Jesus was working miracles in Joplin. Thank you for praying!

By David Freeman, With Becky’s Graceful Editing

All the events in this story are from my perspective and memory. Since I am a little tired and all the days blurred together anyway, I may have names, days, times, and order of events a little inaccurate. Please do not try to contact any of the church staff to chat about what you read in this report. They are extremely busy right now. Do continue praying for them and all the other volunteers and victims.

On Wednesday, May 25th, Randy, the senior pastor at College Heights Christian Church (CHCC), received a phone call, “I apologize for interrupting. I know you are busy, but I just have to tell you. I am with FEMA and just walked through your facility. I was inspired. I have been involved with disaster response for over 15 years. I have never seen any organization functioning that efficiently that quickly after a disaster.” Later in the week, a 7th Day Adventist organization with expertise in emergency distribution systems came to the church to help make our procedures more efficient. They asked us, “How did you know to have volunteers help people carry the items as they walk through the snaking line of distribution? That took us two weeks to figure out the first time we set up a system.”

We know without a doubt that the CHCC system is functioning so well because God is in control and is working miracles in that place. The Discovery Ministries (DM) team, for whom you have been praying so fervently, feels we have been privileged to be one of His tools and get to witness those miracles.

The Challenge

Monday morning, May 23rd, we called Ryan - an Ozark Christian College dorm dad, member of CHCC, and a member-in-training of the Discovery Ministries (DM) team. He knew the local state university was recruiting volunteers. He also said CHCC was conducting search efforts. So, seven of the DM team – Joel, Jeremy, Joanna, Sarah P., Sarah R., Leah and I - went to Joplin Monday night dressed in wilderness gear, carrying packs, and ready to spend the night out in any conditions and willing to help with the search CHCC was conducting.

Upon arriving, we met Ryan and headed to the university volunteer sign_up post. Their operation had shut down for the night. We could only fill out a volunteer form and come back the next day ready to help clear debris. We decided to find out if we could be of help at CHCC.

When we arrived at the church around 6 p.m., we found out the church had also ceased search operations for the evening due to nightfall and inclement weather. We looked around and saw massive amounts of donations going in and out the door and Randy making a dynamic attempt to organize it all.

We stepped into the parking lot to get out of the way and figure out what to do. Ryan got on the phone and somehow found out that Jay, another pastor at CHCC, was heading back to the church from an emergency meeting with local government officials. Ryan told us since CHCC has a reputation in Joplin for stepping into the gap and ministering to the community, the church would probably play some major role in the next few days.

We thought for a moment and figured we could help right then. In incident-command training, we had learned that taking notes of what decisions are made the first few hours of a crisis helps in the following hours and days. Since we teach communication and other principles for effective meetings, we are good note takers. Jeremy and I each took a radio, note pad and pencil. The rest of the DM group prayed and waited with a radio for further instructions. Jeremy quickly followed Jay and I shadowed Randy.

As I recorded what time Randy told which person to do what task, Randy noticed me and asked who I was and what I was doing. I told him my name, that I was with DM and that I was taking notes for him. He gave me a little smile and a nod and then turned to continue making decisions. After a couple minutes, he took me into a quiet room to think out loud and have me record his thoughts. His first thought was he wanted to form an executive volunteer team of seven people from the church to set up and run receiving and distributing donations. I am joyfully laughing as I write this, realizing that the first time Randy verbalized that idea, he spoke it to the person whose team could equip and train the CHCC volunteer team. At that moment, however, neither of us realized that miracle.

Moments later, a messenger stuck his head in the door and said that Jay needed Randy and the rest of the staff in his office for a briefing. I followed Randy to the meeting and was pleasantly surprised to see Jeremy already there by Jay’s side. Do you see the miracle? Two DM note takers were in the first CHCC staff meeting when Jay gave a briefing. Only Jesus could arrange for two strangers to sit in a senior staff meeting of a mega church at just the right moment.

