June 6, the rains came & at least 8 inches were dumped onto Iowa within a week. It seemed so unreal as I watched the images on TV. The pictures sent by friends via e-mail were shocking. These streets that were flooded were ones that I used to drive down everyday when I worked in downtown Cedar Rapids. I often drove through some of the neighborhoods that were severely damaged. I had lived here since 1998, moving into this beautiful city just a little over three months after graduating from college.

The whole city was impacted by this disaster. For several days, the bridges from one side of the river were impassable. You couldn’t drive from the east to the west side because the river flowed over the bridges. Interstate 380 running north and south right through the downtown heart of the city also closed for a couple of days, so commuting to work for some people was impossible. The water system almost had to close down because the wells were disabled due to the flood. Thankfully, many CR residents pulled together & sandbagged around the one remaining functioning well, although this still limited everyone to using drinking water only in their homes for over a week. That restriction has since been lifted.

I cried out to the Lord to be with those who had to move into shelters & place their pets in temporary shelters. How devastating it must be for them! Not just in Cedar Rapids either, but in several other towns & cities through out Iowa and down the Mississippi from us.

Some of the flood victims were blessed and able to move in with friends or family right away, however there are still some in shelters even today. My home church in Cedar Rapids has placed many of these victims with families in our church. It’s been awesome to see how from the very beginning of this disaster how people have given a helping hand. They’ve reached out in so many ways in different communities. From baking treats for volunteers & handing out water bottles, to gutting houses and just offering an understanding shoulder to cry on. It has been amazing and I don’t think my words here can truly express all of it. God will use this flood for His good. I believe the Body of Christ has been getting prepared for this & many lost souls will be shown His love through our work in this disaster.

Last Thursday, June 26th, I visited the Time Check neighborhood with our director Mary Alice, and other COI missionaries Scott & Prescott. We wanted to see places with the worst damage, so we had driven down there. While driving in this neighborhood we stopped along the street when we saw Sam. She was pulling things out of her house with her boyfriend. The water level had risen to the first floor. It was obvious that she was grieving the devastation as she talked with us. Still, Sam had a sense of humor & shared her desire to buy an acreage in the future where she could have horses & own a duck named Sparky. It was a privilege & a thrill when I was asked to pray for her before we left her house. I’ll never forget her gratitude towards us. I was not able to go back to visit her with the others a couple of days later, but I plan to visit her again soon.

Please come to Cedar Rapids to help people like Sam. Don’t worry about money because God will provide everything you need. There is no doubt in my mind that He wants you to just show up with a willing heart. If you think you won’t be of use because you don’t know much, believe me–there are ways you can help. It’s not rocket science! Just come & you’ll find out how much God can use you to touch someone’s heart. Don’t waste anymore time thinking about it. The waters have receded, and now your help is definitely needed. Please come!

-Kristy Koranda

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I love it when the Hand of God leads us to where He desires for us to be. Today was another one of those spectacular days to see God at work. Actually the story starts back about 7 weeks before.

A very bad flood came to my hometown of Fredericton, NB. When the flood came an organization came to offer flood relief, the SP team. Along with SP team came another group called the Rapid Response Team, who serve as chaplains in crisis situations. I had the privilege of being able to work with both and also to be accepted as a chaplain with the RR Team.

Now I find myself in the midwest, doing disaster relief set up. After making a phone call I found out that the SP team is set up here also just an hour from where we are staying. The RR Team is also on their way here next week too. So I now have instant rapport with them in order to partner with them.

Yesterday we spent the day in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The devastation is immense. It brought back memories for me of the Gulf Coast and Katrina. It is not near as bad, but make no mistake it is terrible. The streets are lined with debris and the smell of devastation is in the air.

We drove down one street close to the river and for some reason(I would say God’s leading) we moved off that street to one that was a block further away from the river as we drove down this street we saw even more tragedy.

In front of one of the houses was an older lady, working through the debris left in front of her home. We stopped and talked with Sam. Sam is suffering from the crisis. As we were sharing with Sam she said this, "Today I was feeling all alone and I asked God to send me someone to help me and talk to me today." Well here we were lead by God to talk to Sam and talk and pray with her. God is good!!!

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Have you ever had this question go through your mind? Recently I had to opportunity to help out a little gypsy girl two days in a row. I don’t know her name, but I have seen her around town off and on since I moved to Uzhgorod. She was a young child begging on the streets when I first saw her. I remember her face well, because she has these beautiful sea blue/green eyes. This time when I saw her she was carrying a baby. I asked her if the baby was hers and she said yes. Then I asked "How old are you?" Her answer shocked me, "sixteen". She also told me that the baby is a year and four months old, one month younger than my Jake. She then proceeded to tell me how she and her husband had had a fight and she left.

She now lives on the streets and the two of them sleep at different stations (train, bus, whatever is open). I helped her buy some medicine for her baby who had the chicken pox and something to eat. The next day I ran into her again. She told me that her mom had thrown her out because she doesn’t want the baby around. Her mom (grandma) had told her to ditch the baby. She said that she doesn’t want to that. "He is mine" she said as so looked at him. She also told me that she wants to travel to another city to see her dad. My dad loves the baby and will take us in. So again I gave her a little money, almost nothing and wished her the best. In these situations I feel so helpless. Why me? What can I do to help her? Does my small contribution help her overall situation?

