Flood Update

Here's the latest (via the internet) from IC. The river has crested, earlier than predicted. However, reports are saying that the flood waters are going to remain high for a few weeks. The university expects to open classes next Monday, but we'll see. I'm sure there will be a lot of work to be done.

Here's an arial picture from today of the UI campus that was the worst hit. Some of these buildings include the student union, the art museum, and the music, journalism and english/philosophy buildings.

Parkview church is still just as flooded as yesterday. I just saw feed of the church on CNN. I think that the church is going to have reaching influence beyond what they could have imagined before the flood.

Right now, I think that these words from Jack Johnson (who we are going to see in concert on Saturday) are very fitting.

All at once

The world can overwhelm me

There’s almost nothing that you could tell me

That could ease my mind

Which way will you run?

When it’s always all around you

And the feeling lost and found you again

A feeling that we have no control

There’s a world we’ve never seen

There’s still hope between the dreams

The weight of it all could blow away with a breeze

But if you’re waiting on the wind

Don’t forget to breathe

Because as the darkness gets deeper

We’re sinking so we reach for love
At least something we can hold

But I’ll reach to You

From where time just can’t go

Flood of '08

I feel very fortunate. We were able to get out of Iowa City and head up to Madison to stay with my family. Arie, Khairie, Meatloaf, Clemson and me. Just a few hours after we got out of town, they closed the last highway out of IC. It's gotten a lot worse since we've left. Coralville and IC are experiencing devastating flooding. The university has shut down for over a week. Some of our favorite places in town are now gone due to the flooding. The church we've been visiting, the dog park, the student union, our favorite Indian restaurant, our favorite pizza place, and countless other places we pass by all the time. Our house is far enough from the river, and we're on a hill and on the 3rd floor. So we're very lucky. Here are some pictures to give you all who are far away an idea of what's going on.

Iowa City/Coralville and part of the UI campus

Wig & Pen-our favorite pizza place in town

this is Parkview Church-the church we've been visiting

the church-taken from inside the worship center looking up at the sound booth

It's difficult to fathom right now what it's going to take to undo all this damage. It's so sad. But, ultimately, these are structures which are replaceable. We've been able to contact all our friends. Most of them, like us, left just in time. They're scattered around the country from Michigan to South Carolina to Georgia to Colorado to Minnesota. The few that stayed in IC are safe and are not battling flood waters. Unfortunately, the worst is yet to come. The river is not predicted to crest until Tuesday night-the waters will most likely rise another 5 feet. Please pray for the people of Iowa who have lost their homes and businesses.

Spring into Summer and the End of the World

It's really sad that I haven't posted since spring break. So, here's a brief run down of what's been going on in our lives. We finished our extremely busy semester. I completed teaching my first undergrad class (they all got higher grades thanks to the Kelly curve-that is Kelly gave me a guilt trip about my student's low grades. Those darn counselors. They're so empathetic.) I completed a 3-week intensive summer course, affectionately called 'boot camp'.

We re-did the study. Arie also put up the pipe curtain rods and our lovely red curtains

having fun in Madison at the farmer's marketwatching the sunset at the union terrace
This week Arie started his summer classes, and I started teaching two yoga classes. I had my first classes today where we actually worked out, and I ended up doing about 1/10 of what I had planned. They were dying! Ay, it's going to be a long class.

Ok, so on to the end of the world business...I'm fully convinced that Iowa has the worst weather known to man. Most of you know the horrors I endured this winter, and I'm trying to block out the memory so I won't recap. Well, this summer hasn't been any better. It get SO hot and humid. For example, it was only 65 degrees out today. So i went for a run and came back DRENCHED in sweat (and no, I wasn't running fast-at all!). That's how humid it is here. It's more humid than South Carolina. It's like Columbia swamp humid. But we're nowhere near the ocean, or a swamp. We've have deadly thunderstorms and tornadoes everyday.

this is what the sky will look like when Jesus descends from heaven AND to top it all off, now the eastern half of Iowa is flooding. Cedar Rapids, 20 mi away, has already started evacuating parts of the city. We watch the local news with captions that read 'Waterloo-downtown closed,' 'Cedar Rapids-under curfew, all bridges closed,' and 'Benton-do not use water.' It's absolutely insane. The Iowa River in IC is 15 feet above flood level, and isn't predicted to crest until next week (it's supposed to get another 4 feet higher). I've already got my evacuation plan figured out. Because if this entire city floods, I'm getting the heck out of here. When I have to canoe to work, I'm done. So I'll keep you all posted...from the epicenter of the apocalypse.