Scientology Volunteer Ministers Who Were There

Over the past 18 months, the world has been shaken by natural disasters never before seen by this generation; from the South Asian tsunami to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Pakistani earthquake to the cyclone in Northern Australia. Never before has help been so vitally needed and never before have so many people been willing to give up their time to help their fellow man. This was made clear when thousands of volunteers from all over the world arrived at the tsunami affected areas last year offering their help.

Sisters Alissa and Sarah Sears from Santa Barbara, California, are active Scientology Volunteer Ministers [http://www.volunteerministers.org]. This is the first of two stories on their experiences over the past year.

Alissa’s story:

Just five days after the tsunami, we arrived in Colombo in Sri Lanka and were met by a team of Scientology Volunteer Ministers. Having spent a lot of time in Sri Lanka over the past few years, I was shocked to see the state of this national disaster, over 1,000,000 homeless and much of the coastline in rubble. Over the next five months, we led relief efforts throughout the country focusing on training of local teams in Assists , organizational skills, educational methods, and Dianetics techniques; we built over 600 tents; administered first aid procedures and helped to coordinate the distribution of relief aid so the people of Sri Lanka could begin to overcome the trauma and rebuild their lives. In all, we were able to reach over 35,000 people, each with their own tragic story.

Merrill Perera, an elderly teacher and community leader, said that once the Volunteer Ministers arrived and he was able to receive the training to help others, he finally felt like a human being. He said that for the first time in his life he was able to effectively help the people of his country. A teacher in the northern regions told me that she now felt as though she could effectively help her students to create a better future, now that they had L. Ron Hubbard’s study methods.

Throughout our time in Sri Lanka, we were fortunate to work with local and international Rotary Clubs, Lions Clubs, police, teachers, and business, religious and community leaders. The people we worked with in Sri Lanka survived and continued to rebuild their lives with an unparalleled determination and resiliency.

For me, the most incredible sight was the restoration of the ability to help, on a local and international scale: children who once screamed at the thought of going near the ocean were not only able to calmly face it once again, but could now help others overcome their fear of the sea as well. I saw this with my own eyes. Community leaders who had been overwhelmed by the destruction now had the tools and support they needed to systematically rebuild their communities. I helped mothers who were completely distraught over the loss of their children. After helping them with assists and Dianetics techniques, not only were they able to get on with their lives, they were eager to help others who had lived through similar tragedies.

Sarah’s Story:

It was the realization of the impact we made to the lives of others while in Sri Lanka that inspired me to travel to Brazil where I worked with the Volunteer Minister Goodwill Tour for five months.

We met with community leaders and found that what concerns them most is the soaring rates of criminality and drug abuse, even amongst the children living on the streets. I was struck by how much these people care. They immediately saw the potential of L. Ron Hubbard’s technology to salvage the lives of the people within the region.

As part of the Volunteer Ministers team in Brazil I helped train military police, civil defense personnel, teachers, directors of elderly homes and homeless shelters, and numerous others on basic communication skills, Scientology assists1, and L. Ron Hubbard study technology.

These leaders are now using what they learned and it is a joy to me to see the positive effects this is having on peoples’ lives.

L. Ron Hubbard said that “A Volunteer Minister does not shut his eyes to the pain, evil, and injustice of existence. Rather, he is trained to handle these things and help others achieve relief from them and a new personal strength as well.”

Through my experiences, both in Sri Lanka and in Brazil, I saw that the Volunteer Ministers motto is really true no matter how big or small the calamity, “Something CAN be done about it.”

Sara and Alissa participated in the first annual “Building a Better World Summit” in April 2006 at Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre International [http://www.celebritycentre.org]