OVERVIEW

A new team of Scientology Volunteer Ministers arriving in India to join ongoing disaster relief efforts

A typical village in need of aid

As communities attempt to rebuild after the tsunami, the Volunteer Minister (VM) teams in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand are increasingly moving onto the next phase—helping in the process of reconstruction.

India

So far in India, the VMs have ministered more than 1,000 assists and—even more important—have trained several hundred others in how to give them, including a group of Tibetan Buddhist monks.

The Volunteer Ministers’ headquarters in India is Chennai (formerly Madras), from which they have been sending out teams to other parts of the east coast. About two hundred kilometers from Chennai is the town of Cuddalore, where a VM team from South Africa has been working through a local Rotary Club to train local people to give assists. These residents will now visit the 40-50 villages in the area to provide help and succor where it is needed.

Another 200 kilometers beyond Cuddalore is the town of Nagapattinam, where a team of Scottish and Indian VMs are working. The drive to this region is long and hot, replete with mosquitoes, sand flies and dust. There is severe damage in the town. VM relief teams have been operating in the area giving assists, but with the emphasis on training others.

A further team of British VMs has been traveling to villages in the region. Typically, they found many distraught people in the villages, which were in need of major cleanup. In one village, the tsunami had thrown fishing boats onto the dock. There was no salvage effort underway to return the boats to the water. The VMs worked for several hours with some of the local people, ministering assists and other help, with the result that many started to resume the activities on which they depend for their survival.

If you can help with donations or wish to volunteer time, call (323) 960-1949 or 1-800-435-7498 or e-mail vm@volunteerministers.org

For more information: Scientology Volunteer Ministers News

1. Assists are techniques developed by L. Ron Hubbard. They operate on the principle that one tends to withdraw mentally or spiritually from an injured area. Only by restoring communication with this area can one bring the spiritual element into healing, thereby greatly speeding the healing process. Assists are used to alleviate stress and physical aches and pains, or to orient a confused or distraught individual to his present environment.