Back home for the holidays
JOPLIN, Mo. — Jim and Janet Gaither were at church when the May 22 tornado leveled their home at 2323 S. Pennsylvania Ave.
“The only thing that was left was the cook stove and the cast-iron tub,” Jim Gaither said. “That was it.’’
The Gaithers had purchased the house as their retirement home. They had fixed it up, purchased new appliances and were preparing to have the final electrical work done on May 25. Because the house had not passed its electrical inspection, they had not acquired insurance.
The Gaithers lost everything — except their faith.
After the storm, they received a Federal Emergency Management Agency settlement of $30,200. It was not enough to rebuild. They used half of it just to survive while they regrouped. There were times when they felt like giving up. There were times when Jim Gaither didn’t have much to say and saw little about which to be happy.
But he’s talking now and laughing again.
On Wednesday morning, the Gaithers received a key to a new home just in time for Christmas. It was built on the foundation of their old home.
“This has given me hope again,’’ Jim Gaither said. “This is a miracle. We need a sign out front that says ‘God’s miracle.’’’
SHANER FAMILY
The Gaither family was not the only family to receive a rebuilt home for the holidays on Wednesday. Michelle Shaner and her four children were welcomed home by carolers and members of Rebuild Joplin.
Shaner’s home at 615 E. 18th St. was damaged by the storm. A leaky roof let rain water inside, damaging the walls, light fixtures and furnishings. The inside of her home received a complete makeover, including a new bathroom and heating system. Energy-efficient windows and doors were installed.
Shaner had some insurance, but a contractor did not complete the repairs as promised. The stress caused her marriage of 23 years to fall apart.
Shaner said her life was one of “insecurity in not knowing what would happen next. Lots of people I did not know prayed for us, loved us and took care of us.’’
Her new home, she said, is like “living in luxury’’ when compared with what it was before the storm. She said she was especially grateful to no longer have to carry hot water from her bathroom to her kitchen to wash dishes.
“I can have people over now and not be embarrassed by the way things look,’’ she said.
She survived the past seven months, she said, “by hanging onto the Lord when things felt hopeless.’’
At the homecoming, Russel Gehrke, an engineering consultant, informed Shaner that she will be the first to receive a new type of storm shelter his company is designing that will be able to withstand an EF-5 tornado.
Standing under sparkling Christmas lights on the porch of the Shaner home, Jerrod Hogan, with Rebuild Joplin, said the organization is entering a new phase in that it is moving beyond connecting needs and resources to helping rebuild and remodel homes affected by the storm.
“By this time next year, we want as many families to be ‘home for the holidays’ as possible,’’ he said, noting that Rebuild Joplin is teaming up with the St. Bernard Project, an organization from New Orleans, to rebuild homes in Joplin.
STRANGERS BECOME FRIENDS
With tears in his eyes, Jim Gaither described how strangers from a host of different churches in the Joplin area came to the couple’s aid. Approximately 300 to 400 people have worked at the Gaither home since Oct. 1. Others donated money and building materials.
“Strangers came into this house,” he said. “When they left, they were our friends. God’s blessings are all over this house.’’
When Gabe Tischler, with Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri, handed the Gaithers the key to their house, he said, “I guess I’ll have to knock first now.’’
Getting the Gaithers back on their feet, Tischler said, is something no one could have done alone.
“It takes a partnership,’’ he said. “It doesn’t matter what faith you are. That’s what makes this special — all of these faiths coming together. It’s unbelievable. This is not about rebuilding houses. This is about rebuilding lives. We are here to help everybody.’’
Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri coordinated the project with Ignite Church, St. Peter’s and St. Mary’s Catholic churches, Immanuel Lutheran Church, Byers Avenue Methodist Church, Royal Heights United Methodist Church, St. Paul’s United Methodist Church and First Presbyterian Church.
This is the second house to be rebuilt by the partnership. Tischler said the group is working on other homes and hopes to do a hundred.
VOLUNTEERS, DONATIONS NEEDED
Steven Williams, project manager with Ignite Church, said, “We still need volunteers and donations. We have 12 other houses in stages of construction. We keep pushing forward.’’
Tischler said a new house costs about $90 to $100 per square foot to build. He said the Gaither home cost about $40 to $45 per square foot. He said professional contractors are hired to install the plumbing, heating, air conditioning and electrical.
Their new two-bedroom house has a storm shelter built into its basement. All of the houses to be rebuilt by the partnership will have them.
“It’s hard to believe that we live in a new house, with new appliances and new furniture,’’ Janet Gaither said. “We have been married for 44 years. I have never had a dishwasher before.’’
Recalling how she could stand on the front porch of her house and talk to her neighbors, she said, “We never had a doubt about rebuilding back here. We just want some people to come back to be our neighbors. We had friends before. We’ll have them again.’’
Pointing to a framed saying above her couch, she said, “That sign says it all: ‘Fear not tomorrow. God is already there.’’
Janet Gaither holds back tears Wednesday as she and her husband, Jim, thank Gabe Tischler, disaster coordinator with Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri, after they were handed the keys to their reconstructed home in Joplin. The couple’s uninsured home on South Pennsylvania Avenue was destroyed in the May tornado. GLOBE | ROGER NOMER
Michelle Shaner is overwhelmed Wednesday as Kate Massey, director of Rebuild Joplin, prepares to give her the keys to her remodeled home near 18th Street and Iowa Avenue. Shaner’s home was hit by the May storm. GLOBE | ROGER NOMER
