Hurricane Helena, Rocket attacks, and Hope

Dear Friends, 

At the same time Hurricane Helena was making landfall on the coast of Florida, Thursday, Sept 27th, rockets and drones were hitting our home city of Izmail, Ukraine, killing four and wounding 11 (three of the wounded were teenage children). 

On Friday morning, Olya was on the phone, listening to and encouraging our staff and friends in Ukraine. By Friday afternoon, I was beginning to understand the suffering being caused by Hurricane Helena. I had lost phone contact with my three sons who live in the Asheville Area. On Friday night, I saw the video of my small town, Swannanoa, NC, just outside Asheville. On Saturday, we attempted to drive to Asheville from Kentucky, but it was not possible even to enter North Carolina.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCBpGcrQzHs

By Sunday, we learned that my sons and their families were fine. My home had been spared as it was on higher ground, but my storage facility suffered 2ft of water. Much of the Asheville area is without electricity, without food, and without water. The damage to this area is beyond comprehension. Streets are broken, bridges have collapsed, cities and towns are littered with trailer homes, flooded cars and trash. 

There is a verse in the Bible that reads, "...Suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope..."  That's not always what happens. Sometimes suffering weighs us down with despair. But I've seen hope come out of suffering. There are reasons. 

Olya Balaban and I are traveling and speaking about our experiences of suffering and hope in a country at war: Ukraine. Attached is a poster and our schedule. If you are in the area, you are welcome to attend.

Grace and Peace,

Robert Gamble