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...
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 Kevin and Teresa Bueckert of Neuanlage, Saskatchewan, service with MDS is a way to experience new things, see new places, learn new things. For Teresa, a school bus driver and vehicle detailer, service in Texas in February found her using an air...
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...
On October 25 Saipan took a direct hit from one of the strongest typhoons (hurricanes) ever recorded to make landfall, at over 180 mph. Many homes were damaged or destroyed, but we have since heard that many or most of the MDS-built houses survived...
William Stutzman A quick introduction. I, William, am “Bill”. My left-handed uncle Merle is the one called “Lefty”. “A hurricane’s tempest contains an ocean’s worth of water.” In late August of 2017 Hurricane...
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