Dodie Lepp was 12 years old when a series of tornadoes touched down near her family’s home in Goshen, Indiana. It was her first experience with a disaster. “It was Palm Sunday, and I’ll never forget it,” she recalled. “It was just...
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What’s Evelyn Peters-Rojas been up to? She retired in April 2021 after 15 years with Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) Canada, mostly in the area of volunteer coordination, but she hasn’t retired from volunteering! She does miss the people,...
When Burton Friesen agreed to accompany Benny Penner on a Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) home visit, he didn’t know what he was getting himself into. Penner, the Atlantic Canada Unit Chair, was responding to a call for help from Truro, Nova...
Eight students received scholarships to serve with Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) across Canada this summer. Stepping away from papers and required readings, and into four weeks of service with MDS, Grace Bahula loved the opportunity to work with...
“I see [MDS] as an orchestra led by God, where all the musicians are looking at God for the next cue,” reflected Isabelle Labelle, a wildfire survivor, at the closing celebration of the Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) Shuswap Response. “What...
It’s 7:06 on a brisk August morning and Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) volunteers are lined up for a hearty buffet breakfast at North Shuswap Christian Fellowship (NSCF). Approximately 400 MDS volunteers came through the Scotch Creek, British...
Mario Cruz is a seasoned Bible camp volunteer. From dishwashing to counseling to maintenance and preaching, he touched almost every corner of camp ministry over five summers. Camp nurtured the ‘heart, soul and mind’ love for God that he had...
Roman Heuft was more than 5,000 kilometres/3,100 miles away when his community, Blind Bay, British Columbia, received a wildfire evacuation order last August. “[The news] was pretty devastating,” said Heuft, who was serving as coordinator to...
Ted Edbom came to know the North Shuswap area, British Columbia, over several decades as a Wonder Bread franchisee and Frito-Lay delivery driver. He recounts many faces, names and personalities, describing the community as close-knit, “really,...
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