Off to Newfoundland

Many of you know that Hurricane Igor came up the eastern coast almost two weeks ago. I am not sure how many of you know the devastation that took place in many communities in its path, especially in Newfoundland. But Igor certainly left his mark.
In order to alleviate some of the suffering experienced by those affected by Igor, two ministries have been called into action. Samaritans Purse is part of the Franklin Graham ministry and its role in disasters is to help people with their property. It could be anything from stripping a home down to its foundation, or helping families carry out waterlogged furniture and some basic rebuilding. The Samaritans Purse relief truck arrived on Wednesday of this week, you can read about this at 


http://www.samaritanspurse.ca/ourwork/reliefwork/newfoundland/default.aspx


The other ministry going in to Bonavista, Newfoundland is the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team. I have been a chaplain with the BGRRT for almost three years. This is the same ministry that I went to the Olympics with earlier this year. Our role in this disaster is to meet with families in crisis as a result of their loss and trauma and minister to them.
http://www.billygraham.org/rrt_index.asp

This is a quote taken from the website:

In the spring of 2008, we saw flooding at a magnitude that we haven't seen in over 30 years. The recovery phase was our greatest challenge since we were not equipped to deal with this type of disaster. Samaritan's Purse is extremely self-sufficient, as they come with the staff, resources, and tools needed to do their job. They also recruit and coordinate all local volunteers.

We had no idea that Samaritan's Purse Disaster Relief services and the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team exist in Canada. Their disaster relief efforts provide not only the physical work to clean up people's homes, but the Rapid Response Team emotionally supports the community, allowing people to vent, or talk about their issues and problems. A lot of people are scared of church-based organizations, and they have preconceived ideas of what they would be like. It wasn't like that at all, and the community was extremely pleased with the emotional support and compassion they received.

As responders, we had no idea how draining these circumstances would be for our community. But the two organizations understood people's frustrations and met them where they were at. I would recommend to any municipality in this country facing crisis or disaster that these are two organizations you should look at.

- Jody Price, Fire Chief - Oromocto, NB

I will be flying out this Monday morning to St. John's and then making the journey north and east to Bonavista a community that was rocked by Igor. I will be serving the BGRRT for close to two weeks. I would appreciate your prayers as we reach out to hurting people. These include people who have lost their jobs, homes, vehicles and many other things.