Let me paint a picture for you of what life might look like for a gypsy. The culture is cruel and binding (meaning that if you are born into it, it is difficult to get out). Education has no value and most gypsies do not finish school. The few young women that do finish have no chance to get further education, because their families won’t allow them to leave. Girls get married starting at age 14 and start having children immediately (there is no education nor money for contraception). Alcoholism, adultery and abuse seem to be woven into the culture. Most gypsies live in a gypsy village, meaning broken down shacks and no running water or sewer. There are not many jobs available for them. The orange coated army that sweeps the streets in the morning is mostly gypsies. Other than that I have seen them selling handmade wooden spoons or clothing at the bazaars. Gypsies have a reputation of being dirty (and they are because of where they live) and thieves (not necessarily true but a sterotype labeled on them). Ukrainians for these two reasons greatly dislike them and so there is discrimination against them.

Why was I born an American and this little girl a gypsy? Why was I so blessed? It is a hard question to answer….. God knows what he is doing. He has just as much a plan for this little girl as he does for me. So, I guess all I can do is be faithful to use what He has given me to help others, be His hands and feet to reach out to those less fortunate. I think that is all He is asking of us. Our responsibility is to respond.

I have to add… When gypsies get saved they are so different. It is like night and day. And going to a gypsy church is a party you will never forget!!! God can pull each of us out of the pit and He does it everyday!!

"He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord." Psalm 40:2,3

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"Kent, your brother is in Heaven." The words are etched deeply in my memory, probably forever.

The news came on a Saturday afternoon in Ukraine shortly after I had returned home from running a few light errands. I received a call from the office informing me that my mom had called and that it was an emergency. Suddenly, my focus shifted to Manitoba (central Canada) where my older brother Garreth had been fighting lung cancer for the previous seven months. I was pretty sure of what the phone call could mean, yet I hoped I might be wrong.

"Kent — are you there?" I could hear the concern in my mother’s voice, but I couldn’t speak for a moment. Her words were so penetrating. They offered comforting assurance mixed with searing pain and it was a little too much for me right then.

By Tuesday I was in Manitoba with my family and would be there nearly two weeks before returning to Ukraine. The time was good, but hard. I wished I could have been there during his final weeks and days as stories and experiences and memories were related to me by family members. I was to deliver the eulogy for a brother I had hardly known.

Many people are praying for our families. Without this support, we would surely be a mess. Back in Ukraine now, I’m able to continue because of His healing and comfort in the work to which God has called me. Recently I was asked by someone if this loss would affect or change what I’m doing. I was able to answer confidently and without hesitation, "No."

I’m a missionary and for most of the time I knew him, my brother’s heart was hardened toward God. Our lives went in very different directions. During his brief battle with cancer, Garreth softened and took advantage of what would be his final opportunity to get things right with God.

An age difference of more than nine years between my brother and me reflected another tragic loss suffered by my parents. Garreth is not the only sibling I now have in Heaven, but the other two got there even before I was born.

I am now my parents’ only son. Ukraine and Canada are far apart and my being away is hard for all of us. My treasure is found in the Lord through them. They have known much pain, yet were always a steady example for us when tough times came. I’m blessed by their witness and the faith they so consistently hold to. My life is definitely richer because of them, and I see that more clearly now.

What is the treasure in your life? May it be your Source of joy and peace and comfort. May it give you hope in the midst of trials. May your treasure truly be in the right place and may your heart be there also.

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I am a bit of a skeptic by nature. I tend to doubt and worry more than I should about things. This is something that God is working on in me. More and more He asks me to place complete trust in Him, even when things look impossible - because our God LOVES to do the impossible to show us His power.

Recently, I’ve seen God at work so faithfully that even a skeptic like me has a hard time staying skeptical. Here is a recent example. Over the past several months, we have had some personal financial concerns facing us. We were facing expenses that simply were not in our budget to meet, and yet in great need of being met. We sought God in prayer and were reminded that He is in control and desires only our belief in His faithfulness. Well, shortly after Christmas, in a span of about 2 weeks, we met people who were interested in helping us meet this financial need. At this time, we are awaiting the final promised check to arrive so we can take care of this concern. To see God (and his body) meet this need so quickly, encourages us to keep trusting in Him for everything that we need and to keep our eyes open to watch Him work. He always has a plan.

I tell this story here to encourage you that as the summer arrives and churches all over the place prepare for summer mission trips and projects, that it is a time when fund raising is high up on everybody’s mind and priority lists. Be encouraged! God has the resources to meet whatever need you have (financial and other). Just keep trusting Him and seeking His leading. Sometimes the process of fundraising for a mission trip is discouraging if things don’t come together as we think they should. But God has a plan for such things. Keep listening to Him and trusting Him and see amazing, “impossible” things accomplished. Then remember to offer praise and thanksgiving to Him for His continuing faithfulness and desire to teach you to depend on Him.

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