Have you ever seen pictures of ravaged and barren battlefields dotted with skeletal trees? Well, that’s what came to mind as I surveyed the mile wide, six mile long path of devastation caused by the F5 tornado.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to visit Reed Dunn, who planted Christ the King PCA in Joplin in 2006, and Randy Crane, who is the local coordinator for MNA’s Disaster Response.

They say that pictures are worth a thousand words. But there’s nothing like seeing something firsthand, upfront and close. All the pictures I’d seen didn’t prepare me for the degree of utter devastation that literally took my breath away.

Throughout the weekend I found myself thinking, “We need to do more. We need a bigger response. Our churches really need to get behind the efforts here. These people really need help.”

On the one hand it was tremendously encouraging to see and hear what’s happening in Joplin, to see the churches and denominations cooperating together in wonderful ways, with no sense of competition; to hear of funds that have been donated and teams who have already come from all over the country bringing needed supplies and working tirelessly; to see how Randy is working 12-14 hour days to connect with people in the community who need help, spending hours assessing needs or on the phone or just letting someone who’d lost everything unburden their heart and tell their story or preparing for the next team to arrive; to see the passion for the community and the love for their congregation that Reed and Leanne Dunn have as they lead and care for them; to meet Alec Reams who left South Baton Rouge PCA church to spend his summer assisting Randy; to see that Ozark Christian College had opened up their dorms to house volunteers and feed them breakfast all free of charge; to meet a young man who had come to Christ and was now part of Christ the King; to meet a young family who had taken refuge in a downstairs closet and were buried in the rubble of their home for an hour before being pulled out.

On the other hand, I was deeply moved at the mindboggling extent of the devastation, to see the high school with an enrollment of 2,200 students completely demolished, to see neighborhoods obliterated as far as the eyes could see, to see thousands of formerly beautiful trees nothing but stripped and twisted stumps. Have you ever seen pictures of ravaged and barren battlefields dotted with skeletal trees? Well, that’s what came to mind as I surveyed the mile wide, six mile long path of devastation caused by the F5 tornado.

The bottom line: I want to encourage our churches and people to continue praying for Reed and Randy, Christ the King, and Joplin itself. I want to exhort everyone to continue contributing your finances and sending teams to assist the efforts there. We are still seeking to raise the funds necessary to keep Randy on the field for at least a year to oversee our recovery efforts. They are going to be cleaning up and rebuilding in Joplin for years to come. Maybe this YouTube video will help you grasp the extent of the need and the opportunity that’s there.

Unfortunately, pictures cannot communicate the impact of this storm or what’s happening in people’s lives or the spirit of God’s people. You’ve got to see it to believe it.

Reminder: Funds can be sent to “MNA, 1700 N. Brown Rd, Suite 101, Lawrenceville, GA; 30043-8143. There is an entry in the dropdown list for Disaster – Midwest 2011 Tornado; in the comments section, please put “Randy Crane” support if that is your intent.

P.S. Know anyone who would be interested in taking a year to do an internship in Joplin working with Randy Crane? Contact MNA’s Disaster Response Director Arklie Hooten for more information.

Ted Powers is a Teaching Elder in the Presbyterian Church in America and serves as the Church Planting Coordinator for the PCA’s Mission to North America.