On December 22, 2008, I received notification that my house had just burnt. I was 5000 miles away from home and felt completely helpless in Kosovo. Unless you have experienced something similar, you have no idea the emotions that I was experiencing; they were emotions that ranged from sadness, to anger, to fear.

What the Fire Department saw on December 22, 2008

 

I went to my room to pack my belongings for I knew I was on my way home and opened my bible. It fell open to a page I had bookmarked about a week earlier because Frances asked me to read a particular passage. My bible fell open to Isaiah 43 and I began to read. A couple of verses really jumped off the page at me. Verses 2 and 3 read:

     2 When you pass through the waters, 
       I will be with you; 
       and when you pass through the rivers,
       they will not sweep over you.
       When you walk through the fire, 
       you will not be burned;
       the flames will not set you ablaze.

   3 For I am the LORD, your God, 
       the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;

That passage comforted me and kept me in the right frame of mind until I got home with the knowledge that the Lord was in control.

At the same time, Frances was dealing with the fire, trying to find a place to stay, taking care of the children, and dealing with insurance and fire department personnel. She had a LOT on her plate. Being the wonderful woman she is, she only said, “God has a plan, God has a plan.” I believe that the Lord’s plan includes something much greater than what we had. She too, was experiencing the full range of emotions. We were unsure what was going to happen next, but we kept moving forward trusting the Lord to take care of us and direct our path.

Even though we felt afraid, we knew we did not need to live in fear of the unknown. The Lord will provide a Fearless Heart that we may follow Him. 1 Peter 5:7 says “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

We experienced God’s love that day and over the next several weeks through all the support we received from our family and friends, the church, the National Guard, the Water Patrol, and the community in general. The outpouring of support was absolutely astounding and my family has been in want of nothing. The Lord has truly provided for all our needs. Praise Him!

Additionally, the foundation was still solid, and the rebuilding process is in full swing!

God bless you all and thank you for visiting.