Wednesday, August 28, 2002
|
Wednesday, August 28, 2002 |
|
Missionary in Czech Republic lends helping hand to residents Elder Austin M. Gardner, a graduate of the Sandy Creek High School class of 2000, has been serving in the Czech Republic for the past 18 months as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. With the recent flooding in Prague, Gardner says he has been able to really get his hands dirty. "As I have served the Czech people, my love for them has grown," Gardner said. To help the flooded city, Gardner gathered together 20 missionaries in the city to help with the sandbagging around the River Vltava. As they finished one area of the City, the government sent a police van to take them to another area to help the residents. He reported to his family living in Fayette County that the Metro (subway) is completely flooded and will not be in use until Christmas. Several buildings have collapsed from saturation from the floodwaters. As the waters slowly recede, Gardner and his small army of Christian missionaries have organized themselves to give assistance where needed, and say they anticipate helping with the clean-up when the river goes down. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has pledged 100,000 Euros to help with the victims' losses, according to a church spokesperson. Prior to his two-year mission, Gardner attended school for one year at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. He will return from his mission in May, 2003. |