The Pivotal Moment

Jay told the staff that College Heights was now the main distribution hub for donations in the city. The staff made some preliminary plans, and Randy explained his idea of recruiting a seven-member executive volunteer team. The staff agreed it was a good idea, so Randy accepted the mission of assembling that team.

When the meeting broke up, Randy began his search and I continued following him and scribbling notes. Randy recruited a couple of ladies, already tired from spending most of the day sorting and organizing donated clothing that was filling the gym. We also encountered Cody, a former DM instructor, in the hallway. I greeted Cody and he immediately fell in step at my elbow. I suspect he was praying for the entourage.

Our little group sat in a quiet hallway, and Randy began telling the ladies his idea about forming an executive committee of seven church volunteers who would set up and operate a short-term system until a better system could get into place. Soon, Lisa, the church wedding coordinator, and her daughter, Annie, perhaps the most competent 15 year old I have ever met, came walking down the hallway; so, he asked them to join us and quickly outlined again the idea for a team of seven. He then asked those ladies what other four people could join them to make a team of seven.

I guess I’m kind of slow. It did not dawn on me until I heard the number “seven” many times and saw the overwhelmed looks on the ladies’ faces that I was part of a team of seven people! And . . . we had specialized skills/experience:

• -Basic training in emergency incident command (IC) systems due to cave rescue training with the National Cave Rescue Commission, search and rescue training with the National Association of Search and Rescue, and wilderness medical training with Wilderness Medical Associates;
• -Teamwork expertise;
• -Logistics and personnel organization for multiple, concurrent group events;
• -Skilled facilitators with years of experience training people to persevere and thrive under challenging circumstances;
• -Effective communication training, including one certified mediator;
• -A strong belief that loving the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and loving your neighbor as yourself are the two foundational principles that make all the other skill sets work most effectively

I hesitated for a moment as many thoughts flew through my mind; one of which was that we have had little experience on this large of a scale under these dire circumstances.

However, the challenge was almost tantalizingly irresistible. I looked at Cody and asked, “Are you in?” He looked me in the eye and said, “Oh yeah!” I then explained to Randy that I happened to be there with a team of seven people who were communication and logistics experts and experts at training, and that with Ryan and Cody, we were nine. I thought a few more moments and said that I thought we could set up a system, train their volunteer executive team of seven to run it, train the other volunteers and then train their executive team to take our places in the system. It would have to be a short-term relationship because we needed to leave in 72 hours.

Randy looked me in the eye and said, “That would be great.” I called the rest of the DM team on the walkee talkee and announced, “Congratulations! You just volunteered to design and run the main donation distribution hub for the city.” Their response, “Sounds good,” made me proud to live in community with a body of believers who thrive facing the challenges of life with faith.

The rest of the story of the miracles Jesus worked this week would fill volumes. I’ll give a summary.

Monday approximately 6:30 p.m., CHCC and DM entered a relationship I will fondly remember forever. I immediately called Colette and asked her to partner with Gary to ask Mike, Brad, and Carl – three guys with lots of experience in incident command – to join in praying specifically for the challenges they knew, better than we, that we faced. Lisa and Kim, two original recruits from the church, joined the DM team to design the intake, sorting and distribution of donations and training of volunteers to run that system. We finished at 2:30 a.m. Tuesday. That basic system, with numerous improvements made by many people and organizations, continues functioning as I write this report at 9:25 a.m. Saturday morning.

I am still amazed at the number of victims we were able to assist. I know that by Wednesday evening we had distributed food, clothing, and other basic essentials to over 2,000 people, fed over 2,000 meals to volunteers, and had unbelievable opportunities for ministry, including one request for baptism.

My favorite element of the system was the Personal Shopping Assistants (PSA’s). These volunteers met each person at the entrance, introduced themselves, and carried people’s items for them. They tried to connect with people, asking their stories of survival, praying, laughing, hugging and crying with them. It was amazing how many big hearted and courageous volunteers made the whole system run and how they constantly made the system better.

The Big Questions

How did a church staff that functions on a collaborative-unity model get connected with a small ministry that functions on a collaborative-unity model at just the right time? How did the right people show up during the week, hundreds of times, just before we realized they were needed? How did those people courageously accept the challenge after briefly considering the magnitude of what they were being asked to do?

