Four days of exploring the plains of Kansas and we still did not find Dorothy or Toto. Instead, we found a state full of disasters and damaged hearts. However, along with the devastation, we were able to find hope and an exciting opportunity to see and learn how individuals, churches, and organizations are responding to these disaster sites, and how we, North Shore Church, can offer hope and healing to victims of past and future disaster by shining the love of Christ and becoming involved in “first response disaster relief.”

Our journey in Kansas consisted of exploring four different disaster sites, talking with and learning from a variety of different organizations that have responded to these disaster, and visiting a couple of friends and ice cream shops along the way. Our first stop was the little town of Osawatomie, which was hit by the flooding of two rivers on July 1st. We spent the morning driving around town, talking with some victims at a local diner, visiting a local church whose entire second floor has became a food pantry to assist flood victims, and learning from FEMA, the local fire station, salvation army, and a couple of other organizations about first response disaster relief. After learning as much as possible there, we headed south towards the Oklahoma border where we encountered two more towns, Coffeyville and Independence, which were also victims of the July 1st flood. However along with the flood waters, Coffeyville was covered with a layer of crude oil that spilt as the water rose and destroyed a large majority of the town. Homes, cars, trees, and everything else in the path of the flood was marked with crude oil lines. It looked like a ghost town. Because of the type of devastation around Coffeyville and Independence, relief/recovery is at a stand still. However, we were about to talk a little with FEMA, American Red Cross, and a couple of organizations about their response to the flooding.

The next day, we traveled west across the state to Greensburg. Greensburg, a rural town of about 1600, was hit on May 4th by a devastating tornado. As you enter into the town, it is hard to image that there was anything there before. The court house, a few cement slabs, broken trees, and FEMA tents was all we could see. James Bond, the program coordinator of Kansas Tornado Agency (I think that was the name), graciously came and gave us a tour of the town and informed us on the first response that took place and the future rebuilding plans for this devastated community. Greensburg is moving from the relief stage into the recovery stage, so we were able to see and learn from a variety of different organizations, what they did, and what they are going to do. We learned about necessity of disaster relief organizations working together and partner with one another in order to adequately respond and rebuild a disaster site.

Over all the trip was an amazing experience where we learned a ton, grew together, and now we are back home and our heads are hurting as we processing through what we learned and where God is leading North Shore in this First Response stuff. God is doing some amazing stuff in many different areas at North Shore. It’s exciting! Continue to pray that as a community at North Shore that our eyes and our hearts would be open to where God is leading us. Also continue to keep the victims of the numerous disasters sites throughout our country in your prayers. Behind every crude stained home, smashed car, flooded business, and blown away home, is a soul, a child of God whose heart is also hurting.

“persecuted, but not abandon; struck down, but not destroyed” 2 Corinthians 4:9