6/19

I learned a lot today. We made a lot of progress on Rick's house. We added more boards to the porch, and started to build waslls on to sides. We nailed in some flashing as well. I spent a lot of time on the roof today, and had a few scary moments but we're all safe. We're allworking well together and having a lot of fun. A bit after lunch we drove along the path of a tornado, one of the kids who lives in the house we're building, Zack, sat next to me and told me about everything we were seeing. He started off by saying "I hope this tour gives you a better perspective of what we've been through." We drove by the school for autism, and Zack told me that his cousin went there but now has to be homeschooled because it is completely destroyed. We drove by the park that the kids all used to play at, that was now in a ball of metal and plastic. He showed me the remains apartment that his aunt lived in, just a pile of cement and rocks. He pointed out the 6 homes rebuilt by ABC's Extreme Makeover Home Edition and told me that that gave Joplin hope. He stopped talking for a while and then a couple minutes later turned to me and said "I just miss my old Joplin." It's amazing how much I gained from talking to this little boy who was no older than. I don't think I'll ever know exactly what it felt like, but I really did get a good perspective today.
    --Maddy F.