Let’s go help our neighbors! Our Savior Lutheran Church and School, Excelsior, MN is sponsoring a mission trip to Cedar Rapids, Iowa on July 15 – 18. Three of us from the congregation went down in November of 2008 to work and see for ourselves the extent of damage caused by the flooding of the Cedar and Iowa Rivers.

On June 13 of 2008 the Cedar River crested at 31.12 feet. This is more than 19 feet above flood stage and 24 feet above the average water level. The devastating flood affected more than 5000 residences, over 1000 businesses and nearly 500 non-profit organizations and churches. The downtown district, home to historic buildings, a thriving business community, and many city and county services, was decimated by the flood waters. Unfortunately many of the neighborhoods most affected were home to some of Cedar Rapids’ lowest income and vulnerable families. Over 800 of the flooded homes have not even been touched as of June 2009. While clean-up and rebuild efforts have been underway for over a year, the need for volunteer and monetary support will continue for many years to come.

The mission team from Our Savior Lutheran, Excelsior would like to welcome anyone age 14 or older who would like to join us for this three day mission trip. The labor will be very physical, either gutting or rebuilding homes. The cost of the trip is approximately $125. We will be staying at Camp I0-DIS-E-CA in Solon, IA. For more information, please call Jerry Rosamond from Our Savior at 952-474-5181 x. 23.

You may also plan your own trip for your church or organization by calling Bonnie Sorensen, the Volunteer Coordinator for the Volunteer Reception Center at 319-540-4810. You may also check out the flood recovery efforts by going online to: www.vistacorridorrecovery.org.