“What is this ‘Trauma Care’ that you talk about so much?” The question was posed by one of the homeowners at our Hurricane Ian Response in Florida. Katrina Welch, our Trauma Care Director, told her that Trauma Care is coming alongside hurting people, letting them share their stories, process their experiences, and helping them turn toward God in their time of crisis. “That’s what you’ve been doing for me!” was the homeowner’s response. Yes, indeed!
This is what Reach Global Crisis Response workers and volunteers are always trying to do as we work with hurting people around the world. We call these “Healing Conversations” because God truly uses them to bring help, hope and healing to people in need.
What does Trauma Care Involve?
Traumatic experiences affect people in many ways. The most obvious impact is often physical, but people’s minds, hearts and relationships are also affected. To care for people well, it is important to address all their needs. That is what the ReachGlobal Crisis Response Trauma Care Team is all about!
Helping people understand the wide range of mental and emotional responses typical for people in crisis is a huge help. Mental confusion, mood swings, relational conflict, sleeplessness, and even depression are common. When we share these thoughts with hurting people they often respond, “I thought I was going crazy!”, but truly they are not, they are just human.
Healing conversations are the primary tool that Reach Global Crisis Response workers use to help ease the impact of trauma in the lives of those we meet. The sooner people in crisis can talk about their experiences, the less likely they are to experience long term mental and emotional impact. Healing conversations invite people to process their experiences by telling their stories in a way that helps them order their thinking and understand their emotional responses. These are the first steps toward healing.
Of course, we also stay alert for opportunities to point hurting people toward Jesus, the ultimate source of our help, hope and healing. By sharing our own lives and experiences with others, we gently point people in need to the One who can meet all of their needs – physical, emotional, and spiritual.
What forms does a Trauma Care ministry take?
One-on-One: Bob and I have had many treasured experiences working alongside homeowners as they sort through the wreckage of a disaster or talk through the impact of a crisis. As hard as these experiences are, they build bonds and open doors to deeper things – including healing conversations. Some connections you make in a crisis are lasting, and many conversations are ongoing, leading to opportunities to share the Gospel or to grow in Christ together.
Trauma Training: As a Trauma Care Associate for ReachGlobal Crisis Response, I have come alongside Katrina to learn, and now to present a training that we call “Basic Trauma Care”. We share this training at conferences, in local churches, with teams serving at response sites, and even live online. The principles of Trauma Care and the skills used in Healing Conversations apply to large-scale disasters and individual situations. Anywhere people are hurting, coming alongside to have a healing conversation can make a huge difference!
Bible Studies: “I felt like I was all alone, but now I know others who understand.” We hear these words every time we do a Beyond Disaster study group. Opening the pages of a simple study guide, people learn about the emotional and spiritual impact of disaster, and they are pointed to the comfort and hope of God. Then, using our own materials, Jesus our Help, Hope and Healing, we take people into the pages of God’s word to see Jesus touching the lives of hurting people. It is a joy to see men and women grow closer to God as they see the compassion of Jesus and encounter Him personally through His word!
I love the opportunity I have to serve God by coming alongside people in crisis, but I also love that the things I am learning are helping me have better conversations with friends and family members. This is a priceless gift that I would be delighted to share with you! Let me know if you’d like to learn more!
In Christ,
Gail
P.S. If you would like to be on our frequent pray-ers team and get more frequent updates by email, send a note to rjdegray@gmail.com, (Bob) gsdegray@gmail.com (Gail) or comment on this post. If you would like to support our ministry financially, visit Giving: Bob and Gail DeGray. As part of our transition to long term ministry, we need to meet our monthly support goal, and we’re still about $1200 a month short. Any monthly gift, even a small one, would be greatly appreciated.