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Greetings!
Amplify!
Recently I learned four simple questions, and answers, that can be used to assess an organization—or even help us with our own lives:
What is right? Amplify!
What is wrong? Fix!
What is missing? Add!
What is confusing? Simplify!
As I think about Mennonite Disaster Service, I am drawn to the first question: What is right? There is so much to amplify.
Just a few of many recent examples…
At Powhatan Mennonite Church in Virginia, children attending Vacation Bible School are raising funds to support MDS volunteers who build bridges. To help tell the story, the children will cross a small bridge constructed especially for the occasion as they enter their gathering space. What a wonderful—and fun—way to connect faith, learning, and service.
Since Hurricane Helene struck the eastern United States in September 2024, MDS volunteers have built 34 bridges, with many more planned. These bridges are more than structures; they reconnect families to their homes and communities. Many are strong enough to support a 30-ton fire truck, providing critical access for emergency services.
In Crisfield, Maryland, MDS volunteers are helping to elevate homes threatened by recurring tidal flooding. Rather than repeatedly repairing flood-damaged houses, local partners and volunteers are working together to raise homes above future flood levels. MDS volunteers help prepare houses for elevation and then return to complete repairs, build steps and ramps, and welcome families back home.
In Matthew 10:8, Jesus instructs his disciples, “Freely you have received; freely give.” That is exactly what MDS volunteers do. They freely give their time, skills, compassion, listening ears, and faith in service to others.
So let us continue to amplify what is right. Thank you, volunteers and donors, for being part of this ministry of hope, service, and restoration.
Thanks be to God.
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