Knox was part of a Habitat Build in Joplin, Mo at the end of October.
The group of 22 helped to build one of the homes received by these happy families.  To read more about the Knox trip, scroll down...

The Knox Church family helped to bring a little Christmas to Joplin
We can't imagine what it might be like to lose everything, including all our favorite Christmas decorations. Decorations were made at the Family Advent Potluck and sent to Joplin. The Knox gifts were among the many that were provided for families in Joplin to choose from.

"Getting Ready for Christmas" Event

Irving Elementary School in Joplin, MO, had a "Christmas and Cocoa" evening at the school on Tuesday, December 13. Many of the families lost everything during the May 22 tornado, which included Christmas trees, ornaments and decorations. The families were able to come together for a fun event to make personalized ornaments.  They were also able to pick a tree, lights, ornaments, decorations and toys from many items that had been donated.

Knox was a part of this special night by making ornaments during their family Advent program.  The ornaments were sent to Joplin and included in the Christmas and Cocoa event.  A comment made by a Joplin parent says it all: "Last night was so much fun and the kids were so excited to come home and put their ornaments on the tree...thank you for all that you do."  And thank you to Knox for caring and making Christmas a bit brighter for the students and families of Irving Elementary School.     -Jeneane Ryan

View Ed Wiles' Photo Gallery Here

Early this morning the cold front followed the rain which finally came to water the parched earth of southwest Missouri, bringing with it wintry winds from across the northern Plains and the promise of snow. We awoke to the emphatic end of a beautiful October and the painful reality of what November can—and will—be like. Driving out to the worksites, this reality took on an even more painful meaning in light of the damaged and devastated neighborhoods where are newfound friend will be facing their first winter since that life-changing day last May. In the Joplin schools, teachers are saying that it is now when the full impact of the loss and hardship brought on by the tornado will be felt in area homes and families. Please pray for Joplin…

Today we worked with Catholic Charities on a one-hundred year old home that stood bleakly in the roaring wind with windows gone and possessions stacked up in the backyard, including an inoperable SUV with its windows blown out. The task was Sisyphean from a structural perspective but one team attacked the rebuilding challenge with undaunted determination while another went about the task of building a shed from scratch to house all these possessions. Meanwhile, across the barren city blocks, our Habitat friends continued to work on the ten-house build with the help of one of our own teams in House #4—Anita’s house. The numbers of volunteers are way down today—but the supervisors are thrilled that Knox & Co. is still here.

Tomorrow is our last day on site. We plan on finishing #4, putting in a few windows in the old home sponsored by Catholic Charities and building a shed for winter. Our people have worked hard and well with the talents we’ve been given and learned. Tonight’s Vespers reflected our gratitude for the joy of serving, our prayers for the people of Joplin and our desire to share this experience invitationally with others

Tomorrow I will be returning home to prepare for Sunday’s duties. The rest of our team will follow on Saturday. We are all so very grateful for your caring, your prayers and your generous gifts to this mission. Truly we have “learned, grown and served as followers of Jesus Christ” this week in Joplin—which would not have been possible without you, our Knox church family.

God bless you, and good night!
Clinton
 

Red Sunrise

View Ed Wiles' Photo Gallery Here

Dear Friends,

Today was “hump” day –the mid point of our service and a day full of building challenges. Our team split out into two groups to work on finishing the exterior of two houses—which was accomplished. So many of us have learned new skills under the able tutelage of the Habitat Construction Staff (not to mention Ed). Siding was completed, our buildings finished, and insulation work done inside. As usual, the wind was blowing strongly out of the southwest. But unusually for drought-plagued Joplin, the rain arrived this the afternoon like a gentle grey benediction.

Everyone is working very hard and with great good will. It is a joy to see how the serving being done is melding us into a group that laughs and works and prays together. Our evening vespers have been memorable.

Tonight we had supper at First Presbyterian of Joplin as their guests. We bumped into the Glassman’s from First Pres. Oswego—former members of Knox. How they shrieked when they recognized Kathy Spinka! They are here too with a mission team from their church but staying outside of town.

Tomorrow we switch horses and work for Catholic Charities for two days. The work has proven to be very meaningful to us. People everywhere thank us for volunteering in their home. It is humbling to see how God brings good out of the worst of circumstances. Gratitude is infectious. So is sharing the Gospel.

Blessings on you,
Clinton
 

Morning dawned windy with the promise of more as our group headed back to our work site at House #4. We greeted the sunrise with the sound of hammers…

Today the work was fast and unremitting. We managed to clad the entire house with wood siding as the electricians and plumbers finished their work inside. It was a challenge working atop ladders in constant high winds. If someone wasn’t on one, they likely were blown over in a matter of a minute or two.

