The calm after the storm....

With the rumbling of chainsaws, the groaning of tractors and the still of a once bustling small town I entered what was once known as southern Parkersburg, IA. I, like many of you, have been trying to keep an eye on what has been happening after one of the most destructive tornadoes ripped through a town of nearly 2,000 people destroying homes and lives.

A small group has formed in the company that I work for to act as a disaster response team and this was our very first assignment. I don't want to say that we have been waiting for something to happen, but the people involved have been itching to get out and help people that have recently effected by severe weather. With the heavy rains that have hit Iowa in the past couple of months causing flooding we all thought that we would be heading out to sandbag or clean up debris left by rising flood waters. We never really thought that our first assignment would be something that basically flattened a town.

We all have been watching the weather and news reports to see where we would be going and we knew that when the EF5 tornado hit this Northern Iowa community we would probably get the call. Exactly one week after the tornado hit, our team did get the notification that we would be making the trip. I hate to say that I was excited, but I kind of was just to get out and help. This would really be my first chance since being saved to get out and help others with open arms. I never really thought that I would see the destruction that this thing caused.

We have all seen news footage and thought "Man, I feel so sorry for those people" but have never really done anything about it. I am one of those people. Until the people that started this response team I have always been that way. I wasn't sure of what to expect when we went up there. It is almost not real until you actually experience it for yourself.

12 of us left Des Moines at 7:00 Monday morning to head up and help clean up where we were needed. It is nearly a 2 hour drive so we had some time to speculate about what we would be doing that day. As we pulled into the town, it was nothing like I had ever seen before. When you come in to town the first thing you see is a HUGE pile of garbage, debris and destroyed cars. As you go a little farther into town you see piles, upon piles of what used to be peoples homes. I know that I said this earlier in this paragraph, but it was nothing like I had ever seen before. After we found a place to park we went to the FEMA trailer to find out what our next step was. As we waited we all had a chance to look around and see just the massive destructive path that the swirling wind left in its wake. In the area that we were standing, there was 3 homes that were standing along with the clubhouse for the golf course. The homes that were left standing had broken windows, caved in roofs and debris embedded in the siding. There were foundations that looked as if homes had never even put put on them because they virtually exploded. As we were waiting, cars were pulling up to homes where people were filing in and out to salvage any of their belongings that had been spared.

After we waited for 15-20 minutes we were finally given our duty of cleaning out a field so that a farmer could get ready to replant his crops. We jumped on a make shift shuttle to be taken to the field. As we drove on a country road in an open trailer you get to see just a little bit more of what used to be a town. All of the trees had been uprooted, homes flattened and crap everywhere. We got to the farm where we were to begin and you can see right where the tornado stopped. In the field we were picking up shingles, pieces of siding, pieces of roofs, electrical boxes and bits of peoples previous life. It really didn't hit me until I picked up a boot from a doll how lucky most of the people are that didn't lose their lives. We found DVD's, CD's, home movies, books of all kinds, clothes, blankets, stuffed animals and the like.

We picked up trash and debris for a little over 6 hours that day. The people of this town could not have been more gracious and humble. These are people that just endured a tragedy that most of us will never experience and they still had smiles on their faces. Countless times they came up to us and just thanked us for being there. They didn't know us from the next person, but they wanted to make sure that we knew they appreciated us helping. We were told by the people from FEMA that because of the generosity of Iowans they were 9-10 days ahead of plan for clean up. They said that they don't remember the last time they saw a response from a community or state to a disaster like this.

As Americans it has been ingrained in our heads that we have to have the nicest stuff to show how successful or important we are. People spend their entire lives buying stuff to fill homes that they can't afford just to show off to their neighbors and friends. We listen to creditors tell us to spend, spend, spend. Don't worry about making a payment on this money we are loaning to you. You only have to make a 1% payment and we'll keep giving you money to buy things. What a load of crap. As I sat there looking around at all of this stuff that we were going to pick up and throw in a trailer to be burned it made me realize that all we really need in life is our faith, family and a place to lay our heads at night. All of this stuff is temporary. Matthew 6:19-21 says it best "Make no store of wealth for yourselves on earth, where it may be turned to dust by worms and weather, and where thieves may come in by force and take it away. But make a store for yourselves in heaven, where it will not be turned to dust and where thieves do not come in to take it away: For where your wealth is, there will your heart be." I know that I will never change the world with this blog, but I know that day I learned more than I ever have about myself and the way I live my life. It was a humbling experience that I have never been through and I think that I am truly changed for a very long time because of it. Don't get me wrong. I am not trying to tell you not to spend money and to buy things that you want, just don't let money become your God.

If you have been searching for a true purpose in life I suggest that you grabbed some boots, gloves and donate a few hours of your day to give back to some people. If you can't go to a place like Parkersburg to help, go volunteer at a homeless shelter, go sandbag in a river community, go to the guy on the street corner and ask if he would like to talk. Giving a little bit of yourself does not have to take much time or money. A lot of time it is free to give some time to someone who needs your help. Realize that living for today should not be your purpose in life. Your time here is limited. If you think that you don't have time to donate, look at how much time it takes to watch a movie or sit on the couch spacing off. You probably have a few hour. If you can look at you life and truly feel that you have no time, donate money. In a disaster like this, a little can truly go a long way. Forgo your Starbucks for a week and use that money to send to the Red Cross, give to your local homeless or battered women's shelter. It doesn't take much to change someones life, trust me I know.

Now I will get off of my soapbox and let you get back to your day. I hope that this blog entry will help you if you have been struggling at all with what your purpose is. Open up your Bible and really look. The answer is in there.

Stay Strong, Run Long

Tha Messenjah