The Iowa Edition of the United Methodist Reporter = January 30 2009

Two Sections
Conference Finances = Five=20 Practices New Web Video and
Section A
Update Celebration Audio = Library Up=20 and Running
013000
Page 4A Page 5A Page 8A
January 30, = 2009
Vol.155=20 No.39
Rebuilding
The Children at Trinity Lane Preschool in Ce- to = help=20 rebuild, the Greater Cedar Rapids Foun- in the rebuilding, but if you = would talk=20 to the
dar Rapids spent the month of October illus- dation and the = United=20 Methodist Conference all children they would tell you about the people, = all=20
trating and writing their own stories about the stepped up helping = and=20 believing that rebuild for the di=EF=AC=80erent people that have been = there to help=20
Miracle at
flood of 2008. While some of these 4 and 5 the = children=E2=80=99s was=20 important. build and how they watched from the classroom
year olds = lost=20 their homes, moved in with other window the rebuilding miracle that was=20 occurring.
family members, or just had to relocate they all The = Central=20 Corridor Gamers that met at the
Trinity Lane
had one thing in = common and=20 that is the school church designed and painted a mural in the play- = *Becky Wood=20 is the Director of Recovery,
itself had been a=EF=AC=80ected. Even = though the doors=20 ground- a picture of the church surrounded by Storms 2008
Pre-School =
opened on time with full enrollment the main bright colored waves. = This was=20 the first sign of
floor of the building was nothing but a square = rebuilding=20 not only for the preschool but the
by Becky Wood*
of cement, the=20 playground that the children had neighborhood. Today if you were to = drive down=20
played on last year was just a huge mud hole, all past the school = you would=20 hear children laugh-
the sandbox toys, climbing equipment, bikes, ing = and=20 playing and see the miracle that occurred
Linda Stallone wrote a = wonderful=20 store about
balls everything was gone. Some had floated
The = Flood Came=20 to Grandma=E2=80=99s House follow-
away and the children saw that on = the news
ing=20 hurricane Agnes in 1972. It talks about how
other pieces where = damaged by=20 the water even
people had to work together to sandbag, flee
the = ground=20 cover had to be destroyed due to the
their homes, return home to a = mess,=20 clean up, re-
fact a gas barrel had settled into the yard next =
build and=20 finally move home. Even after all that
door. The painted mural on = the wall=20 of children
the story goes on to say that they will always talk=20
surrounding the world even had to go.
about the flood, and hope = another=20 one will never
come again.
Since that first day of school when = the=20 children
began tbe o ask when are we going to be able to
go = outside ungo=20 til November 6th miracles after
mirmi acles where witnessed by the = children.=20 First
ccoongregation members from Lovely Lane and
TTrrinity = United=20 Methodist Church and other lo-
cal ccal hurches began to clean up the = muck,=20 com-
panies likpa e Aegon sent workers to help, local
elecele = tricians=E2=80=99=20 spent their time making sure lights
worked on the upper half of the = building=20 and
tthhat fire code and safety issues were addressed.
This waTh = s=20 followed by rebuilding. Kemin Chemi-
cal out ocal f Des Moines sent a = representative
dodown to see how they could help, Cargil that =
had=20 partnered with the preschool for who also
had experienced extensive = flooding=20 sent money
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