Emotional and Spiritual Care

Following the devastation of this year's Joplin tornado that stripped nearly 1/3 of the city, our partner, The Salvation Army, set up a help-tent for victims of the disaster. The tent provided food, hydration, gift cards for gas and temporary lodging, free cell phones, massage therapists, and chiropractors who donated their time to the survivors. Hope Force International has had a signed MOU with the Salvation Army since 2006, which allows for collaborative partnership projects in many arenas, such as disaster response and training.

As a Disaster Chaplain, we used the tent as a central meeting place for survivors to get practical help, and tell their amazing stories. There, I met Mike, introduced myself, and asked if I could talk with him. He agreed, and with a bit of prompting, began to tell his amazing story of survival.

He explained that his former home was right across the street. Following an invitation to come and look, I stepped through the broken doorway of Mike's home. All around, foundations stood buried in debris. Mike pointed to the tattered and water-soaked couch where he had slept the past week. Above, sky showed through what was left of the roof. Mike then showed me the back door opening. He explained that as the tornado barreled toward his home, he fell on top of his girlfriend, protecting her with his bare back from the oncoming debris. Winds drove large timbers, sheets of metal and tree branches into the doorway, where it all became tangled and stuck.

The mess stopped a few inches short of his bare back. He would have been killed instantly, had the debris come further in. "I'd say that was a miracle, Mike, what do you think?" I asked him. "I'm not much on religion," replied Mike, "but I'd say that was absolutely a miracle." I asked if I could pray for him, and he immediately dropped to his knees and said, 'Please do!" After praying, we eventually were able to find temporary housing and transportation for him.

This is typical of what Disaster Chaplains and Emotional/Spiritual Care Workers encounter on a regular basis with survivors. My encounter with Mike captures the essence of what this year has been like for me and many other Reservists deployed into disasters. The essence is the willingness to show up to a place where people have literally lost everything and simply be there with them: to let them tell their story, and do what's needed in practical terms. Our Chaplains and Emotional/Spiritual Care workers are trained in this "ministry of presence."

It was a banner year for disasters in the U.S and I was able to serve with our Reservists on seven deployments:

-Four times in Alabama and Georgia where over 300 tornadoes touched down in a 24-hour period, the most ever recorded. Many were in the F-4 and F-5 category, the most powerful.

-Joplin, Missouri which held the top 10 tornadoes ever recorded for loss of property and life.

-War, West Virginia, where Reservists came to repair roofs in one of the neediest parts of Appalachia.

-Hurricane Irene, in the aftermath of flooding in Vermont, Hope Force Reservists were there from the beginning to help a struggling city and their leaders to encourage the residents and re-build the city.

Our number of Reservists interested and active in emotional and spiritual care (ESC) has been growing. Roughly 120 of our 1000 reservists are improving their skills either through training or practical help in their local communities, and have gained valuable "real time" experience at disaster sites this year. We have had several Chaplains on multiple deployments, giving them a wider range of understanding of how to help, since no deployment is ever the same.

We would like to welcome more of you to come and work as Chaplains and ESC Workers in the upcoming year. Our desire is to go and help those in desperate need, and to be a blessing to those we touch. The real blessing, though, comes to us, the workers, as we are truly blessed by the people we minister to through their acts of faith, resilience and trust. The giver of blessings is usually the one who receives the most!

If you would like to get some additional training in this area, please feel free to e-mail me for assistance and I will navigate you through some practical next steps.