Susan Trask is a Volunteer Minister with the Church of Scientology of Buffalo, and she recently had the opportunity to perform a miracle. As she described it, "Tom and Kathy Pieczynski, two parishioners of the Buffalo Church, asked me to help a 17-year old girl who had been in a major car accident. When I arrived at the hospital, she was unresponsive and unconscious."

As Susan said, "After taking the girl's hand in mine, I began a Scientology assist. At first there was no response, but I kept going."

"As time went on, the girl began to respond and would let me know she had felt what I had indicated," said Susan. "I could feel her coming closer, and away, and closer. I continued the assist. And she woke up! She was there and kept hold of my hand tightly. I ended the assist. She slept well that night and woke up more alert the next day. Her father is continuing to give her assists on a daily basis."

Volunteer Ministers work side-by-side with local officials, first responders, the Red Cross, Salvation Army and other disaster relief groups to fulfill the immediate needs in times of emergency.

First announced in 1976 in an essay, "Religious Influence in Society" by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, a Volunteer Minister is someone who "helps his fellow man on a volunteer basis by restoring purpose, truth and spiritual values to the lives of others." Anyone interested in helping others can receive the free training on the techniques and become a Volunteer Minister.

Volunteer Ministers deliver spiritual assists. These are techniques developed by L. Ron Hubbard to alleviate the spiritual component of physical pain, shock and emotional trauma. Assists are used to relieve stress and physical aches and pains, or to orient a confused or distraught individual to his present environment. Thus he is able to regain calmness and stability and begin to cope with the immediate situation.