Excerpts from 2012 Joplin Second Ward History
Provided by Bishop Dave Richins:
The Tornado’s Path Across the Joplin Second Ward
On the afternoon of May 22, 2011, the Joplin Second Ward had its church meetings as usual. After Sacrament meeting. which ended at 2:10 p.m., there was an unusual exodus of several families leaving the church building. Katie King, Cali Evenson, Alayna Jones and Rachel Richins were graduating from Joplin High School in the field house at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin’s northeast side at 3:00 p.m. Their families and friends left church early to attend the graduation. Due to the absence of Stake President Creed Jones, Bishop Dave Richins and First Counselor Mark Andersen, interviews and the ward meetings typically held after the three-hour block (in the Stake Center) were cancelled.
At 5:34 p.m., an unusually large and powerful F5 tornado touched down in the southwest end of the ward boundary and headed in an east-northeast direction, causing a milewide and 6-mile long gash across the entire length of our ward boundary.
Mark Andersen had just pulled into his driveway in time to see the light-colored funnel cloud reach down from the sky and turn dark with dirt and debris when it contacted the ground. He shepherded his family to cover -- knowing it was a bad storm -- but he said later that he had no idea of the destruction that was being inflicted in Joplin.
Ward member Denise Ramey, with her non-member husband, Don, were waiting in the emergency room in St. John’s Hospital for the doctor to come in. Her husband, a former military pilot, felt the sudden change of air pressure in the room and grabbed his wife and pulled her from the examining room table to the floor, pushed her under the table and laid across her as the interior walls and windows imploded around them.
Bishop Richins was driving home from the graduation ceremony with his family as he watched the dark mixture of black, gray and green clouds rolling toward the center of town from the southwest. The local news radio station reported a tornado in Galena, Kansas (west of Joplin) and hail moving into the Joplin area. Within a couple minutes of arriving home, the family heard the distant “freight train sound” that could be heard to the west. Sister Richins and the Richins children took cover in an interior bathroom with Rachel’s grandparents, George and Karen Richins (of Tulsa, Oklahoma). Bishop Richins stood at the sliding glass door looking west as massive storm clouds moved from his left to right. Debris could be seen high in the sky -- but no rotation in the cloud was noted. Suddenly a large tree from the neighbor’s yard crashed onto the deck and against the sliding glass door completely blocking the view. The sliding glass door held and Bishop Richins thought, “This is going to be a busy night.” He knew he would need to quickly assess who in the ward might have received some damage. Within fifteen minutes, as he walked three blocks and approached 26th Street on Wisconsin Avenue, he learned the true magnitude of the storm damage.
Sister Janice Falls and a few other stake members were meeting on the gym stage in the Stake Center as part of a Single Adult Planning Meeting. Tom Winden was standing at the church door watching the approaching storm. He suddenly interrupted the meeting and “in a voice that was not his” he ordered the group into the women’s bathroom on the church’s eastern side. The destruction was vast -- and the roof was pulled from above them as they piled on to each other. Lee Alphen of the Granby Ward prayed for protection of the group. It was reported that unseen hands could be felt holding down the group as the roof over their heads tore away in the heart of this storm. Although the church was destroyed, that magnificent structure one last time protected its Saints from the spiritual and physical storms of the world.
Elders Fox and Jones, the Joplin Second Ward missionaries, were attending a dinner appointment in the home of Dan and Holly Maxwell, whose home is only three blocks due east from the missionaries’ apartment. The family and the missionaries watched from the window as the massive storm bore down on their home. The missionaries watched as their two-story apartment building was leveled. The storm suddenly took a northern shift and spared the Maxwell’s home from utter destruction (although it sustained moderate damage to its exterior). The Lord indeed watched over His servant missionaries and this good family. The Maxwells were just renting their home and and had to leave it for a short time while repairs were made. They discussed how easy it would be to move into one of the neighboring communities into a home that is not in the debris zone and to a ward whose church is not destroyed, but Brother Maxwell (Young Men’s President) and Sister Maxwell (Primary Music Leader) felt the Lord would have them stay in their damaged home to support the Joplin Second Ward.
Newly graduated Alayna Jones and her big sister Lynelle were driving home from the graduation together. President and Sister Jones drove separately. As President Jones was driving into the storm, he knew he had to pull over and ride the storm out. His major concern was that of his daughters. He called them and told them to pull over and take cover in a building. They pulled over at a gas station located between the missionaries’ apartment and the Maxwell home. When they ran to the door of the gas station, it was locked as the attendant had already sought shelter in a neighboring building. With the storm upon them, they ran back into the car and held each other as the storm buffeted the car, breaking out the windows subjecting them to the flying debris. When the storm passed, they found they only suffered scrapes and their lives were spared. They began to walk home and were picked up by members of the ward who took them to their destroyed home and their relieved and thankful parents.