Zechariah 4: 6 “’Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD of hosts.” (1995 NASB).

Saying that CHCC, DM or any other person or organization involved, really did great things is somewhat like saying the tools in the toolbox built a house. Jesus is the Master Carpenter.

How About You?

When it dawned on me in the hallway meeting that we could be the seven volunteers Randy was looking for, the same hindering thoughts flew through my mind that I, and others, often think when faced with a leap of faith: What if I fail? What if I really screw this up? I am not qualified for this, am I? How can I possibly do this? Then the truth we teach at DM blasted those lies out of the water. Faith requires risk. Jesus does not fail. If He puts you there and prompts you to do it, He will provide.

I took a deep breath, prayed a silent prayer and made the offer to Randy. Now here I sit after one of the most challenging and most rewarding weeks of my life. I learned more about Jesus, myself, teamwork and unity in the last five days than I ever have in any training, sermon or conference. I prayed more this week than I normally do in a year. As I type this, I feel vibrantly alive.

For the record . . . twice this week I melted down. All of the team at different times found they just couldn’t continue without some emotional release. The second time I broke down, I lay in the fetal position on the floor in a quiet room and heaved sobbing cries for about 20 minutes.

As many participants in DM programming have discovered, acts of faith are often gut-wrenching challenges while you are in the middle of them. Overcoming the task, fatigue or conflict seems impossible. Through Jesus, we can persevere! The euphoric feeling of reward often does not come until you reflect back while alone or joyfully telling stories with friends.

What about you? What challenge has Jesus placed before you? We dare you. We encourage you. We beg you. Take faith risks! Only then will you plumb the depths of Romans 8:37 and learn what it means to be “more than conquerors.”

Thank You!

To WMA & NCRC for the great experiential training in the basics of Incident Command; to Yahweh who morphed those basic IC principles into what one volunteer called “Intensive Care” because Love caused the volunteers to care for each other so we could endure the challenge together; to Mike, Brad and Carl. We only got tunnel vision a few times. I am sure it would have happened more if you men had not stood in the gap for us;

To all the people who prayed specifically for the logistical challenges at College Heights. I received a text mid-week that said churches in three states were praying just for that. What encouragement on a very hard day!

To Gary and Colette for organizing all that prayer support Monday night;

To the DM staff that stayed home to run the camp and who know how all the staff member’s strengths and weaknesses take over during extreme challenge. Your prayers were probably a big part of the glue that held us together.

To the CHCC staff and myriads of volunteers who are still persevering and will be for months. It was an honor to serve beside you. You inspired us and taught us much. We will keep praying for you.

“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to His power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.” (Eph 3:20-21, 1995 NASB).

Some of you may be wondering how you can help or how to give. In regard to your inquiry about where you can send financial gifts, we can offer several options.

1. General fund: Discovery Ministries incurred expenses totaling more than $2500 in payroll, travel and other miscellaneous expenses. Finances are extremely tight as we enter the summer, but we felt God leading us to minister to the community of Joplin and sent our staff anyway.
2. CHCC Recuperation Fund: We're thinking that the leadership of College Heights CC and the main 18 volunteers along with their families will need a retreat soon. We have a few open dates in our calendar at DM and are hoping to offer free or reduced-rate retreats to them so they can get away from their exhausting ministry and be refreshed . Any checks designated CHCC Recuperation Fund will help provide retreats for the CHCC leadership. Eight months from now, we will send anything left in that fund on to College Heights to help with their ongoing ministry.




Ozark Christian College: The school housed our team free of charge and have opened their dorms to the homeless and other volunteers. You may get contact information at www.occ.edu.






College Heights Christian Church: The church will certainly appreciate any donations to defray expenses they are encountering as they minister to tornado victims. Warehousing and trucking costs for shipping goods to and from the church are huge. You can get contact information at www.chcchurch.org.



Thanks, Discovery Ministries' Staff