessed people with buildings, supplies, and food needed to help the city recover. Our mission trip is just a small part of His plan, and I know he will use us to our full capacity. I hope that we may show the grace of God, I hope, that everyone will be blessed by the work that goes on here. I pray, that we can share our hope.

-Jonathan Bell

Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Many of you have followed our family as we served on the mission field in La Paz, Mexico. Although this blogspot has not been used much since then, we are about to embark on a new adventure... On Saturday, July 23rd, a team of 15 will leave CrossWay Community Church in Harrison, Ohio and head down to Tuscaloosa, Alabama to help in the tornado relief effort. You can follow our adventures through this blogspot, add comments, and above all else pray for us as we try our best to be God's hands, feet, and heart in Tuscaloosa.