The flower girl, Taylor...notice the duck on her shoulder
The church
Tryon River across from the church
The guys, my son is the stretching tired looking one.
I guess I am getting old. Tomorrow will be the day when my son, Ryne, gets married. He is marrying a great girl named Emily, in P.E.I.
It is wonderful to have God answer our prayers. For a number of years we have been praying for our children that they would find Christian mates. So, thank you Lord for the blessing of a Christian daughter in law.
I thought I would share a few pics from the rehearsal time and of the church in scenic Tryon, PEI.
This morning in church I had an opportunity to hear an amazing message from our 90 year old pastor of emeritus. In other words a retired preacher who speaks from time to time.
His message was simple: there are three guarantees in life. One, we are all going to die unless Christ comes back first. Two, we are all going to face a judgment based on what we did with Jesus Christ. Three, Christ is coming back and we need to be in a place of proper relationship with Christ if we are to spend eternity with Him.
It was so straight forward and he pulled no punches. His words were true: it doesn't matter how much you have done, if you sing in the choir, if you have been a member for years, if you give all your money. What matters is that you have asked Christ to forgive you for your sin. Isn't that the simplicity of God's Word.
He also stated that this message is not often heard, but one that needs to be spoken. I am so glad to hear this man of God preach an incredibly strong message of the Truth. Truth is what sets us free. No one who was in the service this morning could ever say they never knew the Truth.
What a blessing to hear the Word of God preached with boldness!!!
This short video clip will hopefully give you a glimpse into what a community looks like after it has been hit with a flood, or hurricane for instance.
I hope it helps to paint a picture of reality on the ground. What you don't get from this video are the smells and the sounds of disaster. I can tell you there is a unique and distinct smell. It is the smell of rot and decay.
It is still a very safe place to be. You just have to pay attention to your surroundings. Typically in a disaster, we as relief workers drive in and drive out of the disaster area each day.
It is great to see places get back up and running quickly in a disaster. One of the fun places in Cedar Rapids is "The Flying Wienie", a Chicago Hot Dog Restaurant with lots of local favorites to eat. The restaurant was closed for ten days from the flooding, but once it reopened it brought a little bit of life back to Cedar Rapids. It is so important to get businesses up and running as it provides people the opportunity to get back to work and provide for their families.
I hope this blog entry helps you understand more of why disaster relief is so, so important to do.
I have shared my thoughts about disasters and now I want to focus on the physical toll it takes. This may be more than meets the eye, so these are just a few thoughts.
One area where it affects people is in their eating patterns. For some people they cant eat. For others they cant stop eating. It also affects their sleeping patterns as many people lay awake at night, unable to sleep because they are rehashing over and over in their minds what they could have done differently. They may also be thinking about all that they have lost or what it might take to rebuild.
Another physical challenge is in getting all of your furniture and carpets and belongings and clothing and... out to the curb so some truck can come by and take all you own away. Just to be able to carry all of your water soaked belongings outdoors, up and down flights of stairs, is alot to expect. Your neighbours can't really help you because they are going through the same problems.
Then the homeowner needs to strip out all of the sheetrock up to at least 2 feet above the water line. Once all the sheetrock and insulation is removed, then it is time to remove all the nails and screws and electrical boxes so that the studs are exposed. Once that is finished then it is time to spray all of the walls and floors in order to kill all the mold. Imagine how exhausting all of this must be for so many, especially for seniors and those who are faced with physical challenges.
On top of all this the homeowner must go from place to place to determine what they can or cannot do with their homes, meet with insurance agents, meet with engineers and others who determine whether or not you can rebuild. As you can tell this is overwhelming.
Many people need our help. The Good Samaritan story in the Bible tells us to get involved and make a difference. Will it cost us something? Yes!!! Is it worth it? Yes!!! Can you go? I do not know. Can you give? Yes you can!!!
I am going to take a few moments to thank God for safety in traveling, his providence in our set up and his provision for the needs of those so desperate for help along the banks of the Mississippi.
I must say yesterday was a long and painful day, as most days can be when the travel is lengthy. There were many times I asked the Lord for His strength and healing to get me through the day. When I finally got in my hotel room last night, I could hardly move. It was so good to rest.
Sometimes in our spiritual life we can get that way too. We can get weary and we need His touch. Then we just need to rest in Him.
So to that end I am going to bed to get some rest. Tomorrow I will share another of my thoughts on disaster.
I have a great desire to serve the Lord and reach out to people in need.
I believe that we as Christians and the church need to be active in reaching out to people as they go through the challenges of life.
I want to do something in ministry that would be so much of God and His leading that no one would ever be able to write a book about how to do it...unless of course it tells us to live by faith. Faith in God!!!
