Wow. It is been a crazy few weeks. School gets out, tornado tears through my city (Joplin, MO), became homeless, and now I am in charge of a dorm of volunteers and displaced families. Thankfully I have a few other people here to help me (Wade, Taylor, Stephanie, and Brittney).
It has been 16 days after the destruction of Joplin, and it still hasn't fully sunk in that much of Joplin is gone. Everyday is a new day, but it still feels so old. Get up, go to work, see the destruction, hear the stories, go back to the dorm, meet new volunteers, and hear even more stories. I still don't know how to fully grasp everything. I do know it will be a while until there is any normality again.
The days get hotter and longer. Joplin gets crazier. So much progress has been made, but there is still so much left to do. The demo phase will be starting shortly, and business will start picking back up and hopefully I will get more hours at SW. So far, 4 hours a day is killing me. Finding something to do is the hardest part. There is a lot to do here, but all of it requires me to work less, or get a new job at night. And I don't want to do either.
Jessica and I have been away from eachother for 8 days, but it seems like forever. We only have 10 days left before we can see one another again! And then it will be another few weeks. After that, who knows how long it will be. I miss her terribly. It is harder being here in Joplin because I am so close, but I still can't just drive to see her. Weekends are too short. But thankfully we will be spending a week and a half together in NYC. It kills me to not see her everyday. But then again, it just makes seeing her again so much more exciting!!
I love her so much. I can not wait to marry her! She will make a beautiful bride! The dominos keep falling into place. There are just a few more things left to happen (ring & living). I honestly believe we are ready in most aspects of it. But there is no need to rush. We have the rest of our lives ahead of us! This is all what I am planning on though, so it isn't the whole "engaged official", but it is getting close to that. God has truly bless me with her. She is perfect for me in every way and I don't see any reason why she isn't the one.
NYC. That will be a wonderful vacation, even though we will be working with the hiddle and high school students there. It will be an interesting VBS.... The theme is NYC... And we will be doing it in NYC. Kinda ironic. Many of the kids that we see have never been outside their communities to see the city. One girl we took to Times Square, she was 20-someting, lived in Queens her whole life, and had never been there before. It was crazy. I had been there 5 times before. This summer will be number 6!
Financially, it is not easy to be on my own. Especially when I am not guarenteed hours. I am struggling with somethings, but I am managing. I just keep living every day one at a time. I am not too worried. Just got to keep moving forward.
All in all, everything is going better. Life is still going, support is still coming in, and I am still here. I am looking forward to what is to come! I will do my best to keep blogging. I do ask one thing though..... Keep all of us in Joplin, MO, and everone who is helping us with all that is going on.
Thank you so much!
John David
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