The response of Community Group Newtown 1 to Winter Storm Alfred.

The snow storm did a real number on our trees.  The driveway was blocked, the front and back yards were littered with big limbs.  Jan and I had managed to clear some of them, but the really large branches in the back yard had yet to be touched.  We were looking at several weekends of work to clear all of it.  But then like the cavalry riding over the hill, Hank LeMien and Mark Petersen show up, chain saws in hand.  A few minutes later, Henry and Leslie Turco came, adding another chainsaw.  With four saws humming away the entire back yard was cleared in just a few hours. 

Our neighbors, seeing all the action, joined in.  One asked, "Who are all these people?"  "They are from our church," I replied.  "They just came over to help."  "Oh, so you must have sent up some smoke signals requesting their help?" "No, that is just the way they are," I answered.  “They are from our Community Life Group."  And by lunchtime the entire yard was cleared.  There were piles of branches easily topping 6-8 feet.  We all gathered around the kitchen table and capped off the morning with a round of Newtown's "Country Store" sandwiches and thanked God for our friends and their love, noticed even by our neighbors.