A flood of, well, blessings?

The regular busyness of summer was kicked up a notch this year. The day of my last blog post, Calgary and surrounding area was hit with a sudden, horrifically damaging flood. Homes were damaged or destroyed, posessions lost, families displaced and three people lost their lives. In the after math of this disaster, the city of Calgary (and really the province of Alberta) got down and dirty to help with the clean up efforts. And believe me, I mean down and DIRTY!!


Through the Mormon Helping Hands, a volunteer program of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Matt and I were able to donate our time helping in the clean up efforts. Matt helped in Calgary, and Siksika Nation, and I was able to join him and share a date night cleaning up High River. (Thanks to my awesome in-laws for watching the girls, allowing us to serve together!) The filth and damage was extensive and devastating, but the spirit and support of volunteers really lifted spirits.

On our way to date night in High River

Railroad track damaged by flood water in High River.

We didn't just clean out basements! People collected and donated goods, clothes, food and supplies to those displaced by the flood. Fundraisers and blood drives were organized. I prepared some freezer meals for those who opened their homes to flood victims and baked cookies for a bake sale fundraiser. 

I didn't feel like a was contributing a lot but I wanted to help anyway I could. Plus with Matt being gone helping with the clean up efforts, someone had to watch the kids. I did get to go with him to High River and help clean out an elderly woman's basement. I will never forget it, though I am trying hard to forget the smell. The residents of High River were evacuated from their town for weeks and by the time we were let in to clean up the muddy sewage water filling their homes had begun to mould. It was not pleasant! We showed up in a group of 15 to find two women attemping to empty an entire basement alone. As we approached, donning our hazmat suits and Mormon Helping Hands yellow vests, one of the women asked what oragnization we were with. We told her we were with the Mormon Helping Hands and she raised her head to the sky and cried out, "Thank you, Joseph Smith!" It was a priviledge and an honor to serve someone in such need in the name of my church. I was happy to be just a couple of the 30, 000 man hours volunteered by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Alberta. 

 Cleaning out a basement.

 Proudly showing off our hard work!

 Our team.

There were some blessings that came from the flood. I feel guilty talking about them because so many lost so much. We live on a hill in the north and were kept safe and dry. Because the downtown core was flooded, Matt had a total of 7 days off work. (not including weekends). It was a blessing to have him home. He spent a lot of time cleaning up as well. And staying home with the girls, I felt the blessings of his service flood our home. The company he works for is so amazing they also offered every employee (over 3000 of them) two days off work (in addition to the time off during the flood) to volunteer in the clean up efforts. How incredible is that! We are truly blessed. 

Despite the devastation caused by the June 2013 flood, the community really came together to help and serve and I feel truly blessed to have been apart of it. I am proud of my husband and all that he did, proud of my church for all they have done and proud of my city. I have only lived in Calgary for 4 years but I am very proud to call it home.