I thought the Seattle Times did a pretty good April 6 piece on how local groups are ministering to mudslide survivors after the tragic Oso mudslide on March 22.
I especially liked this part of the story:
The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team, which was formed in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, deployed six chaplains trained to deal with crisis situations to the Oso area, said the group’s international director, Jack Munday.
“I’ve been in 14 countries where there has been a natural disaster. Everybody goes through an emotional response unlike anything they’ve ever experienced before,” he said. Often, that disaster tests their faith, he said.
“No one who goes through tragedy will ever get over it, but they will work through it,” he added. “You hear people say, ‘If I have answers to these questions, I’ll find closure.’ I don’t know what that means. Is it closing a book and now it’s over? I don’t think it’s fair to suggest closure. You just work through it. And you kind of live a life that has new normals.”
donfollis.com 