Thanks Concordia Academy!!!!!!!!!

An army of nearly 200 guys from Concordia Academy St. Paul, along with principal Pastor Tim Berner and several instructors, descended on Stockton (a town of 682) today to clean the woods just north of town and along the river banks. They also helped mud out several yards and a shed, moved equipment, tore apart a damaged deck and a fence, and just about anything else homeowners asked them to do.

There were some sobering moments -- Finding a shed in a farm field that was reasonably intact and realizing they wouldn't be able to finish the job they had come to do -- clearing the field so the farmer could get his machines in for harvest. Several guys learning a couple died in a car in the very field they were clearing. Another group realizing the "junk" they were hauling had been the contents of a home that had broken loose from its foundation and floated to the railroad tracks, its contents spilling into the woods and breaking apart. All three residents and the resident cat amazingly survived -- the humans on the roof and the cat on a shelf in the closet.

I talked at length with Bonnie Oldham, the homeowner who had lost their house. She was teary and grateful the guys were helping clean out the woods, and hopeful we would find some of their belongings as she hadn't been able to face going in to look herself. Sadly, we did not find anything from their home intact. But what a great visible reminder of God's provision that their home was hung up on the railroad tracks and didn't break up in the woods as their belongings did.

Bonnie shared that she was raised in an LCMS church and "had faith before the storm but nothing like now." She said as their house floated in a the swirling current past a neighbor's home where they too were on their roof awaiting help, she yelled to the neighbor, "Call [the sheriff] and tell him we're loose. Then call my son, tell him I love him and I'll see him soon." Seconds later, they floated over the tracks, the steps broke loose and caught on the tracks, stopping their progress. "That kind of thing can only be from God," she said with confidence.

The guys removed more than 6 commercial dumpsters full of trash (I hate to call it that, as we all realized today all that "trash" was not so long ago someone's treasure). People stopped on Highway 23 as they worked, yelling out "Thank you," "great work guys!" Even a county sheriff's department car came by and talked over his speaker, "Good job guys. Thanks for being here!" A few even came by and dropped off snacks on the side of the road for the guys to enjoy as they worked.

Our only casualty came early, as Ryan (I think it was Ryan) had a spray can of black paint explode when he threw some lumber on top of it. (Guess I missed the instruction about separating the hazardous materials from the rest! Oops!) Fortunately he has quick reflexes and was able to close his eyes and mouth before he got a faceful of paint. An hour of eyewash and scrubbing, and a shower, thanks to a resident of Stockton who heard of his plight, and he had been neutralized to a light grey.

KARE 11 news carried the story (minus Ryan's incident) on the 6 p.m. news tonight (Sept. 25). Hope many of you caught it; they did their school proud! Thanks Pastor Berner, the rest of the male staff who accompanied them, On Eagles Wings Bus Company, Thrivent (which gave them a grant for bus transportation) and most of all the great guys from Concordia Academy. What a day!!!!!! Whoo hoo!!!!!!!! They were God's army, no doubt about it!

Their youthful enthusiasm and dig-in attitude was a joy to watch. They were able to make good progress on the job, but we could use another group of high school guys for the same task another day... We've thrown down the gauntlet; now who will answer?