Eben-Ezer sends nine to New York storm clean-up

Destruction like a ‘Third World country’: Adam Toews

July 24, 2013 | God at work in the World
By Amy Dueckman | B.C. Correspondent
Abbotsford, B.C.

Nine members of Eben-Ezer Mennonite Church in Abbotsford spent a week in New York City in May, but not as tourists. They were volunteering their time as Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) workers cleaning up damage caused by Superstorm Sandy last fall.

Pastor Artur Bergen had been considering serving with MDS for some time. When approached by local MDS coordinator Waldo Neufeld to take part in the Pastors to Projects Program, that provides pastors with travel reimbursement as an encouragement to serve on short-term work crews, Bergen felt the call to go to New York. He put an announcement in the church bulletin to ask for other volunteers and personally contacted those members he felt would have the time, interest and necessary skills to serve.

Nine men were able to go, representing a wide demographic: young adults, seniors, those working in the trades and those who had experience in flooring, framing and drywalling.

The group spent a week in Far Rockaway, a poor and underserved neighbourhood on the city’s Rockaway Peninsula. Sandy, the deadliest hurricane to hit the northeastern United States in 40 years, struck the Eastern Seaboard late last October. MDS chapters in New York and Ontario have been partnering since then to help affected residents.

The volunteers’ skills were put to good use in restoring damaged homes, many of which had seawater in the their basements. The skill and experience of the volunteers meant they finished in good time during the day, so had time in the evenings to explore the ethnically diverse community that included African American, Hispanic and Jewish residents.

Among the Eben-Ezer crew was Adam Toews, 24, who painted, installed baseboards and door casings, and hung drywall. “We always say we want to serve God and this seemed like a great opportunity,” he says, adding that the most memorable part of the experience was “probably just experiencing and seeing how very different Far Rockaway is from [suburban B.C.]. It almost seemed like a Third World country compared to what we are used to here.”

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