When Canadians think of natural disasters—the kinds Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) responds to—they typically think of the southern U.S. or California. That’s not surprising says Nick Hamm, who coordinates MDS Canada’s efforts in...
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Lynn Lavictoire-Johnson wasn’t home when the water started rising on the Ottawa River last spring. The 62-year-old widow was visiting her sister in B.C. when she heard her house was in danger. Friends and neighbours, including members of the nearby...
“I have hands. I can work. I can help my neighbours.” That’s what Kevin Shantz, a roofing contractor from Drayton, Ont. says about why he serves with Mennonite Disaster Service every winter when work at home is slow. For him, the idea of...
“We are fortunate and blessed, and can give back to help others,” says Jeanne Wollf of Hague, Saskatchewan about why she and her husband, Dave, serve with Mennonite Disaster Service. Now in their late fifties, the couple has more time to do...
For Wes Reimer, a carpenter in Plum Coulee, Man. service with Mennonite Disaster Service is a way to “use my God-given gifts. It’s something I can do.” Wes and his wife, Ashley, were in Texas with MDS in February with their three young boys....
MDS volunteer Gary Martin, 16, at work at a house in Renfrew County. Work in the area has been enhanced by a grant from the Canadian Red Cross. Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) Canada’s efforts to assist people whose homes were damaged...
“A great way to spend retirement years” ELMIRA, Ont. — “It’s a real blessing to help someone and see hope come back into their eyes.” That’s one of the main reasons Karen Martin of Elmira, Ont. does service with Mennonite Disaster...
“We came as strangers. We leave as friends.” That’s what project director Peter Thiessen said at the October 2 closing celebration of the Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) project in Grand Forks, B.C. Before the flood, he said, Grand Forks was...
For Jan Joyce, serving as a volunteer with Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) is like being part of a military operation. And Joyce, 62, should know—she spent 20 years in the Royal Canadian Air Force. Driving in the hills above the town, she counts...
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