When distraught Fort McMurray residents returned back to their homes they weren't alone.
When distraught Fort McMurray residents returned back to their homes they weren't alone.
Okotoks resident and chaplain Holly Lafont travelled with nine other chaplains from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association to Fort McMurray at the end of June for 10 days to offer support to residents as they returned to their homes after the devastating wildfire that burned down approximately 2,400 homes.
“It was shocking when you see it for the first time,” said Lafont, who attends the Sheep River Fellowship church. “What you saw on the news didn't give it justice to the amount of devastation.”
Before leaving for Fort McMurray, Lafont was coordinating the chaplains as they left for the area.
For people who returning to no homes, or those with a home that had been abandoned for several weeks, there were a lot of emotions to sort through, Lafont said.
“They had the full range of emotions,” she said. “Some were very stoic and just said we will rebuild again. Some, on the other spectrum, had deep trauma. They are still dealing with a lot of pain, a lot of fear, a lot of sorrow, a lot of questions.”
Whatever emotions returnees were feeling, Lafont was by their side with a listening ear and some comforting words.
“We are trained to come alongside people who are experiencing trauma or grief,” she said. “We offer, comfort and spiritual support.”
Lafont said its essential that people have immediate support when they are facing trauma.
“Those first 72 hours are critical,” she said. “If people have a chance to debrief and talk to someone in that time, it has a huge impact on their future emotional and spiritual wellbeing.”
Lafont and the other chaplains worked alongside Samaritan's Purse volunteers in Fort McMurray.
“As people arrived at their property Samaritan Purse was helping sift through the ashes or if their house was still there and they needed to take a fridge or a freezer to the curb they would do that,” she said. “We were standing there by their side letting them share and offering that support.”
Lafont also works with Samaritan's Purse, coordinating Operation Christmas Child.
In 2013, when floods hit the foothills, Lafont and her husband agreed they wanted to help.
“I took some training,” she said, adding that even after the floods, she continued with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and became a chaplain.
Lafont is now working as a coordinator of the association's chaplains and is deployed herself to scenes where people need her.
Many people ask her how they can also help in times of crisis, Lafont said.
“The first thing you can do is donate,” she said. “Albertans and Canadians are so generous and have been so generous. We are donor funded so they can donate. The second thing is get involved. The Billy Graham Evangelical Association gives training on everything from how to help a neighbour to becoming a chaplain. The third thing is to pray. Pray for the people of Fort McMurray and the chaplains who go to help and the people who are responders.”
Donations can be made to billygraham.ca
