Miracles still happen. Just ask Ed Tuomala.
When the sky turned dark and the wall in his house exploded in front of him, he was stunned.
When his roof lifted almost eight feet off his house and blew away, he took cover.
But he was alive. Somehow.
Today, he and his uncle Jimmy are ready to move into a brand new house, built by the Goodman community with love.
Different faiths and political affiliations have come together to build him a house, better than the one he and his brother were working on when an April tornado smashed it to a shambles.
Yes, Tuomala knows all about miracles.
He's not shy about praising the people who teamed up to serve their own community. Tuomala said several good Christian men from his church initially planned to go on a mission trip but thought their best bet to serve others could be found right in their hometown.
"It's got God all over it," Tuomala said.
Aaron Patterson, Jerod Lewis and Josh Wagner headed up the task. But Wagner is quick to point out that many people in different capacities helped to bring the house up out of the ruins.
People from Splitlog Baptist Church, Goodman Baptist Church, many community members, people from Carl Junction and Neosho, local contractors and those who labored, pulled together to build the 800-square-foot home, Wagner said.
Tuomala is amazed at the volunteers' workmanship and drive.
"They framed it and had the doors and windows on it in two days," Tuomala said.
THE TORNADO
Tuomala and his brother had been renovating an old shop built 50 years ago, slowly turning it into a place that Tuomala and his uncle, Jimmy Grife, could call home.
His uncle was diagnosed with terminal cancer three and a half years ago, and the two were hopeful the house would be finished soon. They had been living in a travel trailer, beside the house, until construction was finished.
That fateful day in early April, the storm sirens had just gone off, and Tuomala said he could see the church in the distance.
Quickly, it turned very dark and Tuomala saw a huge tree branch come flying through the air.
He had his hand on the far wall that he and his brother had just completed.
"The whole wall sucked out," Tuomala said. "The whole wall just exploded."
A sliding glass door came over the top of him. The roof lifted six to eight feet upward, then just blew away.
"Things were falling out of the sky, parts of the school," Tuomala said.
He rolled underneath his uncle's travel trailer, which was just outside the house.
"The house was completly demolished and brought down right around me," he said. "It's hard to get up out of that and you're still alive. ... God was there with me the whole time."
REBUILDING
The new home was built on the same spot where the old home stood. The home was destroyed, except for the sliding glass door, which didn't have one scratch on it. It has now found its new place in the new home.
All those who worked on the project donated their labor. The project also received a big boost with financial help from Catholic Charities and Lowe's in Neosho.
From the concrete work to the cabinetry, to all those who helped in any way, Tuomala said he is beyond grateful.
"This has been the most wonderful experience of my life," he said. "It makes you want to cry, but a joyful cry."
Wagner said dozens of people have worked side by side to demonstrate the great spirit of neighborly love in Goodman.
"We've had an amazing amount of support. Without the help from Catholic Charities, our friends at Neosho Lowe's, local churches and the great people in this community, it would have been an incredibly difficult project," Wagner said. "We have a great community that genuinely cares about its people.
"We're very excited for Ed and his uncle Jim to have a safe and comfortable place to call home."
Tuomala said he's had a great deal of time to reflect on his purpose after surviving the tornado. He and his uncle are humbled by the community's huge effort.
He feels called to help others now, to give back in any way he can.
"I'm supposed to be here," Tuomala said, "and helping lift this community up."
General News on 10/19/2017