'Home'–lessness

by Hannah Caple, EM Summer Staff in Moore, OK

In 2013, after an EF5 tornado obliterated the city of Moore, 1,150 homes were destroyed. That means way more than 1,150 people were left homeless, forced to make things work for months or years, living in anything from the house of a relative to a hotel room.

This summer, I've been shown videos, told stories, and seen pictures of the aftermath, demolition day, and finally the rebuilding days. We've been given tours of their new homes that they are so very proud of and entered into the depths of their newly built storm shelters.

As we spend almost every day of the summer in the backyards of people's homes, I've been thinking a lot about the idea of home. In just a few weeks my parents will move from my childhood home to the other side of the country. When I return to school, I will be moving into a place I have never lived before with people I hardly know. And as I serve here in Oklahoma this summer, I move to a different church every week, making myself at home in various Sunday school rooms during the week and in an old parsonage house on the weekends. No, I am not without a place to live, but I certainly feel "home"-less.

Living this way has helped me feel compassion for the thousands of people forced into homelessness from just 45 minutes of severe storms. Three years later, these people are still fighting to rebuild their homes and bring their lives back to normal.

I think that as humans, we crave a place to call home. We want to have a base from which we feel safe, secure, and relieved. We want to have familiarity, family and friends. Even if we are not living at home, we want to know that that place and those people are always there. However, sometimes this isn't a reality for us. We are displaced by a storm, we lack basic needs, or we are just between some major stages in life.

In these situations which so easily look and feel hopeless, we must remember that Jesus is both our hope and our home. When we feel lost, alone, or wandering, we may not have somewhere to turn, but we have someone to turn to, always.

Jesus also understands our pain. He was rejected in his hometown, and he traveled for years without ever settling in one place. In fact, he calls his followers to a similar lifestyle in order that he may use us to reach people with the same love that he shared.

As we continue to work in Moore, my hope is that the sheds we've built and the houses we've painted will help these people feel at home once again, with the peace and normality that existed before the storm. My hope for us as followers of Jesus is that we will be willing to leave our the comfort of our homes in order that others may find their home in Christ and ultimately in heaven.

I have loved finding a temporary home here in Oklahoma, and I look forward to continuing our work with the homeowners in Moore the rest of this summer!

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