hit by this tornado, brown is getting help from volunteers, offering food, sweat, and comfort. brown tells me he's learned something and wants to tell the people of joplin, don't turn down help and don't give up. >> if you can't go anywhere, you always go home. >> wouldn't it have been easier for you to pack it in, say i'm not going back and startover somewhere. >> would have been a whole lot easier, but i won't let this get me down. >> reporter: a full month after a deadly tornado and so many still so slow to turn the corner from surviving to recovery. david mattingly, cnn, tuscaloosa, alabama. >> you're in the cnn newsroom for this special report. this special joplin memorial service this sunday, may 29. it's going to begin any minute. live pictures of all those who have a ticket and a seat in place. president barack obama is also there. he's seen for himself the destruction that left behind the destruction of last world series eek tornado and he also met face to face with many of the survivors. our dan lothian is traveling with the president. he's also there in joplin. casey wian is there and jacqui jeras has more. dan, let's start with you, the focus here, his message to the people of joplin. >> reporter: the message being that the federal government will be here to assist inny way possible. he'll be delivering the remarks in a short time. he did get a chance to meet them up close, shake their hands. he promised that the federal government would take on this tragedy. that it was not just their tragedy alone but it would be a national response. also promising the federal government will be here long after the cameras lead. so really sort of an upbeat message from the president, a realization it will take yearing to recover but the federal government will help. >> thanks so much from joplin, missouri. appreciate it. also in joplin, casey wian. casey, the president got a chance to see firsthand for himself the devastation there. you also got a chance to talk with people who said it's not six miles that this tornado was on the ground but perhaps double that number. >> reporter: absolutely. it's 12 miles. we went from the beginning till the end, west to east and followed the path of the tornado yesterday and it's 12 miles, and it's about three quarters of a mile wide. an incredible path of destruction. the president is a very popular figure in this part of the country. he lost this part of the country in 2008. you hear a lot of grumbling from folks on the ground here, a minority of folks,ly say, wishing that he hadn't come, wishing that he hadn't had to use 130,000 law enforcement officers to guard his motorcade. they know they're going to need the federal assistance to move forward with this big job of rebuilding. >> casey wian, thanks so much. you're seeing at the bottom of your screen the live service. understand the president had entered the building there and the program is just about to get under way. our jacqui jeras here in the newsroom, meteorologist, was also there. so far this has been an unbelievable year of tornadoes. on record according to the national weather service this is proving to be the deadliest and most active this year since the 1950s. >> we've had a lard number that have touched down. unfortunately many have touched down in populated places. that's one of the reasons why the death toll is so high. this is the highest death toll we've seen since then but there are reports prior to that. for example in 1925 there were reports of 695 fatalitiefatalit. we'll see as we progress through but this is unheard of to see so much destruction. >> thus far, the death toll, 122. i want to take you straight to the joplin memorial service right now with the "national anthem" being sung. ♪ o say does that star-spangled banner yet wave ♪ ♪ o'er the land of the free ♪ ♪ and the home of the brave ♪ [ applause ] heavenly father, we take time to pause, reflect, and pray, amidst the pain and heart of this devastation we have no doubt about your presence among us. you are infusing in each of us from near and afar a strength and resilience that is a special gift. you are calling our already close-knit community to new heights and determination and purpose. we hear the mission you have ebb trusted to us, and with your help we will put our hands to the plow. we are grateful for the support you are sending us and for the backing of our governor and state and for the enormous support from our president and our country at this time of renewal and restoration. father, we open to your will. amen. please be seated. welcome and thank you for coming to today's memorial service. customarily a greeting would include such words a s as ladied gentlemen and honored guests, but when there has been deep shared pain, when a community has suffered greatly and cried much together and when the compassion and the kindness extended to one another has gone far beyond the scope of words, a more tender language than honored guests or ladies and gentlemen. words like friends and neighbors and family and brothers and sisters. words like us. that's who gathers here today with us. thank you for your coming. thank you for your role in each others' lives. thank you for what you mean to one another. a prayer which was led by father justin monaghan who by the grace of god in a stout bathtub survived the devastation on 26th street and physically and metaphorically the cross still stands. [ applause ] there's a three-fold purpose to this gathering. the first is to grieve. the loss of even one human life is a tragedy. and we have lost scores. we also gather to pray god's blessings as we rebuild our lives, asking god to lead us as we rebuild around the things that matter most. and we gather to celebrate the kindness that people have and are giving to one another. our foundation has not moved. it's still in the same place. we still have a solid place to stand. in rome, the eighth chapter apostle paul wrote these words, what then shall we say to these things. if god is for us, who can be against us. he spared his own son. how did he graciously given us all thing. who shall separate us from the love of christ, shall tribulation or distress or persecution or damage or nakedness or danger or sword? no, no. in all these things we are human conquers in things that love us. i am confident that neither death, life, angels, rulers, or anything that comes to powers or anything else in all of creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of god in christ jesus our lord and now with the hymn of promise, the chancellor choir of the first united methodist church under the direction of larry sandler. >> you're watching live the joplin community memorial service taking place in joplin, missouri. 