To: [log in to unmask] Dear Christian friends, Yesterday, under a bright late-winter sun, I stood on the banks of the Red River. As I watched the river flowing peacefully between Grand Forks, North Dakota, and East Grand Forks, Minnesota, I couldn't help but compare this serene afternoon with the horrendous weather a year ago. Last year record-breaking devastating blizzards were killing hundreds of thousands of cattle in North and South Dakota. And eleven months ago this serene river rose three feet above the deck of the bridge connecting "the Forks," destroying hundreds of homes in these communities and causing the evacuation of over 50,000 people. I spoke with Jeff and Cindy Kavadas, and their three daughters, Nikki, Jenna, and Krissy. Jeff, a master sergeant on the Grand Forks police force, described how the rising waters caused them to evacuate to Grandma in Minnesota. Driving across the bridge, they heard on the radio that the dike had broken and their town had flooded. It was six weeks before they could return from Minnesota. The river had crested at 57 feet, and their house was surrounded by water...water to the top of their basement ceiling, water that had destroyed two basement bedrooms and clothing and precious memories. For seven more weeks Jeff and Cindy, their three daughters, and two dogs, lived in one room at a nearby hotel while cleanup efforts began. During a casual conversation, a friend asked Jeff if he had contacted Lutheran Disaster Response for help. He had not, but he did. "LDR helped RIGHT NOW," Jeff said. Emergency funds helped to pay some bills, and volunteers began to arrive to help with repairs. "People came from all over--Michigan, Iowa, Missouri! Some used vacation time to come. Some were highly skilled, others just pitched in. It would have taken me three years to do what they did." Jeff's three daughters have been sharing one first floor bedroom since they've returned to their house. This weekend they'll be moving into bright, fresh, rebuilt basement bedrooms. As Jeff told his story, tears began flowing down his cheeks-quite moving for me to see happen to a North Dakota police officer. "Lutheran Disaster Response put our house and our lives back together again. LDR has been a real godsend." Lutheran Disaster Response has been involved from the very beginning of this record-shattering disaster. Working with Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota, the church has been active through the emergency and relief stages, and continues to respond in this long recovery period. The needs along the Red River are still tremendous. You can be a real godsend. Your prayers continue to uphold the hearts and lives of those who experienced the 1997 blizzards and floods. Your contributions continue the ability of Lutheran Disaster Response to be present in the upper Midwest and to provide essential ministries. And your volunteering efforts continue to put houses and lives back together again. To contribute: ELCA Domestic Disaster Response PO Box 71764, Chicago, IL 60694-1764 To volunteer: 1-800-987-0061 (Minnesota and North Dakota) 1-800-568-2401 (South Dakota) In Christ, Gil Furst GILBERT B. FURST (written on Fri, Mar 20, 1998, at 12:44 am) Associate Director, ELCA Domestic Disaster Response Internet address: [log in to unmask] For more information, click on our web site: www.elca.org/dcs/disaster