I had never seen such devastation. I walked past the policemen and showed my Red Cross ID. An officer smiled and nodded as he gave me clearance to enter one of the hardest hit areas by tornadoes. His face looked tired, and I suspected that he had been working all day. What used to be rows and rows of trailer homes now looked like a dump. On the first street I drove down, there were some steps leading up to the only thing left standing in that area, a door frame. The house that used to be attached to the door frame had been leveled by the tornado. Pieces were left everywhere, and there was no way to tell where one house ended and the next began. As I peered through the wooden frame, I was struck by the morbid reality that the same open door that once served as a sign of hospitality and warmth was now an entrance into what became a fatal trap for many.

It had been nearly a week since the deadly tornadoes struck central Florida. Some residents were there trying to rummage through the wreckage to find valuables or pictures to salvage before the tractors came to sweep the entire area. Authorities had determined that everyone was accounted for and that the only possible step was to go through the trailer park as if they were cleaning out a junkyard. We could hardly imagine what the next day would be like for the residents. Some stayed with friends or in nearby hotels so they wouldn’t have to witness the destruction of what was left of their homes. Others lined the street in silent reverence watching the last of their homes taken away as they said their last goodbyes to neighbors or relatives who had lost their lives.

As I looked at the hurt faces of these people, I knew that they needed food, clothing, shelter, and medical supplies to start their recovery. But he also knew that they needed something more. They needed an empathetic smile. They needed someone to listen. They needed to know that there was something beyond the nightmare that had just destroyed everything they had in this life. They needed hope. Thousands of volunteers mobilize each year to respond to crisis situations and disasters. Looking at the headlines, it’s not hard to see the need. The Caribbean has been devastated by Hurricane Georges, leaving hundreds dead and islands destroyed. Sudan is facing the staggering reality of war, drought and famine as 2.6 million people lack the food they need to survive.

Many people can only look at the headlines for so long until they feel compelled to respond. People want to do something. They volunteer for agencies like World Relief, the American Red Cross, or the Salvation Army. They help collect and distribute food, assess disaster damage, provide shelter, and ensure people have the basics they need for their daily lives. As I rubbed shoulders with these volunteers and victims of the disaster, a passion began to burn within me. I just caught a glimpse of the incredible opportunity we have as a church. If there is any group that responds to the needs of those who suffer, it must be the bride of Christ.

We should be living the life of mercy and love that was modeled through Christ himself. We should be the ones mobilizing volunteers, giving others the opportunity to meet someone’s physical needs in a disaster or crisis situation, and empowering people to show Christ. love to a world that is so desperately hurt. The Bible tells us not to do good to those who deserve it when it is in [our] power to act (Prov. 3:27). As a church, we have the power to act. As Christian counselors, they have the power to train people in the skills necessary to more effectively minister to people in a traumatic situation. God has given each of us individual gifts to prepare God’s people for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up (Ephesians 4:12). By training volunteers, you are using the gifts God has given you to prepare others and build up the body of Christ through acts of mercy and compassion.

No volunteer will be able to cover the full scope of psychological recovery that could occur in long-term counselling. However, the first steps toward recovery can come from a trained volunteer who can provide a healing word, a comforting touch, and a loving, compassionate face. She can use her counseling experience and skills in some of the following ways to prepare and mobilize volunteers:

*Communicate the need for volunteers*
As a Christian counselor, you can effectively articulate the emotional and personal effects a disaster or traumatic event has on people. By explaining the cold reality of pain and anguish, he can motivate people to be a comfort and support to others in times of desperate need. You can let potential volunteers know that they don’t need a background in professional counseling to help with basic needs and demonstrate care and concern for crisis victims.

*Prepare volunteers for the tragedy*
Volunteers need to know the worst case scenarios of what to expect when entering a situation. You want to prepare them in a way that decreases the risk of secondary trauma. If volunteers are personally devastated or overwhelmed by the trauma and pain they see, it will prevent them from comforting and helping others. You can prepare volunteers by sharing the statistics of the tragedy with them, showing them photos or videos of the damage, and providing personal accounts of the type of trauma faced by those in the situation.

*Provide volunteers with Practical Guidelines for Caregiving*
You can train volunteers in ways to give those who suffer comfort, hope, and guidance in their recovery. Volunteers need to know when it is acceptable to touch someone in a comforting way, how much information to communicate about the well-being of others in the tragedy, and when and how to refer a person for professional help. Many organizations and response teams, such as the American Red Cross, train volunteers in these basic principles of crisis intervention.

*Teach volunteers basic listening skills*
One of the most confusing topics for a volunteer can be knowing how much to talk and how much to listen. You can educate volunteers on the most effective ways to be sources of encouragement and provide listening ears to those who are just beginning their recovery process. Brief Volunteers During and After the Experience By maintaining a dialogue with volunteers throughout the time they are serving, you can help intervene in issues they may be dealing with. You can be proactive in helping them identify and deal with compassion fatigue. It can also be a constant reminder to take care of yourself while taking care of other people. After the experience, you will play a vital role in facilitating your volunteers to return to their own lives. Transition is critical to determining whether or not a volunteer has a positive experience and would like to volunteer again at a later time. Personally, it can explain the many emotions, pain, and feelings of helplessness they may feel when they return to their daily routines. When I returned home from my experience volunteering with the central Florida tornadoes, the image of a woman stood out in my mind. Her house had once stood on a spacious wooded lot. Now only a few foundations remained and rubble scattered throughout the area. The morning after the tornado struck, she recovered a kitchen chair that was still intact. When I met her, she was sitting in the middle of the rubble, hugging her little dog, rocking slowly from side to side.

I had a couple of kids that would run and play in the piles while trying to dig for their toys. The woman was in shock and numb to everything around her.

I tried to talk to her and wanted to know if she and her family had received the help they needed from the Red Cross. Other family members soon arrived to care for the children, but her mother just sat there, rocking, staring into space. I left for a while, vowing to come back again. I went back several times that day to check on the woman and the state of her family. My efforts felt so futile. I was just a volunteer trying to help, and I didn’t have any professional counseling skills. The damage and pain seemed overwhelming. I couldn’t even begin to scratch the surface of all these necessary people. At the end of the day, I stopped for the last time before heading to another sight. I was walking away when the woman’s sister stopped me. She came over and took my hand. When I stopped and turned to her, the tender look in her eyes was more than enough to communicate her gratitude. She then whispered the words: You have truly shown us the love of Jesus Christ. My eyes fill with tears. Little did she know that that was my main purpose for being there.