This past week, I was blessed with the opportunity to spend a week in Moore, Oklahoma, serving in response to the tornado that came through in late May.
To say I'm glad I decided to go is an understatement. I was on the fence about going, as factors such as work, mink, preparation, fundraising for the race, and others came into my mind. But on Tuesday June 4th, I committed to going, and left on Friday the 7th. Not that a week is terribly hard to prepare for, but it was rather short notice. And really, I can't really think of a time that I wished that I'd brought something that I hadn't.
Through the generosity and sacrifice of my parents, my brothers, my work, and others I was able to go on this trip. All of them had part in this ministry, just as I had.
Coming down to Oklahoma City, I wasn't exactly sure of what to expect. It was going to be my first trip through AIM, and I hadn't ever helped with disaster relief. I wouldn't say I was nervous, but I will say that I did have some doubts as to how the week would go creep into my mind.
Upon the first night of arriving on Saturday, I got in touch with my feminine side, as females greatly outnumbered us men (4 of us total – only 2 by the time Tuesday night rolled around), much like how U squad is. Once I started doing things such as making animal noises and doing random (and often "femmy") hand gestures to go along with saying our names, I figured my shell was all but completely shattered. I suppose its good to get that out of the way.
On Sunday, volunteers do not work. Instead, we simply went into the town to see the carnage. We took a couple prayer walks, talked with a teacher who saved her students, and just went around looking at the remains of destroyed buildings. My first time seeing it for the first time since I came from the north side, really I was shocked. Sometimes we have tornados in Wisconsin. But nothing like this. I couldn't believe it.
We started work on Monday. The first house we arrived at was leveled, and team's job was to move debris from the foundation to the side of the road, where trucks with grapples and bins would remove it. Oh except one thing – us guys' had the pleasure of breaking out the concrete of a patio from the ground – with a sledgehammer. And I'm from Wisconsin, so I'm not used to the heat. Oh yeah, we had fun. I should give a shoutout to Kaleigh and Tara, who briefly helped us with this task.
I could speak much, much more about what I did on this trip. But this blog I want to be about who I've met. People who were in my group. People who I met out on the worksite. People who served us.
First of all, I love all the people who were in my group. And I'm not just saying that – cause I don't just say that. But I do. They were awesome. They worked like dogs, they were servants, they were hilarious. We had a lot of fun, both while at work and back where we slept. They were encouraging, accepting, and patient (that word was used a lot during the week). They took me to Chili's and Chik-Fil-A for the first time, and also got me on Instagram and Snapchat. Also, some witnessed me peeling and eating an orange for the first time. I returned the favor by explaining a little bit about fur farming and teaching some how to polka.
We also ran across many out on the worksite who showed a love for humanity. One was a man named Dave, a firefighter from the Northeast who runs a non profit organization, assisting in relief efforts all around the US. A genuine man who a servant's heart, no doubt. Also we met a man named Joe (I'm pretty sure), who we came and helped. He helped with getting large machinery to different locations to help us out!.
We conversed with some of the survivors. From a teacher who injured herself protecting her students, to a man whom he and his wife were saved by motorcycle helmets when their house fell down around them, these people were genuine, and gave me a huge boost of motivation to work. Putting a face to the tragedy really makes it personal.
The volunteers who served the volunteers. This one was huge, and I hadn't thought about it all that much before I got here. The people going around in their cars handing out water (and cheeseburgers!), serving us meals, and those saying thank you and giving us encouragement are hands down instrumental. I cannot simply put here in words my gratitude towards these people. There were volunteers serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner everyday, handing us free (and EXCELLENT) meals. These people were truly servants.
In short, I wish I could repeat this week. It was brief, but it was loads of fun and it completely changed my perception in life. Compassion has been a bit of struggle for me. Not necessarily to feel, but to show. Through this trip, God has opened my up to many of grieving people. It forced me into sympathy. I can't say I'm always open to finding opportunities to grow in this emotion. Clearing up debris from a home as an act of servanthood? No problem, I enjoy physical labor. Show compassion to the victims? I'm not sure. But this trip has taught me the importance of it. Not so much by me showing more compassion, but by observing those who have this spiritual gift. It doesn't have to necessarily be expressing condolences, but simply engaging in conversation.
I absolutely recommend this trip to anyone interested in serving Moore. It worked great for since our project leader, Bill, is a world race alumni, and I got to meet Kaleigh, who is a member of V squad! Overall, this trip has been extremely rewarding, and now it is time to focus back on the World Race. I am so pumped to go to training camp in less than a month, and go on another trip throug AIM! God bless and peace out!
