Reflections from Joplin

I'm still here. I thought that I would be making daily reports from the front lines of our church's mission trip to Joplin, MO each day, but due to hit and miss internet access and other factors, that proved to be more difficult than I had planned.

Many of our folks have been posting updates and photos on Facebook via smartphone, so I know that some of the story has been told. We are packing up to come home today. And while there is much I could write about, there is one significant highlight for me. 

Yesterday, we took our sack lunches into a fast-food restaurant to eat. (The houses we worked on have no electricity or water, so we always had to break strategically.) We were dirty from a hard-morning's work, and in need of a break. As we sat down and started eating, I was aware of the looks and glances we were getting from other patrons. No doubt our little group stood out in this crowd, but it wasn't a sight the people of Joplin hadn't seen before. They knew exactly who we were and what we were doing.

They didn't know our names and they didn't know where we were from, but they knew we were volunteers who had come to their town to help. Some even approached members of our team to say thanks. The people of Joplin endured the most destructive and deadliest tornado in American history, and there is still much work to be done. They are capable of helping themselves, but the work is just too much for one community. They know that and they are grateful to have the help and support of fellow Americans who show up and lend a hand.

I don't often feel heroic, but I think I got to experience a little of that this week. The good people of Joplin gave that gift to us. 

I wonder what might happen if followers of Christ were known in our own communities simply by the evidence of kindness, mercy, grace, and love we showed to other people. I wonder how it might change our world if total strangers recognized the presence of Christ in the things we say and do. Jesus said something about us being the light of the world...what if that's really true?

Thoughts?