On my Spring Break this year I returned to Missouri with a group of UMASS Boston students to volunteer in Joplin, where a tornado destroyed over 30% of the city, killed over 150 people and harmed at least a thousand more, and wiped out houses and businesses in 2011. We got to work with Habitat for Humanity (www.habitat.org) building sheds and even a garden for houses inhabited by victims of the tornado. There were lots of overwhelming experiences and unforgettable moments, especially bonding with the other volunteers, talking with the locals and hearing their stories of the tornado, as well as exploring not only Joplin but also venturing into Oklahoma and Kansas. There were lots of loud conversations and laughs in our van as we drove to the sound of "Whisky for My Men, Beer for My Horses", "Girl On Fire", "Trouble" and "Diamonds". I even played volleyball and ping pong, without sucking as bad as I thought I would, and getting over my fear of being hit in the face - which did happen. There was a lot of movement, few (communal) showers, and a lot of food, so it was definitely a good time.Two events of that week stand out for being the happiest, and the saddest ones. The first, and happiest, was our little Extreme Makeover parody, where we made a video in which we played a family that wanted to get a new shed. The video (link below) contained interview with 'the family', the building of the shed, and the not-so-glorious revealing of the shed to the family as the crowd yells "move that bus!" We all laughed so much recording those videos that some of us had to leave the room, but you can still hear us laughing in the video.The other event, the sad one, was a really scary moment when one of our group members got a call saying that one of her siblings was going through an emergency surgery and no one knew how it was going. It was a tense moment where we joined our thoughts and prayed for her family, trying to show support for a friend in that time of need.One of the most surreal moments, though, was when we were watching a documentary on the tornado as we were leaving Joplin. We watched the ruined city in the small screen in the van as we saw the restored reality outside the windows as we drove by. There was a feeling of hope to see the city back on it's feet, even though there is still much to do.I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to serve people and have such a good time while doing it. I'm thankful for my friends who were there with me, doing God's work alongside each other. I hope we get to do this again many times in the future.
Xtreme Makeover: Shed Edition
