Tina Deshotel could have easily given up. After two hurricanes, an ice storm, and a severe flood hit Lake Charles, Louisiana—all of them during the COVID-19 pandemic—her home was in shambles. But her husband, Vernon, worried her even more. “He...
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Ms. Maura couldn’t see who was working on her new home in Hargill, Texas—but she could hear the sounds of hope. With fading vision caused by diabetes, she took her husband’s arm as they stood in front of their home, simply smiling together...
By Hillary Andrews , Rebekah Castor LAKE CHARLES, La. – Residents in tarp-covered homes and businesses anxiously await Friday’s omnibus appropriation bill vote. Louisiana’s lawmakers are pressing Congress to send more federal disaster...
Abraham Parfait is a bayou man through and through. A resident of Dulac, Louisiana, stories spilled out of him, drifting into the ears of the Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) and Storm Aid volunteers building his new house. “I’ve got two boys,...
By Theresa Schmidt Lake Charles, LA (KPLC) – In LeBleu Settlement Monday morning, it was a red-letter day for a family who wondered if they would ever get back into their home. It’s one of many homes severely damaged by Hurricane Laura. This...
By Mike Smith of The Advocate WESTLAKE — A language not usually heard in southwest Louisiana resounds through the unfinished walls of a hurricane-damaged house. A group of Amish volunteers, speaking Pennsylvania Dutch, hammer away at rebuilding it...
Jay Finkbiner was frustrated. After catching a flight from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to Corpus Christi, Texas—where he would volunteer for Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS)—he waited at baggage claim. And…no bag. “I went to the airport...
By Steven Iles of the Western Kentucky Star On Friday, Homes and Hope for Kentucky, a non-profit organization established by the Mayfield Rotary Foundation, broke ground on their first of many planned new homes in Graves County. The project’s...
The Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) Annual Celebration, held January 21-22 in Sarasota, Florida, drew nearly 400 joyful participants, some in-person and some through a livestream. Together, they reminisced, reconnected, and shared their vision for...
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