It’s been more than two months since 19-year old Hannah VanDuzee, a Brockport High School graduate, experienced first-hand the devastating earthquake that hit Nepal on April 25.
Her mother, Marilyn, says Hannah returned home to Western New York in mid-May and is doing well.
“She looked really wonderful,” Marilyn says, recalling how Hannah appeared when Marilyn and her husband, Matt, picked up their daughter in Maine.
Hannah traveled to Nepal early this past spring as a team member of Youth With A Mission (YWAM). She was in Pokhara when the earthquake hit. The area is rural, but a village to which Hannah’s group had traveled was completely destroyed.
Following the earthquake, Hannah’s group assisted victims any way they could.
“She has matured so much,” Marilyn says of her daughter, following the experience. “She is so appreciative of everything she has and of all we do for her. She tells us she has grown so much from the experience and learned more about herself and who she is.”
The experience has also had an impact on the entire VanDuzee family. “I know I would definitely love to do a mission trip to Nepal,” Marilyn says, and adds she has an older daughter who feels the same.
Such a trip would be down the road, but Hannah’s experience “provided encouragement for all of us,” Marilyn says.
She says it is likely more mission work is also in the future for Hannah, but right now she will focus on her college education.
Hannah plans to attend Roberts Wesleyan College in the fall and will prepare for a career in photo journalism.
