Mennonite Disaster Service

MDS Podcast Episode #15 - Paul Unruh

Paul Unruh started responding to disaster in 1993, on the Mississippi Flood Corridor, sent by his boss at a psychiatric hospital because Mennonite Disaster Service needed

MDS Podcast Episode #14 - Herb Hoover

One of the most richly story-filled episodes yet, host Gloria Nussbaum sat down with Herb Hoover to talk about his life of service. Herbert Hoover has been serving with M

MDS Podcast Episode #13 - Henry Warkentin

Host Gloria Nussbaum sits down with Henry Warkentin, former Chairman of MDS Canada, whose service began at 23 when he helped a neighbor recovering from a back injury. Tha

MDS Podcast Episode #12 - Gord Friesen

Host Gloria Nussbaum sits down with Gord Friesen from Winnipeg, Manitoba, for a conversation that spans more than seven decades of MDS history.Gord's connection to disast

MDS Podcast Episode #11 - Clete Yoder

After retiring from a career designing power plants, Clete Yoder took one trip to Mississippi with a friend to help rebuild a home -- and never really stopped. Host Glor

MDS Podcast Episode #10 - Bill Mast

Interviewer Gloria Nussbaum sits down with Bill Mast, a volunteer whose connection to disaster response goes back further than MDS itself. Bill was nine years old when a

MDS Podcast Episode #9 - Abe Ens

In this episode, Gloria Nussbaum sits down with Abe Ens of Winkler, Manitoba, whose connection to Mennonite Disaster Service stretches back to its earliest years. Abe sha

MDS Podcast Episode #08 - Don Mintmier

It started with a free trip to Alaska through a Mennonite church. What followed was 13 years, 44 project sites, and a life of service that took Don Mintmier from the coas

MDS Podcast Episode #7 - Frank Hoover

When interviewer Gloria Nussbaum asked Frank Hoover what he received from his decades of service with Mennonite Disaster Service, his answer was immediate: "Way more than

MDS podcast episode #6- Esther McCoy

Esther McCoy of Manheim, Pennsylvania, after learning about Mennonite Disaster Service 30 years ago, went on to serve alongside her husband Bill for 20 years, from 1995 t

MDS Podcast Episode #5 - Don and Rachel Horst

Don and Rachel Horst of Newton, Kansas have been showing up for people in their worst moments for nearly five decades. First responding to the Big Thompson Canyon flood i

MDS Podcast Episode #4 - Denis Sabourin

“MDS changes lives.” On February 10, 2023 in Lancaster, PA Gloria Nussbaum met with Sabourin of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Denis talks about his faith journey, how he came to kn

MDS Podcast Episode #3 - Tom Smucker (Former Executive Director of MDS)

On November 18, 2024, Gloria Nussbaum sits down with Tom Smucker of Sterling, Ohio, former Executive Director of Mennonite Disaster Service, to reflect on a lifetime of r

MDS Podcast Episode #2 - Steve and Connie Caucci

Meet Steve and Connie Caucci from Duette, Florida. Listen to them recall hurricane Ian, their experience in the storm, and how they came in contact with MDS.“I never thou

MDS Podcast Episode #1 - Jerry Grosh (Interim Director of Operations)

Gloria Nussbaum interviews Jerry Grosh, Interim Director of Operations with MDS. Jerry shares how he was introduced to MDS, his first experience serving in Alabama after