David finally got to ride his bike home. If this sounds like a normal activity for an elementary schooler, it’s a miracle for him. He survived, along with his parents and sister, Jones, as Hurricane Helene destroyed their house around them the...
Some weeks on a project site offer an unexpected adventure, and you never know what new friends you may make along the way. This was one of those weeks in Louisiana. Volunteers at the Point Au Chien, Louisiana project from March 8-14 found a creative...
Jessie White, in his words, was “tickled to have a house at all” after Hurricane Helene slammed into his small community, Steinhatchee, on Florida’s Gulf Coast. White, who owns a small commercial shrimping business, also inherited a sanitation...
As nine new homes were dedicated on March 17—homes for families who lost everything to Hurricane Helene in September 2024—the small town of Douglas, Georgia, generated big headlines of hope. As Douglas Mayor Tony Paulk put it, “We saw the hand...
Bluffton University student Colin Burba, 22, served with Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) in St. Louis, Missouri, because he was inspired “by the chance to serve others with my gifts that have been gifted to me by God, and the opportunity to visit...
During the Mennonite Disaster (MDS) Annual Celebration, held Feb. 27-28 in New Holland, Pennsylvania, MDS and its partners explored the theme “Working Together”—and what that means for disaster recovery. As Atlee Kaufman, a board member from...
During reading week in Canada, university students are given time to study and catch up on assignments. But this year, nine students from Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) in Winnipeg, Man. used that time not for books, but to serve others through...
What’s a “typical day” for the Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) Family Program? “Wonderful meals, age‑appropriate work (both in tasks and in the length of work periods for the children), crafts and snacks for the kids, and evenings spent...
There is deep meaning behind the name of the Hoʻōla iā Mauiakama Disaster Long Term Recovery Group on the island of Maui, Hawaii. “Hoʻōla means to rejuvenate, to give life,” explained Rhonda Alexander-Monkres, the group’s executive...
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