CROSS COUNTRY ROAD TRIP: day two/part one

We started in Marshall, Illinois this morning, taking historic route 40 across Illinois and into St. Louis, Missouri. In St. Louie, after crossing the Muddy Mississippi (3rd largest river in the world), we visited Concordia Seminary where my mom's dad went to school for four years. From St. Louis, we traveled through the Ozark Mountains and down into Joplin, Missouri, right at the Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri tri-state corner. As you may recall, Joplin was hit with a deadly tornado two months ago. We drove through some of the neighborhoods where the tornado hit and walked down one block, peering into five tornado torn homes. It was heartbreaking and numbing to see such utter destruction. It felt, smelled and looked like a neighborhood graveyard. So much work is still needed, debris pick up, building repair, relocation of displaced families. It was encouraging to see so many volunteers with recovery and rescue centers yet still so tragic to see so many homes destroyed. Today was a long day, physically and emotionally. I will post pictures tomorrow but until then, I sleep in Miami, Oklahoma, the land of the Native American Nation :)

Prayers for Joplin.