Our group worked in four teams very quickly and effectively today. There was a simple joy to serving together with growing knowledge of our tasks. Looking around, there were teams hard at work as far as we could see. It reminded me of the final scene of “Once Upon a Time in the West”—where Claudia Cardinale walks out into a bustling railroad boomtown filled with house construction (we even have freight trains!). The sun burned brightly overhead and the wind drove the parched dust into the air in clouds. By afternoon, each one of us had faces lined and corrugated with dirt.

Yet it was a great day. All Saints’ Day in our Christian way of counting things. A day to be thankful for untold millions who’ve come before us, and for our small place in the Body of Christ—alive and well in the City of Joplin this day--and to the very ends of the earth.
Each photo enclosed is a portrait of His grace.

With joy,
Clinton
 

Monday began crisply with temperatures in the thirties. By late afternoon, the thermometer climbed to the seventies. Nothing like the Plains for that…

Our day began at 5:00 a.m. with coffee being served to those who had to leave on the first shift. By 7:15 the rest of the group headed off to the clearing area for Habitat, where we signed in and were shipped off in buses into the heart of the devastation. Ten new houses are being constructed simultaneously there. Our house is Number Four—a three bedroom bungalow on Kentucky St. looking down on the remains of the old high school.

Steve, our work supervisor, is extremely friendly, kind and patient. He also knows his business. We are impressed with his style of leadership and empowerment. In fact, the entire Habitat organization for the Joplin Ten is outstanding in every way. In just the first day, we were able to wrap the entire house, install all the windows and doors, build soffits and complete the front porch while other workers completed the roofing. Not bad for eight hours work!

The homeowner’s name is Anita. She is a single mother who lost everything in the tornado. She spent the day with us on site. Her humble joyfulness is infectious.

It was quite a surprise for our group to find ourselves working alongside a small team of people from the Untied Arab Emirates. The two young women wore headscarves under their hard hats—and wore blue jeans! They were accompanied by two young men, all of whom spoke excellent English. Thinking about what brought these people all the way to Joplin, MO to serve our neighbors in need was quite thought-provoking. Servants of God can come in many guises… These people also donated 2000 laptops to the local high school.
Our group is growing closer by the hour as we serve together. It is heartbreaking to learn the stories of suffering and loss endured by these Jopliners. It is inspiring to see their courage and resolve in moving forward.

Mother Teresa once said “the fruit of service is peace.” We are sensing this peace tonight as we rest from the day’s work and prepare for tomorrow. It is good to be in fellowship—one small part of the Body of Christ. Know that we are keeping you all in our prayers.
Tonight is All Hallow’s Eve. Tomorrow is All Saints Day. May God bless us—every one.

Peace,
Clinton
 

Our group crossed the Midwest yesterday, following old Route 66 down the length of Illinois until the silvery arch of St. Louis could be seen across the Mississippi bottomlands. The river was parched with sandbanks where we crossed—a far cry from its flooded levels in June.
Southwest of St. Louis our three vehicles passed through rolling, oak-covered hills broken by limestone cliffs and bluffs. West of Springfield, the land stretches out in long waves rolling westward to far horizons—the Great Plains are beckoning and Joplin sits on their edge, with the vastness of Kansas beyond.
We arrived in the City of Joplin late in the afternoon of a prefect autumn day. The town is old and rambling, a mixture of old-school urban downtown, upscale perimeter subdivisions and ramshackle inner neighborhoods. The tornado last May 22nd was an equal-opportunity afflictor…
Our host is First Presbyterian Church in downtown Joplin. They have a Youth Center Guest house across the street with 29 beds in four rooms with a large kitchen and lounge. This will be our home for the week. The first night’s sleep was—by all accounts—fitful.

Sunday dawned fair and clear. We cooked breakfast and attended church at 9:30 a.m., filling two pews of the Colonial sanctuary. It was Reformation Sunday. The pastor preached a good sermon. We sang good hymns. People were very friendly.

After lunch, we toured the city. The tornado tore a swath 1.5 miles wide and 6 miles long through Joplin, coming in from the Southwest. More than 7000 homes were destroyed along with the hospital, high school and numerous businesses. More than 160 persons died in the F5 onslaught. Five months later, the damage is still immense. We were rendered speechless before the magnitude of the damage. Yet there was proof of an amazing amount of work already accomplished—with much more to come.

Our group, made of up folks from Naperville and New Orleans, will be joining the Habitat Build of ten new homes this week. We begin at 6:30 am tomorrow. Extreme Make-over has already come and gone, leaving behind a row of six homes so perfectly-manicured they look altogether unreal against the landscape of battered homes and stunted, stripped down trees. Yet life goes on. The people of Joplin are resilient and independent. They are grateful for visitors and proud of their city. It is a good place to serve…

Clint Roberts
Joplin, MO