At one of the local stores in Minitonas-Bowsman, Manitoba, a local resident, Ashley,* approached a Billy Graham Rapid Response Team (BG-RRT) chaplain. Her steps were light despite the fact that her home was among the approximately 180 that flooded in mid-June during a flash flood. As she approached, her reason became clear. She expressed heartfelt gratitude for the spiritual care she had received from our crisis-trained chaplains in the aftermath of the devastation.
Ashley shared that life had already been difficult before the flood. Her husband had suffered a stroke and now lives in a care facility. Amidst is it all, the compassion and listening ears of the chaplains had meant a lot to her.
In mid-June, nearly 150 millimeters of rain fell in Minitonas-Bowsman within hours, resulting in flooding that devastated approximately 180 homes. Then in July, a second flood impacted the nearby community of Swan River, damaging around 200 homes and reflooding some homes in Minitonas. In the aftermath, our chaplains have been walking alongside residents from both Manitoba communities to address spiritual and emotional needs as they begin to recover.
At a local gas station, another chaplain struck up a conversation with the clerk, Melissa,* by asking whether she had been affected by the flood. The simple question opened the door for Melissa to share her remarkable story.
She described returning to her apartment after the flood to find overwhelming devastation—furniture covered in mud, water heaters overturned, cracked windows, and water that had risen to just inches below the ceiling.
Yet amid the destruction, she also witnessed what she believed were small miracles. Her kitchen table remained untouched, with breakfast dishes exactly where she had left them. Even more remarkably, although submerged under approximately eight feet of water, her journal was completely dry, her Bible was only slightly damp, and a treasured 1911 cut-glass toothpick holder that had belonged to her late grandmother remained safely in place on a muddy shelf.
With a smile, she reflected, “What is impossible for me is possible for God. God is bigger.”
Our chaplain had the privilege of praying with her and encouraging her as she continues the long journey of recovery.
Chaplains bring hope and healing to Ottawa
Other BG-RRT chaplains are also helping homeowners experiencing similar loss in Ottawa, Ontario. On July 1, torrential rain flooded more than 6,600 basements.
Our chaplains have been present to listen, pray, and encourage homeowners dealing with the disaster. They visited the home of a 91-year-old woman whose son, Adrian,* has been helping with the remediation of her flood-damaged home. While his mother was unable to visit, Adrian welcomed the chaplains, and what began as a brief conversation turned into nearly two hours of meaningful discussion.
He spoke openly about how he and his mother have been coping since the flood before sharing the deeper struggles within his family, describing years of ongoing dysfunction and fractured relationships. As our chaplains listened and encouraged him, a clear weight began to lift off Adrian’s shoulders. As their conversations came to an end, he gratefully accepted prayers from our chaplains.
Although he does not profess faith in Christ, Adrian responded with a heartfelt prayer of his own, thanking God and expressing gratitude for the time and care the chaplains had invested in him.
Please keep praying for families in Manitoba and Ottawa as they begin to recover. Pray for our chaplains as they share the love and peace of God who is “our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1, NKJV).
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