Imagine receiving a call telling you to evacuate your home due to a fast-moving fire in your direction and there’s only one road out. What do you take with you? Where do you go, and how much time do you have? Such was our situation on September 4, 2011. I was in shock and had no idea what to do. 

Fortunately, the wind changed and turned the fire away from us; however, twenty-nine other families were not so lucky. Feeling guilty, I sought a way to help those who had been affected. That was how I became involved with Austin Disaster Relief Network, a network of churches in the Greater Austin area that provides physical, emotional and spiritual care to survivors affected by a disaster. 

In the months that followed, we worked closely with several families who lost their homes. I participated in training to become a shepherd, someone who would walk with a family during their time of recovery. This training was very helpful; however, I quickly realized that I needed additional guidance to better assist them with the emotional and spiritual side of what they had faced. I attended Austin Disaster Relief Network’s Critical Incident Stress Management Training and Chaplaincy Training. This additional training gave me greater confidence to help those who have experienced a disaster, as well as those facing illness, death and other personal crises outside of a disaster. 

During a disaster, the Network connects trained volunteers with survivors in a Multi-Agency Resource Center where they are taken through a process which allows them to share their story, their thoughts, how they are doing, what their needs are, and receive assurance that their feelings and emotions are normal after what they have experienced. At the end of the session, they are asked if they would like to have a church walk with them through their recovery process. A majority say “yes,” as they don’t have family nearby and are not a part of a local church. The resulting relationship is often life-changing for the survivors and the shepherds. 

While the disaster is what brings us together, it is quite common to learn that the disaster has come on top of other life-challenging situations. For example, after the tornado in Moore, Oklahoma, I was doing an intake with a family whose house had been destroyed. They had just gotten back from making funeral arrangements for the woman’s husband who had died that morning. He had been sick for some time, so they had had a lot going on emotionally for an extended time. While we can’t change someone’s circumstances, we can help them see a way forward. Having been trained as a chaplain, I was able to handle this challenging situation. 

I later took the Lifeline Chaplaincy Training and have found it equally beneficial for helping those in crisis. Whether I am in a hospital room with a patient and their family, or sitting across from a family of survivors, the emotions, questions, pain and hopelessness are very similar. I am blessed to have received the training from ADRN and Lifeline Chaplaincy which have prepared me to be an encouragement to those facing a crisis.