Hi, my name is Gary Grindeland, and I am the pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Bayonne, New Jersey. In all my years of ministry, I never thought I would be doing this, although I know how important presence is in the midst of critical, life situations.

 

When I served as the State Coordinator for Lutheran Disaster Response of Wisconsin & Upper Michigan, we had two, 500-year floods in a nine month period in 2007 and 2008, along with a tornado in January. I visited and I traveled (57,000 miles in 2007). I remember the faces of those families who had suffered devastating disaster three times in less than a year. In 2012, we closed the last case in the long-term recovery process from the 2007 flooding.

 

As I travel through the streets of Bayonne, I still sense some of the residue from Superstorm Sandy. Oh, what next? I know when river water invades your life, it is hard to get it out. Sea water is that much harder. So I’ve decided to walk, to walk with hope. We have much to be thankful for. God has been good; tomorrow promises to be even better. If I can just turn one head or give someone a little encouragement for the day, it will all have been worth it. I am not crazy;

I am just hopeful.