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Read the latest
Hope Force International newsletter!
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HFI Reservists, John and Cindy VanTiem (Michigan), Glenda Alexander (Georgia), Andy Shapiro (Tennessee) and Chuck and Sue Duby (Tennessee). |
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Many of our fellow countrymen in the Midwest, overwhelmed by massive flooding, are tormented with the fears of an uncertain future. As the waters begin to recede, their minds are flooded with the reality of their situation; homes destroyed, property lost, friends and family displaced. No quick fixes…and no easy answers for a situation that is going to take years for recovery.
It is into this unpleasant reality that a band of fourteen Hope Force Reservists were deployed into service alongside our partners in The Salvation Army. Some have worked on the mobile feeding units, providing food and beverages, smiles, prayer and a listening ear. Others have served in the warehouse, and many within the Incident Command leadership structure. All have been there to minister hope and extend comfort to survivors alongside faithful men and women who have been serving the community for weeks. In HFI, we often talk about the ministry of presence -- just being there to serve, love, listen…to stop everything and make that one person a priority.
Here is a poignant account of one of our HFI Reservists – Andy Shapiro – who is newly retired Fire Chief who served his city of Stockton, California, for several years.
By Andy Shapiro
June 11, 2008 came and went without significance for most Americans, but for many of the 252,000 souls living in the Cedar River basin of Iowa, normal life for them will never be the same. By Friday, June 13, the peaceful river that bisects Cedar Rapids crested at 31 feet -- twelve feet above flood stage -- due to heavy rains. Thirteen hundred city blocks and perhaps 3,400 homes and businesses were inundated with up to twelve feet of floodwater. In “Iowa’s Katrina,” most of the homes and businesses near the river suffered damage sufficient to require condemnation and many, due to federal flood definitions, could never be rebuilt. The flood showed no favoritism: rich and poor, black, white, Asian, or Hispanic -- all were affected.
During and after this flood, the Central Division of the Salvation Army quickly mobilized resources and personnel to minister to these unfortunate victims. On July 15, I responded as a Hope Force Reservist in the second wave of volunteers for a two-week deployment. The beautiful drive from Nashville to Cedar Rapids, the view of the river from Interstate 380, and even the homes along the riverbanks visually did not foretell the devastation I would witness once I drove into the “Time Check” neighborhood of Cedar Rapids. After thirty-three years as a firefighter, I was taught to suppress tragedy, suffering, and pain; “Just do your job, don’t personalize, be professional,” I was told, but God had a bigger lesson for me in Cedar Rapids.
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"Blitz Build" in Biloxi --
Bringing the Hands and Feet of Christ from Many Traditions
Andy Shapiro
After Katrina’s winds and devastating thirty-foot storm surge, Biloxi changed dramatically. Most everything that existed before was destroyed. Three years after the storm, the secrets of what Biloxi “was” are not easily uncovered. Yet, in 2008, life goes on and God still smiles on Biloxi!
Monday, June 16th through Thursday, June 26th, 2008, Craig Snow and his Hope Force team, in conjunction with Katrina Relief, Operation Rebuild, and other big-hearted volunteer groups, worked to complete another “Blitz Build” of a single-family home in Biloxi.
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As you read this report,
Do you ever wish that you could serve God with your whole heart in a meaningful way?
Contact Hope Force International for a way to help those who need you the most. If you do, you will never be the same!
info@hopeforce.org or 615-371-1271
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