‘I didn’t have any hope it could be played again’
Wesley Emmelot and his wife, Maureen Parsley, lost almost everything when the Tulameen River overflowed its banks in the town of Princeton, B.C., in mid-November 2021. “There was a foot of water in the house, and the basement was filled with water and mud,” Emmelot said. Parsley, who works for Princeton’s emergency support services, was…
Mennonites, Catholics reunite Ontario family
A family separated by illness is being reunited through the joint efforts of the Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) Ontario Unit and the Roman Catholic Knights of Columbus. Through the project, Marc and Carole Jobin and their nine children will be able to live together in the same house after the family was separated three years…
MDS responds to flooding in Princeton, B.C.
“The Mennonites are coming!” That was the buzz around the town of Princeton, B.C., in early December 2021, when the first 16 Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) volunteers arrived to help residents hard hit by flooding in mid-November. People in the town are “so exhausted,” said Spencer Coyne, Princeton’s mayor. But knowing help was arriving put…
MDS calling for volunteers to help in B.C.
Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) Canada is calling for volunteers to help with cleaning out homes in Princeton, B.C. following the catastrophic flood that hit the town in mid-November. Around 20 volunteers are needed by Dec. 6 to help people in that interior community clean out their flooded homes. MDS coordinator Walter Wiebe (right) walks with…
Mennonite Disaster Service monitoring flood situation in B.C.
Winnipeg, MB—Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) is monitoring the situation in British Columbia, where torrential rains have caused flooding and mudslides that have affected many communities and residents. With the water still yet to recede, and some communities still cut off from access due to damaged or destroyed roads and bridges, “it’s too early to be…
‘If you see someone in need, you lend a hand’
For Bradley and Virginia Walker, livestock farmers in Endeavour, Sask., this year’s weather was a disaster. “The rain was so patchy,” says Bradley. “Some places got good rain; we got nothing.” The lack of rain meant they couldn’t grow enough hay to feed the 350 head of cattle on their organic beef farm. “Normally we…
Grants help people recover from disasters big and small
After a successful first two rounds of funding, Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) Canada is once again offering its Spirit of MDS Fund to Canadian congregations. Created in response to COVID-19, the Fund provided a total of 81 grants worth $206,900 in 2020-21 to help congregations and other organizations respond to needs in their communities due…
MDS unit helps couple after severe windstorm
When Bonnie Lapointe saw the damage caused by the severe windstorm that struck her southwestern Ontario property on Sept. 7, she cried. “I had never seen anything like that,” she said of all the fallen trees that littered her small acreage near Kingsbridge along the shores of Lake Huron. “Some of those trees were over…
MDS a partner in Texas rebuilding effort
Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) and Disaster Aid Ohio, in partnership with the Coastal Bend Disaster Recovery Group, dedicated the last 13 homes in the Tierra de Esperanza, or “Land of Hope,” community in Woodsboro, Texas, on May 20, bringing to completion an unprecedented three-year effort. At a dedication ceremony, held at Sainte Therese Catholic Church…
Helping ‘active faith’ across Canada
One month after its launch on Feb. 1, the 2021 Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) Canada Spirit of MDS Fund approved $54,900 in grants for 24 Canadian congregations and church-related organizations. Ten of the recipients are part of Mennonite Church Canada, seven are Mennonite Brethren churches, and there is one each from the Evangelical Mennonite Conference,…
