FLOODING IN NORTH BOHEMIA Aug 7-8, 2010

While we were away at English Camp in East Bohemia, our hometown area of Liberec in North Bohemia had a major flood. Two days of continuous down pouring rains turned small rivers into torrential flood waters that destroyed and/or damaged town squares, homes, businesses, roads, bridges, cars and property. Below you will see a few pictures which really cannot do justice to the damage. Many of the churches and families with which we have strong relationships have been affected. Please pray for their recovery.

One of the good things we can see that came out of this is that the churches were able to be a great source of help throughout this crisis. Churches from all over Czech sent teams to help with the clean up. This is something that would not have happened 20 years ago. But because of intentional connecting of the churches and church leaders and the revelation that the church should be involved in community, the small Christian churches in this country were able to be a source of help and encouragement. Our town of Liberec survived with little damage, so we were able to be a staging area for recovery. Our new ministry center was able to house and feed the teams that came to help in the clean up and coordinated collecting and distributing aid to those in need. It was a marvelous example of Christ in action and greatly appreciated by those in need and those who were trying to help them. The Church may be small but we are mighty through God. Their quick and organized response was probably the most effective sermon that could have been made to an atheistic society.