I have recently returned from our annual Network meeting in Houston.  We gathered on Thursday, May 2, for presentations from both President Rob Radtke and Esther Cohen, the Chief Operating Officer. We’re in great shape financially and continue to receive high ratings from both the Better Business Bureau and Charity Navigator.  Our Opening Eucharist and Banquet were at Trinity Episcopal Church in midtown Houston, one of the most beautiful churches I’ve seen.  The Rev’d Genevieve Razim hosted us and The Rev’d Joann Saylors was our preacher; both were originally from our diocese and both are now canons in the Diocese of Texas!

Friday’s time together was spent in learning more about our programs and the new emphasis we have: Women, Children and Climate Resiliency, and the new branding which we feel underscores these programs: Working Together for Lasting Change. We will be launching another special campaign in September similar to the Nets for Life campaign of a number of years ago.  But more about that in September!

On Saturday morning, after an overview of our domestic disaster program from Katie Mears, we boarded buses and headed out to see for ourselves the work that Episcopal Relief & Development continues to do in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.  First stop was San Pablo (St. Paul’s) Episcopal Church in Houston.  We learned that disaster recovery isn’t just the physical rebuilding of homes and business; there’s also a need for emotional and spiritual recovery, and that’s where we came in – to underwrite the cost of a Behavioral Health Specialist to assist with post hurricane counseling.  Vicar Ed Gomez offers spiritual counseling as well. Both of these services are an important part of the ministry of this small community.  “Small World” connection: Fr. Ed baptized Fr. Fabian Villalobos’ nephew!

After a delicious Salvadorian lunch at San Pablo, we got back on the buses and went to the small Rosharon community of Cambodian Refugees who were drastically affected by Hurricane Harvey.  This community’s principal livelihood is growing water spinach, a semi-aquatic, tropical plant grown as a vegetable for its tender shoots and leaves and a basic ingredient in much Asian cooking.  It’s usually grown in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world.  In Brazoria County (where this community is) the plants need the protection of greenhouses; Hurricane Harvey not only destroyed most of the trailer houses but also these much-needed greenhouses. Episcopal Relief & Development has been working closely with the Mosaic Church Campus of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church Pearland there in Rosharon to help with the rebuilding.   Together with the residents new homes – raised in anticipation of future flooding – are being built as well as new greenhouses.  Roads in the community are still muddy and deeply rutted, but recovery takes time, and in time they too will be repaired.

So what can you do when you learn about a disaster and want to help?   Episcopal Relief & Development partners with local dioceses to work with local parishes all over the world to meet the needs of the most vulnerable people in the wake of a disaster.  In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, we are working in a joint collaboration with the Diocese of Texas.  If you would like to volunteer in this recovery work, volunteers are still needed; obviously the more skills you have, the better but they can use any unskilled adult in this meaningful work.  The suggestion was made to take classes at Home Depot to learn some of these skills! Go to episcopalrelief.org/what-you-can-do/volunteer to find what is needed and where, and to sign up.

Thank you for all you do as we are Working Together For Lasting Change.