Wednesday, October 15, 2025

Fwd: On the Level - MDS October, 2025



---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Michelle Stoesz, MDS Canada <ecommunications@mds.org>
Date: Wed, Oct 15, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Subject: On the Level - MDS October, 2025
To: <info@gehmanmennonitechurch.org>


October 15, 2025

Hi Friends,


Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) brings people together to be the hands and feet of Jesus. It's incredible to see volunteers from across Canada and the U.S. come together in response to disasters —often to serve people they've never met. I see God moving in powerful ways through the dedication, compassion, and unity of those who serve.


I recently joined MDS as the Admin and Weekly Volunteer Coordinator. In this role, I have the privilege of being one of the first people individuals speak with when a crisis hits. I listen to their stories as they reach out for help, and I connect with volunteers who walk through our doors, ready to serve. I also help match volunteers with service opportunities and get to witness the generosity of the MDS community. Every day, I work alongside an incredible team of staff and volunteers who are deeply committed to this mission.


Looking back, I see how God has prepared me for this role. I grew up in Kitchener, Ontario, in a Mennonite church after our family returned from Nigeria where my parents served as missionaries. I attended school there at ages nine and ten, and during that time my faith deepened. I came to understand that wherever I am, God is with me. That truth became especially meaningful through the verse that has remained important to me: "I am with you always." — Matthew 28:20.


Before coming to MDS, I worked for many years as an Early Childhood Educator, supporting the growth and development of one and two-year-olds, and encouraging parents in their parenting journey. I later served as a pastor, walking with people of all ages as we grew in faith together. Every season of my life has shaped me for where I am now.


I'm married to Conrad, and we have two young adult children. I continue to be amazed by the ways God is moving around me. I'm deeply thankful for the opportunity to serve with the MDS community.

Michelle Stoesz

Admin and Weekly Volunteer Coordinator

MDS Canada

MDS involvement at former residential school "gives hope" for the future

The former Mohawk Institute Residential School in Brantford, Ont., where youth from across Canada served in 2019 as part of a Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) summer youth project, officially opened on Sept. 30, 2025.


A total of 74 youth from Mennonite churches in Ontario and B.C. served at the former school through the project, which was a partnership between MDS Canada, the MCC Indigenous Neighbours Program, and the Woodlands Cultural Centre which operates the school as a living museum to tell the story of how residential schools impacted Indigenous people in Canada.


Click here to read more

Hope amid hardship: MDS works in remote Alaska village

Robert Pitka thinks of MDS volunteers as good workers—and good listeners, too. The tribal administrator for Toksook Bay, home to about 700 people in western Alaska, Pitka recalled when the tribal council first considered inviting MDS to help repair homes in the Nunakauuariut community, who maintain a predominately traditional diet from fishing, and hunting caribou and moose.


Click here to read more

MDS has volunteer opportunities for you!

See the full list of volunteer opportunities when you click here.

  Contact volunteer@mds.org or 

call 1-866-261-1274 with any questions or to schedule a week. 

Click here to volunteer
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MDS Canada Office

200-600 Shaftesbury Blvd

Winnipeg, MB Canada R3P 2J1


T: (204) 261-1274

T (toll free): 1-866-261-1274

F: (204) 261-1279

mdscanada@mds.org

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MDS Office in U.S.

583 Airport Road,

Lititz, PA 17543 USA


T: (717) 735-3536

T (toll free): 1-800-241-8111

F: (717) 735-0809

mdsus@mds.org

Mennonite Disaster Service Canada | 200-600 Shaftesbury Blvd | Winnipeg, MB R3P 2J1 CA

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