143 people died in the tornado that devastated the community one week ago. now a special service to honor the dead and the survivors. what's this option? that's new. personal pricing now on brakes. tell us what you want to pay. we do our best to make that work. deal! my money. my choice. my meineke. back now at the joplin community memorial service. right now the first united methodist chancellor choir is singing right now. the president of the united states is also there sitting in the first row. he'll be speaking momentarily. he's already looked at the devastation throughout joplin, missouri, one week after that tornado, ef-5 tornado swept through the area. he'll be having remarks. let's listen in. ♪ [ applause ] pastor aaron brown has been a good friend in the four-state area, a faithful partner in the gospel and a shepherd of st. paul's united methodist church. it, too, has lost much, including its worship center. he'll have our message this afternoon. >> we're all trying to -- trying to process our stories and understand them in the context of what's happened, and i thought i'd take the liberty of telling you about mine on sunday. our family lives south of the city of joplin and after the tornado i drove as far as i could into town and ran to the home of one of my closest friends. his house was gone but he and his family were safe. from there i was able to run to our church on 26th and monroe and found about a third of it was gone and i just had to know if everybody inside was safe. and there was one person in the church at the time the tornado hit, and she was safe. she hid under a dishwasher in our kitchen. i went out to the street and what i saw was that people were just running. i didn't know what else to do so i just ran alongside people and i said can i help you find somebody. and i dug through houses. i prayed with a young couple whose friends didn't make it out of their house. and across the street from there, there were two elderly people that had died in their own backyard. i don't know their names. but there was just a lot of running and digging and hoping and praying. that's what i remember. i got called back to the church and the kids' wing of our church miraculously was still standing and it became a triage center. it's ironic, the classrooms that the children had played that morning, laughed around, learned about geez. they became the place where wounds were being treat, broken bones were being set and emergency surgeries were being performed. tables that children had been making crafts became beds for the woulded. we have all spent the last seven days looking for family and friends. we've had unbelievable relief at hearing a familiar voice, and we've had those moments where we had heart-sickening pain where we know someone didn't make it. late friday night i deliver the news to them that their son's body had been identify. 18 years old. absolutely overflowing with life and faith. he had just graduated from high school hours before he was killed. will is one of, from what i've heard recently, one of 142. what is the word of comfort for us today? the word of comfort today for will's family and all of those grieving comes from the god of the universe, the god who took human form and walked among us. he suffered. he knows what it's like for us when we suffer. and jesus said this. do not let your hearts be troubled. trust in god. trust also in me. he said in my fathers house there are many rooms. if wirt not sew, i would haven't told you. he said i will go and prepare a place for you. i will come back and take you to be with me so you also can be where i am. before long the world will not see me anymore but you will see me and because i live you also will live. he says a few minutes later, peace i leave with you, my peace i leave with you. i do not give as the world gives, so do not let your hearts betroubled and do not be afraid. i think what god is saying right now is death does not get the last word. think god is saying to the families right now, this is what i wanted you to see in the resurrection of jesus, that death doesn't win ever. even when you thing it does -- [ applause ] >> got is saying to families who lost someone, even if it looks like death wins, it doesn't get the last word. life wins. life wins. [ applause ] >> i'll be honest. i don't know the faith stories of all those that have died. i don't know their faith stories. but i know this. that god's grace is wider than we can ever imagine, that heaven is real, and that this life is not the only life that we see. i need to be honest and confess, some of us are asking why. why did god do this, why did god allow this, so much death so, much destruction. but listen. jesus never promised to protect us from the storms of life. he never promised that life would be easy or convenient if we chose to follow him. in fact, almost all of his disciples, they were tortured to death. what he did promise was very simple and powerful. to be with us. to be with us throw the storm, to be with us as we grieve, to be with us as we stand at the grave site of our loved ones. to be with us and listen to us and guide us, and our challenge is will we let him. as hard as it may be, pray, as hard as it may be, talk to god. as hard as it may be, listen to his words. let him love you. let him love you. listen, god didn't do this to join lynn to punish us. read the book. jesus took our punishment for us. read the book. [ applause ] this happened -- this happened because life on this side of eternity is unpredictable. it's chaotic and it's broken. god says this, for god so loved the world he gave his one and only son and he hasn't stopped loving the world. you may wonder but god loves you and god loves joplin and god is walking through this tragedy today and he will make a way where it seems like there is no way. when jesus was crucified, everybody, mine everybody thought it was the end. the disciples had forgotten everything he had told them. their world had come crashing down around them. there was this eerie darkness that crashed around them. for days there was no hope. but then, but then, then easter. death is swallowed up in victory. light crushes the darkness. life wins. life won then. and life wins now. and now what do we do? we get busy. jesus didn't come back from the grave just to point us to heaven. he came back from the grave to give us a mission that those who call on his name would be the light of the world. his mission is for us to get busy, get busy serving, get