With the sheer quantity of devastation left by Typhoon Durian, the Scientology Disaster Relief Team in the Philippines realized they simply could not reach every person who needs help. Not by themselves. It was going to take a lot more people trained in Scientology assist* technology to be able to make a dent in the misery they saw around them.
 | | Scientology Volunteer Ministers working one-on-one with people at an evacuation center in the Philippines. |
Fortunately the team members, comprised mainly of volunteers from the Scientology Mission of Manila and Scientology churches in Australia, are experienced at mobilizing large groups of people to help one another. The Australian volunteers applied that same strategy in Yogyakarta, Indonesia earlier this year following the earthquake that hit that area.
 | | Scientology Volunteer Ministers with their new friends, at an evacuation center in the Philippines. |
With letters of support from the Governor's Office and the Department of Health authorizing them to give one-on-one help and train people in Scientology assist technology and Dianetics* techniques, they immediately started setting up and delivering seminars to health care personnel and others who want to help.
"The plan for today was to shift gears and get more training
seminars happening so that a LOT of assists can be delivered to the people in the entire region," said the leader of the Scientology Disaster Relief Team.
They started at the Banang Evac Center, where they had begun training people in assists the day before. The people there were very happy to have the VMs back. The "Civil Instructor," the health care official responsible for training nurses, asked for an assist seminar for the following day, happy that the team was there, to provide "long term assistance and therapy that will help people recover and rebuild their lives."
Then, at the request of the director of the psycho-social intervention program, the Volunteer Ministers briefed the village chief who heads disaster relief for the region. He too wanted seminars in assists and Dianetics and they set this up as well.
The next day they began the training. First was the assist seminar in the evac center. A space had been set up in the center, but so many people wanted to attend that it spread out onto the grass outside. There were 18 nursing students and many local residents — even children. They learned the techniques and used them on one another. At the start of the training session, the group, still traumatized by the disaster they'd just lived through, were somber and reserved. By the end, people were laughing; everyone was enthusiastic. The nurses did not want to stop. They kept grabbing children from all around the center and giving them assists. "It calmed down the entire area," said one of the volunteers. "It was amazing to see and feel."
"One three-year-old boy was hanging around," the volunteer continued. "He wasn't laughing or joining in with the other kids and was quite solemn. He didn't talk or smile. He watched closely as the VMs taught the nurses and other residents to do the assists. Then he came over, laid down on the mat and closed his eyes as if is to say 'OK my turn!' but still without saying a single word. One of the VMs asked him if he would like an assist. He just nodded and the assist began. At first he looked like he was in a lot of pain — grimacing, frowning, tightly clenching his fists. But at the end of the assist he relaxed, opened his eyes, smiled and gave the VM a big hug! Those are the stories that make this all worthwhile."
Help is needed in the form of more volunteers and funds to support those on the ground. If you can help the Scientology Volunteer Ministers in the Philippines, contact the International Volunteer Ministers Coordinator at vm@volunteerministers.org
*Assists: Developed by L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the Scientology religion, assists can be used by anyone to help people who are ill, distraught or injured. Assists do not take the place of medical attention but aid it by addressing the emotional and spiritual side of the trauma.
*Dianetics: Dianetics spiritual healing technology addresses and handles the effects of the spirit on the body and can alleviate such things as unwanted sensations and emotions, accidents, injuries and psychosomatic illnesses (ones that are caused or aggravated by mental stress). Dianetics means "through the soul" (from Greek dia, through, and nous, soul). It is further defined as "what the soul is doing to the body."
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