The temperature was near 40 degrees, and the sky clear and blue. But this fine spring day was deceptive. The disaster caused by last year's blizzards is not done yet in western North and South Dakota. People still live in houses with crumbling foundations, broken windows, collapsed roofs, sagging ceilings. Many are still paying off last year's bills.
Respiratory infections caused by mold and mildew adversely affect the elderly and children.
Family tensions are high, and suicide and domestic violence are on the rise. Lutheran Social Services of South Dakota is managing the LDR ministries to the western South Dakota hinterlands. By these efforts, in the name of the church, real people still living in difficult storm-related circumstances are touched by God's hand. An elderly couple that had been splitting and sharing their heart medication can now fill both prescriptions. People who haven't even eaten breakfast cereal for three or more years are now doing so.