Damage Control

Valentine greetings in advance to everyone!

Do you know what a “berm” is?  It is an artificial embankment made of earth according to the dictionary.  At the beginning of this month, we were bombarded with a great deal of rain (imagine that in January!).  Our Credit River overflowed its banks. I’m sure our neighbours across the street were thankful for the City of Brampton’s damage control that happened years ago when a berm was built behind their homes to keep flooding waters out. Before that time, we have heard stories of several people contending with brown water flowing through their front door out through their back door.  In thirteen years, we have never seen the water level rise so high. Our Churchville park received lots of damage as well due to this mighty power of nature.

Our whole world is facing damage in various places through extensive flooding, dangerous fires, scary earthquakes, unexpected landslides or avalanches and now is trying to contend with a very fast spreading virus taking many lives daily.  What can we do to help? What is our damage control? I was interested in discovering a company called 4Ocean last year. You might have seen it advertised on T.V. Two entrepreneurial young men with many others are pulling tons of plastic out of the oceans.  They recently reported that “rivers are transporting over 5.5 billion pounds of plastic into our oceans every year.”  We have made a small donation on behalf of our eleven grandchildren on their birthdays.  They receive a bracelet made from the retrieved plastic.  Many of them are wearing these bracelets all the time including Gary.  It seems they have their own little club as a reminder that a little amount of effort can help a lot.

Families are in dire need of damage control.  It is heart-breaking to see what is happening in little children’s lives when their parents can no longer live together.  An eight-year old boy has been attending our Hillside Church with his dad for almost two years. He usually lives in another town with his mother.  Recently, his mother allowed him to get a cell phone.  He asked if he could text me.  Each week we are connected periodically because of his initiative.  Maybe my little influence on his life will help him get through his teen years without too much damage from following unsavoury peers.  Eight years ago, when this boy was just a baby, I had no idea how to text someone on my phone.

God’s plan of salvation is terrific damage control for all the hurting people in Milton that we have not met yet. Throughout our years of ministry, we have seen lives changed repeatedly because of His love and grace. We look forward to more exciting times when families are reunited and headed in a righteous direction. Please pray to this end as we reorganize ourselves for a church launch, probably in September.

With God’s help may we continue to scour our brains day by day to find berm-like solutions to head off serious damage facing our families, friends and even our world.

Wendy

Wendy.carter@kainos.org