It's been a long seven months now since the flooding in Midland, Michigan. Two families from our OPC in Midland experienced devastating loss as a result of two dams being breached because of overflowing rainwater. That was then, this is now.

While one family was completely displaced, the other, the Kennedys, were able to stay in their home while they worked on their demolished walkout basement. With the help of their home church, Christ Covenant OPC, the Presbytery of Michigan and Ontario, Reformed Mission Services and OPC Disaster Response, both families are now fully restored and the Moots have just received a much-prayed-for certificate of occupancy. They will be moving in stages, grabbing donated furniture from different locations and the salvaged material items that are in storage over the next few weeks.

Glenn conveys his deepest thanks for the love and support his family has experienced these past exhausting seven months with a recent grateful note to the volunteers, many, he now considers close friends:

"The final occupancy inspection is complete and approved! Michelle said it essentially consisted of the inspector spending a few minutes complimenting the interior, wishing us well, and expressing his sympathy for our hardship. His minimum was one functioning bathroom and the furnace, which we have. 

Work continues with local folks (contractors and volunteers) to address remaining plumbing needs (including a septic line leak in the crawl) and some finish carpentry. We will be moving salvaged and donated items on Saturday. (Please pray that the weather won't be as bad as it looks.) Sleeping there will be contingent on our confidence in the lines in the crawl, primarily the septic. We will certainly keep you posted.  

We are so grateful to be to this point and will use our newfound perseverance to persevere with you to the end. We are at this milestone because of you and others who take to heart what the Lord tells us in 1 John 3:17, 'But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?' and hear the essential message of vocation in Romans 12: 'For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them.'

Thank you for sharing your gifts with us. 

More later...

Yours and His,

Glenn and Michelle"