Katrick: The roots of faith, hope, and love in Moscow, Ohio
This month is the tenth anniversary of our first of two mission trips to Moscow, a historic village along the Ohio River, near Cincinnati. Back then, a small but mighty group of youth and adults from St. John’s first witnessed the path of destruction from an F-3 tornado that had crossed over from Kentucky.
The damage caused was clearly evident. Eighty percent of their structures had been affected to some degree. One resident of the village lost her life. There were things up in trees that had no business being there. The sentries that stood guard and once provided shade, shelter, fruit and decorations for Christmas-time were no longer standing. It was of little surprise that our first assignment was to plant one hundred seedlings in an open field.
Mightiness, along with a sprinkle of kindness and generosity, is the way I would describe the spirit of these survivors who we were blessed to work with. Not only were they our guides for the week, but our soul and inspiration for weeks, months and years to come.
One of the most humorous moments in our endeavor was watching a member of our team, as he wrestled with the removal of a tree stump. He tried everything, including attaching a chain to the back of his truck. The job finally got done to a round of applause.
The roots of faith, hope and love run deep, in and around Moscow, Ohio, untouched by the fiercest cyclonic winds. The same Spirit of God that sheltered them during the storm, raised them up ready to rebuild their lives and their homes.
Do you remember the clay-animated television series, Davey and Goliath, created by Art Clokey, Ruth Clokey and Dick Sutcliffe? I regularly watched it, while eating my second breakfast after mass.
According to Wikipedia, the principal characters are named Davey, and his ‘talking dog’ Goliath as they “tackle serious issues such as racism, death, religious intolerance and vandalism. In general, the characters find themselves in situations that have to be overcome by placing their faith in God.”
Produced by the Lutheran Church in America, it should come as no surprise that the show’s theme song is, A Mighty Fortress is our God, by Martin Luther. The kinds of attitudes and outlooks our friends in Moscow displayed, came from the fortress within, built by Jesus Christ and his helper, the Holy Spirit.
This second verse to the hymn, describes quite well a vortex of strength and determination that is not of this world, and always available to us all.
Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing, were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing. You ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is he; Lord Sabbath is his name, from age to age the same; and he must win the battle.
This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: roots of faith hope love
