“Thank God the trees that fell on my house really kept the whole house from blowing away,” said Francisco Rios. “Thank God the volunteers are here to help.” The volunteers—from Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS)—are helping Rios demolish...
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“God’s handiwork.” That’s how Heather Nesler sums up the connections that brought Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) to help people in tornado-stricken Mayfield, Kentucky. Nesler, who grew up in Mayfield and still lives there with her...
On a freezing January morning in the tornado-ravaged town of Mayfield, Justin Weaver was picking through memories. Weaver—joining Jim and Phil Eicher, two longtime friends from Berne, Indiana—drove from his home in White Pigeon, Michigan, to...
Story by Theresa Schmidt for KPLC News 7 Lake Charles, LA (KPLC) – Many in Southwest Louisiana are still struggling to recover from Hurricane Laura and the disasters that followed. A collaboration between Mennonites and Amish, along with...
Volunteers from Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) are on the ground in tornado-ravaged areas of Kentucky, focusing on cleanup as well as plans for a long-term response. In the Mayfield area—badly damaged during the Dec. 10 tornado—MDS volunteers...
Story by Kalea Anderson for NBC WSPD 6 Local News MAYFIELD, KY — Some in Mayfield are moving on to the rebuilding phase after an EF-4 tornado ripped through neighborhoods. Now, thanks to help from Homes and Hope for Kentucky, they don’t have...
Blue tarp after blue tarp. That’s the view for weary residents in the city of Lake Charles, Louisiana, after they’ve been through disaster on top of disaster. Hurricane Laura made landfall on Aug. 27, 2020 just south of Lake Charles, as a...
After volunteering for Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) for nearly 17 years, this year Cheryl Mast is thankful to be on the receiving end. Mast coordinates outdoor education programs for the 360-acre Amigo Centre in southern Michigan, which offers...
The sixth grader tightened the grip on her purse as I approached. The purse was made of pink overlapping sequins. At its top, a unicorn’s horn emerged. A strap secured it around her neck. Amongst this group of older white men, it provided...
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