{"id":2866,"date":"2016-12-01T13:54:25","date_gmt":"2016-12-01T21:54:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/?p=2866"},"modified":"2017-10-24T05:05:44","modified_gmt":"2017-10-24T12:05:44","slug":"scientology-haiti-disaster-response-2016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/2016\/12\/scientology-haiti-disaster-response-2016\/","title":{"rendered":"Scientology Haiti Disaster Response 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"Scientology
Scientology Volunteer Ministers in Haiti after Hurricane Matthew<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Scientology Volunteer Ministers are hard at work helping remote villages pick up the pieces\u2013a very apt idiom, considering the state of utter ruin the volunteers are finding.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s some information on what the volunteers are doing:<\/p>\n

\u200b\u200bTeams of\u00a0Scientology Volunteer Ministers<\/a>\u00a0(VMs) are providing relief in Haiti in the wake Hurricane Matthew, the worst storm to hit the island nation in more than 50 years. Making landfall on October 4, Matthew killed more than a thousand in Haiti and left some 175,000 homeless.<\/p>\n

Chad, an American VM, in Haiti with the Scientology Disaster Response Team, learned of a village in a remote region near Les Cayes that needed help. He drove a team of Volunteer Ministers to the village, Les Bois, over treacherous mountain trails.<\/p>\n

He described his first impression: \u201cThere was nothing left,\u201d he said. \u201cAll the houses and trees were flat on the ground\u2014it looked like a giant broom had swept everything away.\u201d<\/p>\n

One man approached Chad for help\u2014his house was destroyed by the storm. \u201cIt was completely removed from its foundation,\u201d says Chad. The man\u2019s family of eight was living in a shack, put together with mismatched metal roofing and branches, scraps of sheet metal, trees and tarps\u2014whatever was found in the area. \u201cHe and his family were devastated.\u201d<\/p>\n

The VMs immediately set to work, salvaging nails and lumber and cutting boards from trees that were felled by the storm. For three days throughout the daylight hours, the team of eight Volunteer Ministers worked to create a new home for the family.<\/p>\n

A veteran of Scientology Disaster Response, Chad was familiar with the toll a major disaster can take and he was not surprised to find most of the villagers in a state of apathy\u2014standing around in shock while the Volunteer Ministers worked. But that didn\u2019t last long. Soon villagers pitched in and then organized teams of their own to take on the cleanup of the entire village.<\/p>\n

Applying the motto of the Scientology Volunteer Ministers, that \u201cSomething\u00a0can<\/em>\u00a0be done about it,\u201d the VMs continued their work, cleaning up the village and rebuilding homes as best they could. \u201cIt was an exceptional experience to be able to build someone a home in which they could finally get some proper rest and take care of their children,\u201d said Chad.<\/p>\n

On first arriving in Haiti, Chad activated a team of\u00a0local Volunteer Ministers, trained by the Volunteer Ministers Disaster Response Team<\/a>\u00a0after the 2010 earthquake. Chad found the local volunteers are excited to be working together again to help their country.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel very good,\u201d says Stevenson, a Haitian Volunteer Minister. \u201cWhen I help, I use my heart. When I help someone, my spirituality and life feel good. Everything I do in my life\u2014I want to help someone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing able to do this has been a life-changing experience for me\u2014and for the families who lost their homes,\u201d said Chad. \u201cAnd once they get involved in the rebuilding process, the villagers are completely revitalized. Every time we arrive at a location, the villagers start helping. We are creating change in Haiti, one village, one house at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whether serving in their communities or on the other side of the world, the motto of the Scientology Volunteer Minister is \u201cSomething\u00a0can<\/em>\u00a0be done about it.\u201d The program,\u00a0created in the mid-1970s by L. Ron Hubbard<\/a>, is sponsored by the Church of Scientology International as a religious social service.<\/p>\n

