Environmental Disaster & Response

May 23 2026

by Mike McHugh “Recovery goes beyond building houses–it helps people regain lost hope and helps them preserve their history, community, and relationships” Shalom Solomon Teferi We wrapped up our time in Lahaina last weekend after working hard for two weeks…

May 23 2025

By Aysia Adkins As we come back and re-enter our lives which we left on May 1st, I’m filled with many impactful memories that have accumulated in just 20 days. It sort of doesn’t feel right to jump back into…

May 23 2025

By Lexie Coburn On May 20 we got home from our closing retreat at Camp Nacome in Tennessee where we reflected and processed our shared experiences and individual experiences we had in Selma, Alabama. Who would have thought 13 people…

May 20 2025

By Jazmin Ibarra Today is May 19th, I am sitting in a community lodge in Camp NaCoMe in Tennessee for our SST closing retreat, reflecting on my experiences and my encounters in Selma. Where can I even start? Before this…

May 19 2025

By Jacob Dixon My experience working with a crew of people that exert their best effort to make sure that other people are being cared for, has been one of the most fulfilling things that I have done all year.…

May 16 2025

By Lily Herrera The one word I want to use to describe today and for the past few days is fulfilling. This morning, May 15, I gave a devotion in front of the Mennonite Disaster Service year long volunteers and…

May 14 2025

By Judith Rangel Visit to the Legacy Museum On Saturday, May 10th, we visited The Legacy Museum in Montgomery. It was a meaningful and unforgettable day that will stay with me forever. While Mexicans/Latino stories were not discussed often, I…

May 13 2025

By Summer Cuatepotzo Perez Impactful. Speechless. Astounded. Disgust. Anger. Confusion. Sadness. None of these can describe how emotionally overwhelmed I personally felt, my physical response- tears. You ask… where in the world did you experience this? Or what happened that…

May 11 2025

By Parker Sullivan   Today, May 9, was another productive work day and the end of our first work week with MDS. Each of our three groups were working at the same separate sites as the rest of the week....

May 08 2025

By Evelyn Perez As I sit here today reflecting on my experience so far in Selma, I want to share that I’ve explored and learned many life-changing stories. Every place we have visited holds very rich and valuable voices. If...

May 06 2025

By Jaden Harris Today marked our first day of service during our trip. My group – which consisted of Hillary, Lily, Jazmin, 2 other MDS leaders, and myself – were tasked with helping the Tolbert family with repairs to their…

May 04 2025

By Carlie Lavon Webber Travel to Selma After loading the bus and traveling for a little over 2 days our Goshen College group reached Selma, Alabama. On our travels, we stopped in Mammoth Cave, Kentucky! Our group enjoyed a delicious...

Apr 30 2025

Welcome to our 2025 blog for the May term SST course “Environmental Disaster and Response with MDS”! Each year this course partners with Mennonite Disaster Service to explore first-hand the direct impact of environmental disaster on a local community, with...

May 17 2024

We spent the rest of last week working hard on the two homes we’re helping rebuild for members of the Red Lake Nation. The students are learning quickly. They have all gained a wide variety of new skills, and everyone...

May 07 2024

On the first of May we loaded up and headed north, bound for Red Lake, Minnesota, home of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians. We went to volunteer with Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS), and to learn and build relationships...

May 25 2023

This blog was written by Keren Masinga, a second year nursing major. On Wednesday afternoon, we drove 30 minutes to visit the Buffalo Ranch of Red Lake Nation. We all climbed into the back of several pick up trucks and...

May 25 2023

This blog post was written by Katie Bolander, a second year nursing major. This past Wednesday morning, we had the privilege of touring Red Lake Nation College with Whitney Spears, the Director of Admissions. Red Lake Nation College (RLNC) is...

May 19 2023

This blog post was written by Aranza Jimenez Cruz, a first year accounting major. As we arrived at what would be our work site for the next two weeks, the reality of what needed to be done settled in. The...

May 19 2023

This blog was written by Madison Miller, a recent Marine and Environmental Science graduate. Over the past couple of weeks, we have all gotten to know each other in the GC group, along with the MDS crew members and long-term...

May 19 2023

This blog was written by Laci Munger, a first-year Marine and Environmental Science major. Throughout our time with the Mennonite Disaster Service members (MDS) and living in the Red Lake Reservation, we continue to learn about the unique culture of...

May 18 2023

This blog was written by Eliza Aleman, a first year sustainability major. On Saturday we had the honor of meeting Audrianna Goodwin – a University of Minnesota graduate and researcher for the TRUTH project. Audrianna took the time to share...

May 18 2023

This blog was written by Isabella Ruiz, a second year sustainability and public health major.  When thinking of the Red Lake Nation, we’re not sure if people think about walleye, but the walleye fish population is among one of the...

May 17 2023

This blog post was written by Cameron Comadoll, a third year nursing major, and Regan Sheipline, a recent education graduate. Red Lake Nation is located in northwestern Minnesota and is federally recognized as an Indian tribe that possesses all the...

May 09 2023

We did not arrive in Red Lake with a lot of collective construction skills or experience (not including Dale). Despite this fact, in the past 48 hours, our group has laid flooring, primed and painted walls, cut trim, installed toilets,...