Mission Joplin has been blessed to host some temporary workers through a FEMA program. They come from all walks of life and for some of them, life has been very unkind. I had the joy of talking with a couple of people today who have had a very rough life. God has been using our volunteers to help them see that they can have a better life through Jesus Christ. The woman that I visited with is still thinking it all over. We have another appointment on Sunday.  The guy that I talked to has made a commitment to follow Jesus and I get to baptize him this Sunday! Both of them talked about how Misty inspired them to want to be closer to God.

Our biggest need right now is a man’s bike. This man is destitute and needs a way to get around to apply for jobs. He…

We are fast approaching the anniversary of the tornado that claimed 160 lives and damaged or destroyed 8,000 homes/buildings in Joplin. For many of us, it has been the most challenging year of our lives.  We are so thankful for those of you who came to help us carry the burden of helping our neighbors in need. About 90% of our businesses are back, but hundreds remain in FEMA trailers without a place of their own to live. We have come a long way. We still have a long way to go.

Mission Joplin has helped about 18,000 people in the last 12 months. Our slogan is, “Hope for Joplin, Glory to God.” We are forever thankful for those of you who have come alongside us to show the compassion of Christ.  Right now we are in need of men’s shorts, size 32-34 and size 32 jeans. (I remember when…

We got our shower seat (actually two of them!) We are so amazed at how God works through people like you to help with the exact needs we find in our community.  Thank you for praying and for giving. Thank you for caring for people who need hope, help, and healing.

Part of following Jesus is serving those in need. Most people at my church serve a couple of hours a week. Our Bible study teachers prepare and teach a lesson. Our Awana and Kid City volunteers, the members of our choir, orchestra, and band, those who serve on the tech team or first impression team:  most of these give from 1 to 4 hours a week so that God can use them to touch lives.

If you do not have a regular place of service, I want you to pray about serving at Mission Joplin.  We are open on…

One year ago here in Joplin, we were getting ready for Mother’s Day just like everyone else. Those of us who needed to get cards in the mail were bumping elbows in the greeting card aisle at the store. Siblings were collaborating on gift ideas. Some were making plans for lunch.

This Mother’s Day will be different for many of us. We have people in my church who lost family members in the tornado. Others will not be able to gather in the same home. Still others are having to scale back the normal plans because of the financial hit created by the storm.

Not all is doom and gloom. Some families have gotten closer in the past year. Many have discovered that faith, family, and friends are way more important than material things. Many are extra thankful that mom is alive and well.

At Mission Joplin,…

Lindsay Mattison has led a group of quilters to help our city. I very much enjoy her reports of experiences at our mission. Recently she described a visit to Mission Joplin with her 10 year old granddaughter, Precious. She wrote, “Our ride home was different than when we came to Joplin. Precious talked a lot about the devastation, and how blessed we were to have been spared that night of storms.  She has seen the destruction of storms, yet the love and provision of God. She seems to have grasped that “her stuff” really isn’t the important stuff ... what GOD does is the important stuff, and she saw AWESOME examples of how we can serve HIM! I am thankful to my Heavenly Father for this experience in allowing me to be a mouth piece that I could share a need with cyber friends, and a witness to Him providing…

On Saturday I put out a request for clothes hangers. We got a response from a family that Mission Joplin has helped saying that they were going through their closet and bringing over the hangers they don’t need. It warmed my heart. A lot of families that we serve are not “chronic takers.” They are givers who just need a little help because the tornado (or other life events) set them back.

I bring this up because it is easy to get cynical in the helping business. Some ask, “Aren’t you just feeding the cycle of dependency?” In reality, we have policies that discourage dependency such as only helping tornado victims once a month and those with needs not created by the tornado only once every other month. If the cynics would serve as a personal shopper for a few days they would have their eyes opened to what…

A few weeks ago I preached a message on partnership based on Philippians 1:3-6 NIV, which reads, “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel…” I described our 3 part partnership. There’s God’s part, our part (the church staff and pastors) and your part (the church).

I ended with an action step or call to action. Since it was Palm Sunday and Easter was the following week, I encouraged all present to invite someone to church on Easter Sunday. I want to be clear in my intent. We don’t just invite people to church on big Sundays (like Christmas and Easter) - I hope you’ll invite people regularly.

We had over 500 people on Easter Sunday. Job well done! However, we’ve been down to just over 300…

Day 1
Travel went well and smoothly. All flights were smooth, and we arrived in Port-Au-Prince on time with smooth sailing through customs. The ride to HCM was uneventful and, amazingly enough, only took an hour as opposed to the standard 3-4 hour commute. A wonderful dinner of spaghetti with salad and fresh mango was provided and delicious!

Day 2
Church came early to the weary team, but it was full of the Holy Spirit. This year Pastor Jonas Dorlas translated the sermon into English. The topic was God’s love for us! After church we organized the meds and met the patients for the next day’s surgeries. After all work was done, we were able to visit HCM’s orphanage and play with the children. Dr. Fogarty brought Girl Scout cookies from her daughter’s troop and passed them out to the children. Others in the team brought stickers, toys,…