This American Adventure: FCBA Day 23- OKC: blood, sweat, and tears.

We started the day with an overloaded van; the entire crew of 20 fit in the van and with high spirits we went to Moore. We dropped off three to work at the Antioch church relief effort where they distribute supplies. Then we went to the First United Methodist Church where we met Jimmy. Jimmy was inspired to skateboard and hop freight trains from New Mexico to get here two weeks ago. He helped us load wheelbarrows, rakes and other tools and directed us to the Briarwood area work site.

The area is completely devastated, and the home we were assigned to was mostly rubble. There lied the remnants of a broken family; the first debris that touched me was a Christmas decoration, but then there were the toys, baby shoes, clothing…and I felt myself well up with emotion. We started at the edge and just worked our way in, taking debris to the curb with some feeble effort to salvage a few things but it was just overwhelming. All that was theirs was now just a heap of trash, very personal mementos filling our shovels, wheelbarrows, and then the curb for anyone to pick through. We wondered about these folks- where are they now? Where do 13,000+ people go when they have nothing?

It was a long hard day and we did what we could, but it would take three days of our labor to finish. We only had today, and we’re off to Weatherford tomorrow. On our way out we stopped by the Briarwood school, where so many children died. Dirty, cut, and tired I just couldn’t keep the tears back. There were many there even today paying respects, trying to make sense and peace with all this. All we have are tears and I’ll leave a few more leaving Oklahoma City.

OKC Moore workday time-lapse.