Jeramy Jasperson (Elder’s Quorum President) and Hannah Jasperson (Youth Sunday School Teacher) were at home playing with their children when 7-year-old Emma Jasperson told her mother the family needed to get in the closet. The Jaspersons lived on the northeastern part of the ward. Sister Jasperson tried to calm Emma’s fears -- telling her this was just another thunderstorm. But Emma persisted until her mother said she would get in the closet with Emma. Emma said 5-year-old Ethan, Dad and Grandma (Sister Hiatt) must join them. Finally Dad relented to calm down Emma and the entire family got in the closet. Soon, Brother Jasperson heard glass breaking and debris hitting the walls. Suddenly, he could feel the house lift from the foundation and turn as if it were an amusement park ride. The Jaspersons felt the house hit the ground and felt a calm as the eye of the tornado passed over them. When the back wall of the tornado hit the house, exterior then interior walls began to fall around them and a carpet from the floor of the next room blew over them and formed their only protection as the back half of the tornado passed over this family. Miraculously, no injuries befell this family.
In the City of Joplin, 161 souls were lost and thousands of homes and vehicles were destroyed. Not one single member of our ward lost their life. Only two dear sisters were hospitalized. Therefore, the Lord left our ward in strong shape to go out and rescue those in need. The Ward responded with a strength and vigor that could have only come from Heaven. Although 52 homes of our members sustained damage and 28 of those were completely destroyed, the brothers and sisters of the Joplin Second Ward forgot their own problems to rescue those who have greater needs.
The Church in Action
The following morning, the rescue effort began in earnest. President Montague (First Counselor in the Stake Presidency) called Bishop Richins while he was at the stake center removing records from the destroyed Bishop’s and Clerk’s offices. Photos were taken and sent to President Montague who was in contact with the Church as the damage assessment began. Within 48 hours, the breakfast room of the bishop’s home was the Command Center for the Church. Meetings were held by Elder Jonathan Roberts with President Matthew Montague, Bishop Richins, brethren from the Church’s Welfare Department (who happened to be in Kansas City in an emergency response seminar), and Brother and Sister Lars Ludlow (who happened to be on their way home from heading the Church’s efforts during the Tuscaloosa Alabama tornado when they received the call to come to Joplin).
The Church’s relief efforts from this time forward was under the direction of Elder Jonathan Roberts with President Montague providing Stake support for the benefit of our Ward and the Joplin community. Elder Roberts directed that Bishop Richins fill out the order form for all needed tools, supplies and equipment that would be sent from Salt Lake with the assistance and expertise provided by President Montague and Brother Ludlow. Eventually, a location suitable to house these tools, supplies and equipment was located north of the airport, and the Command Center was moved there. The bishop’s home became the rallying point and coordination location for the Joplin Second Ward from this point forward.
President Montague told Bishop Richins to now attend to the needs of the Ward. Elder Roberts suggested that everyone in the Ward affected by the tornado be offered a priesthood blessing from a member of the Bishopric. In a very special meeting at the Bishop’s home, the Bishopric divided up all of the families affected by the tornado, and the Bishop gave a blessing to his Counselors and they, in turn, gave a blessing to the Bishop with Brother Andersen acting as the mouthpiece. The blessings were then offered and received by most of the Ward families and the spirit was freely manifested in several of the blessings in members’ homes.
The Ward was humbly touched when Elder Roberts informed the Ward that the church members in Joplin were included on the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve’s agenda and that they were ever mindful of our wellbeing. The Ward also received countless letters, packages and donations to be distributed to those affected in the storm. Such donations included, cash, gift cards, clothing, quilts, baby supplies, toys, temple garments, etc. Armies of members wearing yellow shirts flooded Joplin for several weekends providing service throughout the community. It was a point of pride for each of our members to see so many Latter-day Saints serve our neighbors and fellow townspeople.
As a Ward, we met at Sam’s Club parking lot every Saturday from May 28th through September and spent our Saturday mornings serving our fellowmen. As we served members, crews often branched out to the neighbors of these members and helped clean up their yard or assist in whatever way needed. We served with other organizations and with members of other church organizations and developed a real kinship with our brothers and sisters of differing faiths. It was wonderful to see the faith, courage and willingness to serve from so many in our community.
On May 29th, the Joplin Second Ward and the Joplin First Ward met in a joint Sacrament Meeting, Speakers included Bishop Chris Hoffman (Joplin First Ward), Bishop Richins, President Creed Jones and Elder Roberts. Several members who were directly affected by the tornado were called upon to bear their testimony, including President Jasperson and Gale Lamoreaux. One of the highlights of the meeting was when President Montague, who was conducting the meeting, invited everyone to stand and hug the person on their left and on their right (if it was appropriate). That brought many smiles and much laughter to a weary congregation.
On Monday, May 30th, the word was passed around that many involved in the cleanup were meeting at Landreth Park to hold a joint Family Home Evening since many had been working non-stop for eight days on the cleanup. Approximately 80 members showed up and enjoyed each others’ company and shared many hugs, smiles and expressions of gratitude.
The sun finally made a return visit on Saturday, March 24, 2012 -- along with blue skies and spring-like temperatures.
Noticeably missing is the stake center steeple -- which, according to construction supervisor David Farnsworth, will be put in place atop the stake center as part of events planned May 22nd on the anniversary of the devastating F-5 tornado.
