Updates on Joplin, Missouri

Today the news continues to pour in from Joplin. The death toll is still on the rise with at least 116 confirmed dead and more than 500 injuires reported. Volunteers and rescue workers are still in the midst of conducting building to building searches for the missing, trapped, and injured. One of the women that I work with here at Missouri Baptist Children's Home has family in Joplin. She left this morning with supplies and prayers to help aid her family and friends in Joplin. Although her fmaily is safe, with only damages to their family homes, her teenage nieces are in prayer for their friends who are still missing.

If you haven't seen this footage yet, take a moment to watch a short film of the tornado that ravaged Joplin, Missouri, on Sunday night.


Continue to pray for the families that are searching the remains of their destroyed homes to see if their is anything they can salvage. Some of the families are searching for things like wallets and IDs that will help them secure the aide they are going to need in the future. Pray that they can find these items.

If you would like to donate to help the tornado victims in Joplin, Missouri, you can do so by donating through the Joplin branch of the Red Cross at http://www.redcross-ozarks.org/donate/. Please remember when donating for disaster relief that it is important that you choose well known and reliable sources to get your aide to the disaster victims.

Thank you for praying for Joplin!

When Your Heart is Broken

I am not naive. I know that life can be seriously hard. Why does it have to be so heartbreaking? Last night, Jimmy and I sat in a room with two of our good friends. We listened to their story and you could almost hear their hearts breaking. The longer they talked the more you just want to reach out and give them a big hug and tell them everything is going to be alright. Well in the end, I did give out a big hug to both of them, but I just couldn't say it was going to be okay.

In life their are so many unknowns. Thankfully God takes care of us. I don't believe that religion is a crutch by any means but I am SO glad that I do have a Savior who loves me and cares for me and provides for me and I can lean on Him when I know I can't take one more breath on my own. In these times, I seek to learn the lesson of Romans 5:3-5 "also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." Then when I have learned to find the bright side of my problems maybe I will be able to help someone find the light at the end of their tunnel.

To all of you with the gift of mercy and to whom this comes very easily, I applaud you. Thank you for picking up the slack for people like me who have very little mercy. Thank you for showing us by example how to minister to the broken hearted. May we never give up even when it feels like our hearts are broken into a billion tiny pieces for Christ is the healer of our souls. He loves us, and He will build us back stronger than we were before.

You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." Psalm 51:16 & 17

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." Psalm 147:3