July 19, 2010 issue
With MDS, students put theory into practice
By Brian Pipkin Mennonite Disaster ServicePage:
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Weir, Miss. — David Hochstetler was astonished by the damage a tornado caused in this town of 500.
John Schoenhals, top, of Hesston College, and Daniel Winstanley of Canadian Mennonite University work on roof repair. — Photo by Brian Pipkin/MDS
“I have heard a lot about tornadoes, but have never seen firsthand what they are capable of,” he said. “Working on a disaster site has shown me that God has a reason for everything.”
Hochstetler was one of seven first-year students in the Disaster Management Program at Hesston (Kan.) College who came here, along with two students in Disaster Recovery Studies at Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg, Man., who spent June 24-28 here as part of an eight-week Mennonite Disaster Service internship.
Students integrated classroom studies with practical experience as they responded to the tornado that touched down in late April in Weir, killing at least 10 people.
“Interacting with homeowners puts a face, a story, and a relationship behind the disaster that you simply cannot find in any textbook,” Hochstetler said.
Interacting with survivors and witnessing the good that can come from destruction is another reason students see the program as beneficial.
“Too much news is about the bad things that take place, and to see all the good that people are capable of is excellent,” said John Schoenhals of Hesston. “It broadens your perspective and gives you an entirely different view of people and the world.”
Building relationships with homeowners is crucial, said Darin Bontrager of Hesston.
“Their stories come alive when you sit down and talk with them,” he said. “I feel like I experienced part of the storm as well.”
He valued seeing their responses to the MDS team’s work.
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