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Righting an upside-down world
Tornado that destroyed town opened doors for ministry
By Susan Miller Balzer For Mennonite Weekly ReviewPage:
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HESSTON, Kan. — For Jeff Blackburn, learning of the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti was like reliving the 2007 tornado that destroyed most of his hometown.
Jeff Blackburn speaks with Hesston College Disaster Management program director Russ Gaeddert. — Photo by Susan Miller Balzer
Haiti’s disaster “brought back so many feelings,” said Blackburn, pastor of Greensburg Mennonite Church. He spoke at the Kansas Mennonite Disaster Service annual meeting Jan. 17 at Hesston Mennonite Church.
The tornado “turned our world upside down — and scattered it for miles,” he said.
At first he and the community felt hopeless and victimized. Now he depicts himself as a survivor and credits personal recovery in part to “regaining a sense of control.”
Unlike most of the Haitian survivors, those made homeless in Greensburg had a place to go the first night and had people able to help right away.
At first, the Greensburg congregation “struggled to accept help even when we needed it,” Blackburn said.
Along with receiving physical and financial help, accepting help meant “receiving advice graciously” and “adapting to decisions made for us that don’t make sense,” Blackburn said.
Some Greensburg residents have embraced the effort to build an all-new “green” Greensburg; others “just want to get their lives back.”
In all, 960 homes were destroyed, and 192 new homes have been built. Out of 1,400 residents, 950 continue to call Greensburg home.
The Greensburg Mennonite Church building was rebuilt between April and October 2008, while 60 percent of the congregation was also rebuilding their homes.
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