The Flood / Burlington


It's hard to believe that five years ago this month, Burlington, Minot and all along the Souris River suffered a catastrophic flood. Recently I visited the area and saw homes still boarded up. It was a reminder to not forget the loss, but also a reminder to look all around and see the recovery and rejoice. I reflect on the flood in the following illustration. Right after the flood, Diana and I were living in my office and taking showers at the school. About two days into the process, Jerry W (Weazzy) decided it would be best to create a maze of shower rods and curtains in the men's bathroom. Fair enough. But he placed them all at his height, right about neck height for me. Jerry also decided to place a rod right over the entrance to the shower area. I cannot see without my glasses and had not taken note of Jerry's little shop of horrors he had created when I entered the shower the next day. Then it hit me, literally, right in the neck and knocked me down. I was a little stunned, on the floor in my best attire, the one I was born with, and then looked up to see what was going on and there it was the dreaded shower rod.

Prior to the flood we were just going along day to day, sand bagging many of those days, and staying hopeful. Then out of no where, it seemed, it hit us - the flood. It knocked us to the ground and we all felt naked, stripped of everything and afraid. After we got our bearings we got up, and by God's help and strength, overcame. There are scars that remain, loss that cannot be regained, but there is hope and joy and peace that has come through the travail.

There were times that I questioned if would we make it  and there were times I thought, "Do we have the strength to recover?" There were days that I just sat outside the school and wept and I know all of us had those days. But as a community we spurred one another on in love and Burlington has recovered and flourished. To our family and friends in Burlington I remember with you and celebrate and thank God He gave us strength to not only get up but to flourish in His grace.

 I wish we had escaped the flood, but if it was to be, and it was,  I am glad that I went through it with you. It is folks like you that get up and move forward in faith that bring hope to others. No hard feelings, Jerry, about the shower rod - it really brought into focus all that our community was experiencing.

Pastor Shack