Who we are working with in Iowa

I wanted to share something about the church and people our team is working with in Cedar Rapids this coming week. Brent Schulte, who volunteered his church to host Team Iowa 1 this coming week is the discipleship minister at Antioch Christian where they are staying this week. I found his article in their July newsletter online and thought sharing it here was the best way to do that.

Team Iowa 2 from South Dayton Church of Christ has been busy near Burlington, Iowa this week. I hope to have updates for you on their work soon.

Here's Brent's article:

These last 3 weeks have been a blur to me as I'm sure they have been to you as well. One month ago, Renee and I spent a week in southern Florida visiting my sister and her family and enjoying the warmth after a cold, snowy winter. While we were in Florida, we watched national news cover the tornadoes that ripped through Parkersburg and other towns in Iowa. As June started and the rains continued, I'm sure many of you were recollecting the flood of 1993 and the devastation it brought to the area. I was serving in the Air Force then and watched the Armed Services Network with shock and awe from my trailer in Saudi Arabia. You just don't get the full affect until you see it firsthand.

Reflecting on what has transpired over the last couple of weeks, here are a few memories that stand out. Before the waters rose to record levels, many volunteers from churches across the city poured into the neighborhoods to warn residents of possible evacuation and offer assistance in moving their personal belongings. Some took the offers but many did not. I saw many residents in the Time Check area, only a few blocks from the river, watching the commotion from their lawn chairs. I asked one gentleman why he wasn't preparing for the flood. He stated, "I've lived here all my life and we only had 3 feet of water in the basement in '93. I don't believe the warnings." Unbelief.

In the days leading up to the river crest, I felt a sense of urgency. Everything I saw and heard led me to believe we were in for real disaster. The river crest predictions were rising by a foot or more every day; the rains continued to fall here and north of us. The outlook did not look good. People spent many hours in the Time Check & Czech Village neighborhoods handing out fliers on what to do if you were evacuated and what to bring with you. Sandbags were filled and dikes constructed to hold back the waters. Droves of volunteers poured into the area to help the people save their house or its belongings from the approaching doom. Urgency.

Wednesday night, June 11, I had just got home at 10 pm and was eager to hear the latest news on the flood. KCRG announced that the last well and pump for the city was at risk and that 6,000 sandbags needed to be filled and placed in order to protect it. Only 10 people were on hand and they needed additional volunteers.

The time was 10:05. I only live a few blocks from the Edgewood bridge where the pump stations sits (and I really enjoy a hot shower) so I got my shovel and gloves and headed for Edgewood. When I arrived, I found that I was not the only one to answer the call. There were cars everywhere. It was somewhat surreal as this army of people with shovels over their shoulders streamed down the closed road towards the heaping mounds of sand dumped on the road. An assembly line was quickly in place where the bag was filled, tied off, handed to a person in line who passed in to the next person and so for hundreds of feet to the pump station. There were 6 lines from the sand pile to the pump station with the last hundred feet or so in knee deep water. It was an amazing sight. Unity.

From these experiences and many more, I came away with a deeper appreciation for Antioch's mission statement of "Leading people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ." The definition for unbelief is the unwillingness to accept what is offered as true or skepticism especially in matters of religious faith. We must be willing to offer 'truth and love' to our neighbor where it really matters, their personal relationship with God. In Psalm 40 we read. "1 do not hide your righteousness in my heart; 1speak ofyour faithfulness and salvation. 1 do not conceal your love and your truth from the great assembly."

The flood and its aftermath is a perfect illustration on how the material items of this world are temporary. God is eternal; Christ's place at the throne is eternal. If we personally accept Christ's offer of grace, we know we have a position in Heaven waiting for us. I know I have friends and family who are not believers in Christ. I know where they will end up if they do not place their faith in Christ. Why don't I have the same sense of urgency for them as I did last week trying to protect someone's home and their belongings?

Isn't their salvation a greater treasure?

The sense of unity within this community has been quite amazing. Hopefully that unity will continue in the months and years to come as tough decisions are made on how to move the city forward. But I have the inkling that the thorns will start to show as people start worrying more about themselves than what is best for all. Imagine the power Christ's church has when its believers are united and act as one. In John chapter 17, Jesus offers a prayer to God for all believers so " ... they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."

So as we continue to recover from this disaster that will take years, remember that we can't just focus on meeting someone's physical needs; we must also address their spiritual health. We are first commanded to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." And secondly, "Love your neighbor as yourself." By loving and honoring our God first and foremost, then we can truly love our neighbor.">" border="0" alt="" />


God bless you all.