Entertainment

The Duggars Travel To The Bahamas To Help Out With Hurricane Dorian Relief Efforts

Although this celebrity family has some beliefs that might not be for everyone, it's hard to deny the Counting On clan's commitment to helping out those in need, whether they're volunteering at church or in their local government. So the Duggar family's response to Hurricane Dorian is as charity-minded as you'd expect, and it's great to see the reality stars have stepped up for a good cause.

Acting as members of a Christian disaster-relief group, twins John David and Jana Duggar joined siblings Jason and James and brother-in-law Austin Forsyth on a relief mission leaving for the Bahamas Tuesday, as OK! magazine reported. Their aim? To help those affected by the disaster as trained volunteer responders. "Please keep the people affected by Hurricane Dorian in y’alls prayers!" Josiah Duggar wrote on his shared Instagram account with wife Lauren Duggar. "Some of the family are going down to the Bahamas to help. If you would like to help support them look at link in bio."

Josiah and Lauren's bio links out to the group involved in this mission, MEDIC, a Christian non-profit aimed at helping others in times of disaster or other need. And help is definitely needed, as Hurricane Dorian was described as a "historic tragedy" by the Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Minnis, according to People, with at least five people dead so far, including some children. Thousands of homes were also destroyed, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Joy-Anna Duggar confirmed Forsyth's attendance by taking to her Instagram Stories to share a sweet photo of the couple pre-boarding. "Hard goodbyes!" Joy-Anna wrote, bidding farewell to her husband so he can help out in a disaster zone. "But so thankful that he can use his EMT skills to help others." In case you didn't know already, Forsyth has training as an EMT/firefighter, although In Touch Weekly described his occupation as a pilot. When he was younger, he also worked as a camp counselor.

Although parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar's official social media page noted that "Jana, Jason, and James took off early this morning with a medical and disaster relief team to the Bahamas to help after the massive devastation...They’re now on the ground!" fans noted that all of the pics so far show only the male members of the extended family and friends, which includes Growing Up Bates' Nathan and Lawson Bates, OK! confirmed. It's possible the family will release more photos in the days to come, however.

Although I can't pretend to understand all of this family's traditions, I appreciate how helping others is so important to them. Jill Duggar joined the First Lady of Arkansas over the summer to celebrate women's rights in the Natural State, for example, and Jinger and Jeremy Vuolo are involved with the charity Swan 4 Kids, which was started by his mom.

This clan has enormous influence and with more grandkids coming, the Duggars will expand their reach even further. So it's awesome that the family is using its manpower for good. The world needs all the help it can get right now, after all.