Our One Church campaign is raising funds that benefit Mission Joplin in two ways. The first project pays for the old Barton Hardware store which will be converted into our new worship center for the Carthage Campus, BUT it also has a 17,000 sq. ft. warehouse immediately available for storing items we don’t have room for at Mission Joplin. Part two of our campaign raises $100,000 to improve the Mission Joplin facility itself. It was built to be a bus barn but now we’ll be able to make it more functional for serving our community. Members of Forest Park will be giving offerings and making three year giving pledges this Sunday. Please pray for the families who are making sacrifices…

One of our volunteers remembers a man who came by Mission Joplin in June. She called it, “The most heartbreaking story of all: David called his wife about five minutes before the tornado struck and told her to get herself and their 13-month old son into a safe place. David waited out the tornado under a bridge on I-44 near Joplin. After the tornado was over, he finally made it to his house and found it totally destroyed. He then pulled his wife and baby out of the debris, but both of them were dead. He came to Mission Joplin saying he needed to “pick up a few things”, but I think David was just needing to be close to…

Last week was a great week at Mission Joplin. We served 159 families who were victims of the May 22 tornado and 52 other families who had needs. I got to see our new warehouse in Carthage and all I can say is WOW!  God’s provision is amazing!  We are so thankful for all of your prayers and help. Last week a good number of volunteers came out to help us minister to people who need healing, help, and hope.  We need a good crew this week as well. Also needed: mac ‘n cheese, instant potatoes, jelly, soap, heaters, and queen size sheets.  Tomorrow we are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Come lend a hand if you can!

We’ve had all kinds of things given to us so we can pass them on to people in need: small things like plastic measuring cups and big things like washing machines. Several people have donated vehicles. Driving around after the tornado I saw cars that were destroyed beyond imagination. For those who didn’t have insurance, the loss created a great hardship. We gave away our last vehicle yesterday. The recipient was a single mom who rented a house across the street from Joplin High School. She lost her home and car and had no money to recover. One of her two children has health issues requiring travel to Kansas City 2-3 times a month for treatment. They had no way…

The Range Line Walmart re-opened today. I hope that the carts are new enough to not have clanky wheels. I have a theory that a special demon is assigned to break a wheel on every cart or at least to make sure that I always get one that pulls hard to the left. (grin) We have carts at Mission Joplin, too, but the big difference is that we don’t have cash registers. Many in our city can’t afford what they need and that’s where we come in. On Tuesday we helped 55 families who suffered loss from the tornado and 21 other families in need. Tomorrow we are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. We need space heaters, underwear,…