Charlie, a 14-year-old chihuahua, was sunning himself in the front yard. His owner, Kaylin Bertelsen, led the way past him into her damaged home in Planada. In a tumble of words, she recalled the night of Jan. 9, 2023, when floodwaters overtook her...
“We didn’t think we were going to be eligible.” That’s what Owen Collings said of federal government grants for wildfire survivors in his village — people who had lost their homes to the Lytton Creek Fire in 2021. Mennonite Disaster Service...
“The poorest of the poor,” they told us. We agreed to go with MDS to Puerto Rico to help roof houses that had been damaged by Hurricane Marie over seven years ago. I went thinking that our accommodations would not be up to the standards of many...
Juan Pablo Plaza prays for wisdom every day. As a husband, a father of two young girls, and a pastor for the Conexion Church of the Brethren in Pasadena, California, he’s trying to care for a lot of people. Plaza lost his home—a parsonage...
Snowdrifts of ash, an acrid smell, a lung-burning toxic cocktail hanging in the air. After the Eaton Fire devastated communities in California’s San Gabriel Valley, the interior of the Pasadena Mennonite Church building was unrecognizable...
Anne Tipton was pointing out normal, everyday parts of her home. “I sat in that chair and did a puzzle. There was the ironing board. Those were our camp chairs.” But her home is now made up of ashes, and her belongings so burnt they’re...
Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) is mourning the eternal homecoming and celebrating the life and legacy of Lowell Detweiler, who died on March 1, 2025. He was an influential and beloved member of the MDS community of leaders. His career spanned...
During the Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) Annual Celebration in Wichita, Kansas, two yearlong MDS volunteers, Jonathon Shirk Snyder and Katie Snyder shared their perspectives on how young people view service—and why, more than ever, how it adds...
There’s a house—and a lot of hope—going up at the local 4-H Hall in Wichita, Kansas. Groups of volunteers from Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS), in town for a special 75th anniversary celebration being held at the Ridgepoint Church, were...
Sign up to learn how you can help support MDS and receive the latest updates on our work.