\u201cA Volunteer Minister does not shut his eyes to the pain, evil and injustice of existence,\u201d wrote Mr. Hubbard. \u201cRather, he is trained to handle these things and help others achieve relief from them and new personal strength as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow does a Volunteer Minister accomplish these miracles? He uses the technology of Scientology to change conditions for the better\u2014for himself, his family, his groups, friends, associates and for Mankind.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Scientology Volunteer Ministers are hard at work helping remote villages pick up the pieces\u2013a very apt idiom, considering the state of utter ruin the volunteers are finding. Here\u2019s some information on what the volunteers are doing: \u200b\u200bTeams of\u00a0Scientology Volunteer Ministers\u00a0(VMs) are providing relief in Haiti in the wake Hurricane Matthew, the worst storm to hit […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":219,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2866","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nScientology Haiti Disaster Response 2016<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Scientology Volunteer Ministers are hard at work helping remote villages pick up the pieces--a very apt idiom, considering the state of utter ruin the\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/2016\/12\/scientology-haiti-disaster-response-2016\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Scientology Haiti Disaster Response 2016\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Scientology Volunteer Ministers are hard at work helping remote villages pick up the pieces--a very apt idiom, considering the state of utter ruin the\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/2016\/12\/scientology-haiti-disaster-response-2016\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Scientology Beliefs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-12-01T21:54:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-10-24T12:05:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.scientologynews.org\/FURL\/imagecache\/cropfit@w=447\/blob\/images\/articles\/5\/6\/56a6884d-b5ca-11e6-912e-00221930697d\/happy.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"ScientologyBeliefs\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"ScientologyBeliefs\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/2016\/12\/scientology-haiti-disaster-response-2016\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/2016\/12\/scientology-haiti-disaster-response-2016\/\",\"name\":\"Scientology Haiti Disaster Response 2016\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2016-12-01T21:54:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-10-24T12:05:44+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/#\/schema\/person\/de2d5509212ec54ab6ece4c23c7be1d3\"},\"description\":\"Scientology Volunteer Ministers are hard at work helping remote villages pick up the pieces--a very apt idiom, considering the state of utter ruin the\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/2016\/12\/scientology-haiti-disaster-response-2016\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/2016\/12\/scientology-haiti-disaster-response-2016\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/2016\/12\/scientology-haiti-disaster-response-2016\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Scientology Haiti Disaster Response 2016\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/\",\"name\":\"Scientology Beliefs\",\"description\":\"Scientologists Blogging about their Religion and Concerns\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/#\/schema\/person\/de2d5509212ec54ab6ece4c23c7be1d3\",\"name\":\"ScientologyBeliefs\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/93be1a8bd8b9da5809a7c39e5907cf69?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/93be1a8bd8b9da5809a7c39e5907cf69?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"caption\":\"ScientologyBeliefs\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/author\/lwieland\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Scientology Haiti Disaster Response 2016","description":"Scientology Volunteer Ministers are hard at work helping remote villages pick up the pieces--a very apt idiom, considering the state of utter ruin the","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/2016\/12\/scientology-haiti-disaster-response-2016\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Scientology Haiti Disaster Response 2016","og_description":"Scientology Volunteer Ministers are hard at work helping remote villages pick up the pieces--a very apt idiom, considering the state of utter ruin the","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/2016\/12\/scientology-haiti-disaster-response-2016\/","og_site_name":"Scientology Beliefs","article_published_time":"2016-12-01T21:54:25+00:00","article_modified_time":"2017-10-24T12:05:44+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.scientologynews.org\/FURL\/imagecache\/cropfit@w=447\/blob\/images\/articles\/5\/6\/56a6884d-b5ca-11e6-912e-00221930697d\/happy.jpg"}],"author":"ScientologyBeliefs","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"ScientologyBeliefs","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/2016\/12\/scientology-haiti-disaster-response-2016\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/2016\/12\/scientology-haiti-disaster-response-2016\/","name":"Scientology Haiti Disaster Response 2016","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/#website"},"datePublished":"2016-12-01T21:54:25+00:00","dateModified":"2017-10-24T12:05:44+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/#\/schema\/person\/de2d5509212ec54ab6ece4c23c7be1d3"},"description":"Scientology Volunteer Ministers are hard at work helping remote villages pick up the pieces--a very apt idiom, considering the state of utter ruin the","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/2016\/12\/scientology-haiti-disaster-response-2016\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/2016\/12\/scientology-haiti-disaster-response-2016\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/2016\/12\/scientology-haiti-disaster-response-2016\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Scientology Haiti Disaster Response 2016"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/","name":"Scientology Beliefs","description":"Scientologists Blogging about their Religion and Concerns","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/#\/schema\/person\/de2d5509212ec54ab6ece4c23c7be1d3","name":"ScientologyBeliefs","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/93be1a8bd8b9da5809a7c39e5907cf69?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/93be1a8bd8b9da5809a7c39e5907cf69?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","caption":"ScientologyBeliefs"},"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/author\/lwieland\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2866","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/219"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2866"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2866\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2866"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2866"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2866"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}