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To: [log in to unmask] Dear friends in Christ, "Some people call it serendipity. I call it God's grace." This is how Presbyterian pastor Ray Tear summed up the flood recovery efforts in his small town of Cuero, Texas. I have just returned from several days in Texas, where in October 1998 forty-one counties in the south central and southeastern state were affected with half a billion dollars in flood damage. Since then, Lutheran Disaster Response (a cooperative ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod) has been working with Lutheran Social Service of the South (Rev. Norman Hein, coordinator) in two interfaith efforts - Victoria County Interfaith (in Victoria) and DeWitt County Cares (in Cuero). For the past year Dale and Jean Peercy have been working on behalf of LDR to provide volunteer coordination and site work preparation. Dale worked with 424 individual situations in Cuero, and Jean with 400 in Victoria, and they have 30 more to complete. The church's response to the '98 Texas floods will be concluded in June. It was not serendipity that, as Pastor Hein reports, almost $2.6 million of long term recovery was provided by the seven interfaiths, and another estimated million dollars of assistance provided directly by church denominations and their local judicatories. It was not serendipity that enabled the interfaiths to serve 3,175 clients and brought 5,789 volunteers over these past 18 months. It was God's grace. As I met with local pastors, volunteers, and people just now returning to their homes (or still waiting for work to be completed), I heard the same words again and again: "thank you for being here for the long-haul" - "thanks to so many who came to us to help" - "thanks for showing God's love." On Monday I was privileged to participate in a CRWRC (Christian Reformed World Relief Committee) "Last Nail Ceremony" at the home of Pedro and Mina Guevara. The Guevara family just moved back into their repaired home. Their house was crowded with CRWRC "green shirt" volunteers, family members, their family pastor and spouse, and LDR folks. Amid hymns, prayers, and remarks were smiles and tears. "The love of God is great," said Mina at the conclusion of the ceremony. It was not serendipity that brought us together in the Guevara home. Now, as the Texas flood response concludes, I want to thank you for your support these 18 months - thanks for your powerful prayers for the disaster survivors and those who came to provide help; thanks for your generous contributions, which enabled strong support for the Lutheran and interfaith efforts; thanks for your gracious volunteering in the hot humid Texas climate. I have asked the Peercys to move on to North Carolina at the end of June, where they will bring their faith and skills to help our brothers and sisters in Christ who are recovering from the destruction of Hurricane Floyd. And I will continue to ask you, too, dear friends in Christ, for your continuing prayers, contributions, and volunteering. For it is not serendipity that brings God's people together to live out their faith active in love. It is God's grace. Yours in Christ, Gil Furst GILBERT B. FURST (written on Wed, May 3, 2000, 4:25 pm). Director for ELCA DOMESTIC DISASTER RESPONSE (Division for Church in Society) and LUTHERAN DISASTER RESPONSE (a cooperative ministry of the ELCA and LC-MS) 8765 W. Higgins Rd., Chicago 60631 PHONE: 773-380-2822 FAX: 773-380-2493 Please visit our website: www.elca.org/dcs/disaster