Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’s Joplin, MO episode airs tonight 1/13/2012 from 7:00-9:00pm Central. Sadly, as it turns out, this will also be EMHE’s Series Finale, so the Joplin episode ends up being the final episode. At least EMHE will be back for an occasional holiday episode, so that will be something to look forward too. While I am very sad to see such an excellent & inspirational program end, I am so proud that the Joplin episode gets to be the Final Episode. EMHE came to Joplin with an astounding commitment to build 7 Homes in 7 Days and they did it, thanks to their incredible sponsors & to all the many volunteers who came from all over the world to help! I was blessed to be able to volunteer myself and am so grateful I got to participate in this amazing experience in helping build these homes for the families that lost so much in the May 2011 Tornado.
I also got to be there on the day of “The Big Reveal” which was so very exciting, it was especially awesome seeing the looks on the families’ faces when they got to see their new homes for the first time. Unfortunately, my camera died that day, so I didn’t get too many pictures taken, but I was able to snap this fun one of Paul DiMeo (he was so nice to everyone, especially the kiddos).
Also, John & I happened across their bus the first day they came into Joplin and we followed them around while they drove around Joplin (instead of “Move that Bus” it became “Follow that Bus”). 😉 They eventually stopped at the Fema housing village that had been set-up for the tornado victims where they stopped & surprised one family with the news that they would be getting a new home.
I know it will be such an incredible episode tonight, so don’t miss it! It’s hard for me to describe in words what it means to us here in Joplin for everything that EMHE & many others have done. It provided a lot of hope that things could indeed get better. I cannot explain what it’s like to drive through a town everyday that is no longer there, so when new homes are built, when the damaged & scarred homes are repaired and when businesses come back, they are all very meaningful signs of hope for us. ♥
