On April 29, 2011 as I was driving home from the gym with the kids, we were passed by speeding fire engines roaring and police cars. I had no clue what in the world was going on, but I knew that it wasn't good. I looked up and saw a HUGE cloud of smoke coming from a very populated residential area near my house. I decided to follow the fire engines to see what was going on. As I got closer, I realized that it was a HORRIBLE house fire in a neighborhood behind ours...a place where a couple from our previous small group lived....so I go worried. I drove into the neighborhood and was glad to realize that it was not our friend's home. It was unfortunately another family's home. This being one of my biggest fears, I immediately started to feel fear and sadness for this family well up inside of me. I did not know them or anything about them, but I wanted to see what I could do to help. I later learned that they were not home when the fire started...Thank God. After talking to several neighbors, I also learned that they had an 8 year old little boy named Will. The fire was SO BIG that I knew there was not going to be anything left. I started thinking about their pictures and her jewelry...Will's toys...all the things that they would lose that could not be replaced. I came home and told Chris all about it and asked him if it would be ok if I used some of our giving money to help them. He told me yes, so I drove back over to the house the next morning to do just that. I didn't want to stop there. I sent out emails to my neighbors and small group and was able to raise $1000 to help this family. We also were able to send some new toys to Will. It is small dent in their disaster, but it will help with the immediate needs that they have. When I delivered the money to the family, they cried. They were so thankful.....so thank you to all of you that gave. This was a true testament of Christ's body at work.
The Lewis' (Chris, Cindy & Will) were able to rent a home in the neighborhood across the street, so they can oversee the project of demolition and rebuilding of their home. They hope to be back in around Thanksgiving. They are the sweetest people. I really enjoyed meeting them and spending time with them. They sure did love all over Kate :). I also learned that they are missionaries in Nicaragua and she was a labor and delivery nurse for high risk patients for 11 years. Pretty cool.
Another strange thing that happened is that on the night that the house burnt down, (April 29 going into the 30th) I was at home reading my daily devotional and the entry for that day was about "Fully Relying On God." The writer talked about when bad things happen and the acronym F.R.O.G. that her friends and her used to tell each other to help each other get through hard times. Well, as I am reading she mentions a few of those bad things and as I am thinking "house burn down" I read "When a house burns down" and I thought, WOW, that is definitely God speaking to me. So I got online and I ordered the family a mug that says F.R.O.G. "Fully Rely On God" and I printed out a copy of the devotion that was dated April 30th. I couldn't believe the coincidence. Cindy almost cried when she read it. Its' amazing how little things can mean so much.
Here are some pics. I wanted to post so we could remember this and remember to be thankful for all of the blessings in this life. I will continue to pray for The Lewis family and I hope that they can rebuild their life quickly. The picture of their home is from the front and while it may appear that the damage was not as bad as I tell you it was....there is merely a shell of the front of the home and nothing else. The fire started in the back and was started by a power strip that malfunctioned. The tv and dvd player were plugging into it and that was it and it wasn't even turned on. The fire investigator advised to replace these power strips every 5 years and not to buy cheap ones....so if you need to go get some new power strips....like Chris and I...Then I suggest you make the investment.
Also, the family has been so overwhelmed with the support from the community. They said it is absolutely insane how many people are stepping up to help them. Old friends from the past, random people like me, all their neighbors....etc. That is so good to hear. They are starting a fund and will put a little bit of money in it as they can and when something like this happens to someone else, they plan to pay it forward. What a cool idea. They are so gracious for everything.
In Christ,
Kim
Kate Kate turned 5 months on April 24th. She is growing like a weed and has the greatest disposition. My dad called her a "peach". She is just so laid back and just hangs out a lot of the time. Lil Turkey still isn't sleeping all night. She goes like 8-9 hours, but that is the max. She loves to roll around on the floor and will not stay on her back for a second. She is pulling her legs up and scooting along the floor. She will be trying to crawl in no time and can almost sit up on her own. She has the cutest laugh and smiles so big that she is about to explode. We just love this little girl. Hayes is wild about his "Tister" too and tells everyone, "my tister".
