To: [log in to unmask] Dear Christian friends, "When we reach out to the needs of others for God's glory, miracles happen outwardly and inwardly.... We are made to serve our Lord by serving one another." So Trish Neal, our Lutheran Disaster Response coordinator in Birmingham, Alabama, summarized the ministry LDR has provided since a devastating "category 5" tornado ripped through during Holy Week in April. In that destructive hour, 800 houses were heavily damaged, 465 totally destroyed, and lives were lost. I've just completed a two-day visit here, and was impressed with the progress that has been made -- and the challenges that remain. Yesterday, Eldon Zimmerman (disaster coordinator for Lutheran Ministries of Alabama, Norma Stagner, president), Father Bill King (Episcopal Diocese of Alabama staff) and three colleagues, and I, piled in a van to visit the small communities most affected by the tornado. We went through Oak Ridge, Edgewater, Sylvan Springs, Concord, to McDonald's Chapel (the worst damaged neighborhood and highest percentage of uninsured, where we are concentrating our efforts). Although most of the debris has been cleared, in some places the damage remains untouched. Rubble still is placed for collection along curbsides. Empty lots show where dozens of homes and small churches were destroyed and removed. We stopped at one site in McDonald's Chapel where LDR volunteers are busy tearing down a house and clearing the lot. As we stood in what was once a yard, I couldn't help thinking of the strong natural forces that have changed the lives of so many people in this community. But I also thought of the strong life-changing presence God's people are bringing. Trish tells of a man from McDonald's Chapel. Two weeks ago he said that when the first group of volunteers came to help, he had been ready to "throw up his hands and leave his home of almost 30 years." "The work he had in front of him was overwhelming," Trish said, "and he could not see how he could get it done. But now he can see the end - and he wanted me to know that when he finishes, he wants to be first on the list to volunteer to help others." At today's LDR staff meeting, we reviewed the past three months. So far nearly 1,900 volunteer hours have been provided by 47 separate volunteer groups. Working with the Southeastern Synod and in partnership with the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama, present funding will allow this response to continue for at least the next couple months. But the problems are enormous, and casework must continue, because the needs of so many are still unknown. "Lutheran Disaster Response gives an opportunity to fulfill our mission to 'Go in peace and serve...'" Trish concludes. Your prayer support, contributions, and volunteering will enable the church to continue to reach out to these tornado survivors with outstretched hands of love. TO VOLUNTEER (through September): Call Trish Neal, 1-205-786-2316 TO CONTRIBUTE: ELCA Domestic Disaster Response PO Box 71764 Chicago, IL 60694-1764 Please help to continue God's miracles in Alabama. In Christ, Gil Furst GILBERT B. FURST (written on Fri, Jul 24, 1998, at 2:58 pm) Director, ELCA Domestic Disaster Response (Division for Church in Society), Lutheran Disaster Response (A cooperative ministry of the ELCA and LCMS) 8765 W. Higgins Rd., Chicago 60631 PHONE: 773-380-2822 FAX: 773-380-2493 Visit our website: www.elca.org/dcs/disaster