busy rebuilding our city which i love. and by the way, i think it is the center of the universe right here in joplin, missouri. [ applause ] >> let's get busy. let's get busy loving more deeply than we ever have loved. you get busy taking care of your soul. get busy connecting to god, the god that knows you by name and loves you more than you could ever imagine or believe. for those of you who have lost loved ones, get busy living out their legacy. they may have lost their lives, but none of them would want you to stop living yours. get busy living. we are not a people without hope. we are people from whom hope and light and life shines to tends of the earth because god is good all the time. and all the time god is good. [ applause ] in the name of jesus the lord of life, the lord of light, the lord of hope, that is the good news, amen. [ applause ] >> aaron, a simple thank-you is not adequate enough. thank you. it's now my privilege to introduce a man i have much appreciated the week. i've been in several meetings where he was present. i have been in conversation with him. i appreciated not only what his power and his office can do but i have genuinely appreciated with the heart of the man helped his office to do. i'd like to introduce jeremiah w. nixon, governor of the state of missouri. [ applause ] thank you, pastor garris. to the families of those who were kill and injured, to the families of those who were still unaccounted for, to the people of joplin who have endured this terrible tragedy, to the thousands of missourians and citizens across the nation who have opened their hearts to help us heal, to the hundreds of firefighters and emergency responders who came without hesitation to climb over piles of rubble in search of our survivors. to pastor garris, to pastor brown, father monaghan, lieutenant colonel kilmer and the wonderful choir from the wonderful united methodist church. to president obama who's with us today. thank you all for coming. it is an honor to be here. joining the thousands of missourians s joining in this special day of prayer. we stand on hallowed ground, to the witness of destructive nature, power of nature, and the invincible power of faith. we have come to mourn what the storm has taken from us, to seek comfort in community. and to draw strength from god to build anew. it seems inconceivable that just one week ago the people of joplin were going about their daily lives, doing the ordinary things that people do on a sunday evening, cooking supper, watching tv, walking the dog, attending their sons' and daughters' graduation. and then came the whirlwind. nearly a mile wide and six miles long with its 200 mifrp winds churning and roaring toppling businesses, homes, schools, and churches to rubble. but that storm, the likes of which we have never seen, has brought forward a spirit of resilience, the likes of which we've also never seen. [ applause ] >> what our nation and our world have witnessed this week is the spirit of joplin, missouri. [ applause ] >> and we're humbled by it. you have given "love thy neighbor" new meaning. the parable of the good samaritan, luke, chapter 10, versus 25-37, begins with a conversation between jesus and a student of religious law. it starts with the legal question and ends with a moral imperative. the student asks jesus, what shall i do to inherit eternal life, and jesus turns the question around and says what is written in the law? and the student who is well versed replies, "thou shalt love the lord thy god with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy strength, and all thy mind and thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." jesus answered, thou is right. he asked jesus, and who is my neighbor? and jesus tells him the story of the good samaritan. from that parable our charge is crystal clear. good samaritans do not ask. they show their compassion with action. in joplin, you see good samaritans everywhere you turn. you see them over at the gym where hundreds of volunteers make sandwiches each and every single day. they pass out blankets and flashlights. to a neighborhood needs flash lights, especially when you're standing in the street stairing at the lonely pile of match sticks that was once your family's home. if you had been at the e.r., st. john's emergency medical center last sunday evening mere moments after the tornado struck, you would have seen good samaritans rushing frantically to reach the wounded and the dying, shattered glass and bleeding patients everywhere. water and gas spewing from burst pipes. one doctor stumbled through the darkness with a flashlight in his teeth following the wail of a wounded child. you see good samaritans at every checkpoint in a construction zone who are police officers and citizen soldiers, national guard keep watch is over wet socks, teddy bears, cherished wedding photos, wheelchairs, all that is left of our neighbors' worldly goods. you see them in the church yard, men sleeping on cots under the stars after driving all night to get here from tuscaloosa. [ applause ] these men were so touched, so moved by the kindness of strangers in their hour of need that they just had to come joplin. good samaritans on a mission from god. god has chosen us for a mission too. to grieve together, to comfort one another, to be patient with one another, to strengthen one another, and to build joplin anew. [ applause ] not just to build it back the way it was but to make it an even better place. we know all those who perished here are already in an even better place. but for us living, there is work to do. god says show me. show me. [ applause ] people in missouri were born for this mission. [ applause ] we are famously stubborn and self-reliant. practical, impatient, but whatever may divide us, we always come together. and once we do, no fire, no storm, no floods can turn us from our past. [ applause ] in the pale hushed stillness before dawn when the chain saws have fallen silent, if you listen very closely, you can hear the sound of that resolve like a tiny silver hammer tapping, tapping, tapping inside each of our heads. in the days to come, the satellite trucks will pack up and leave town. joplin's story will disappear from the front pages but the tragedy will not disappear from our lives. we will still be here in joplin, together, preparing for long journey out of darkness into light, and we will need more hands, more tools, more good samaritans every step of the way. [ applause ] this tragedy has changed us forever. this community will never be the same. we will never be the same. the freef we share at this mome