Too Much Water

It's pretty difficult to avoid news coverage about the current flooding in the upper midwest of the United States. Once again, folks in North Dakota and Minnesota are watching the Red River rise, even above the records reached back in 1997. Of course this flood isn't the only news - there are other parts of the world where death tolls are higher. The flood caused by the breaking of a dam near Jakarta, Indonesia has left 50 dead, so far. And the world keeps on spinning...
We are not helpless, however, even in the face of forces we cannot control, even when the news is happening a half-world away, so that feels like it must be on another planet.
We can pray. We can give. The time may come when we can go and serve.
What follows is the text of an email from the Montana Synod office:

As of this writing, there is a serious flooding issue along both the Red River and Missouri River in the Upper Midwest. In some places, river and over-land flooding has already occurred, and in other locations, current forecasts predict floods of record-breaking proportion. Lutheran Disaster Response is already responding:
through local volunteers who are placing sandbags
by preparing for assistance in the communities where flooding will occur
in prayerful support for those who will be directly impacted
Now we ask that you:
Share this news with others - Invite the members of your congregation and your neighbors to monitor the situation in these communities. In this Lenten season of anticipation, we await the outcome of these floods, trusting that hope will abide.
Join in prayer - Pray that these communities may be bound together in unity in this time of great uncertainty. Pray as well for the faithful volunteers who are working tirelessly to prevent flooding and for those displaced by this high water.
Give a gift - Gifts to ELCA Domestic Disaster Response, designated for U.S. Flooding, allow for immediate and ongoing response, bringing help and hope to affected communities now and into the future. Gifts may be sent through your congregation, or given directly online or by calling 800-638-3522.
Lutheran Disaster Response is a collaborative ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod, which responds to the long-term needs of communities affected by disaster. For updates and more information about this and other responses, visit www.ldr.org.

Lutheran Disaster Response
Bringing Help and Hope...
Phone: 773-380-2748
Fax: 773-380-2493
Visit us on the Web at LDR.org
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