I just wanted to share a huge praise!  It’ll be a little long because I’m long-winded as you know.

So yesterday I got an alert about a fire on Roblar and Canfield so I went outside to look for smoke to see if it was coming in our direction or anything. At the same time the people who lease our field to grow grass for the cows began to cut the field.  My kids were on Adi’s new patio swing out front and I called them in out of the wind because dirt and grass was blowing everywhere. I suddenly smelled something burning and assumed the wind direction had moved. I walked inside and told the kids we should preventatively have our go bags in the van.  I was in the middle of texting Trevor to see if he thought there was any reason to be on alert and someone was at my door. I opened it and she said that there was smoke in our field. I raced around back just as the man on the combine was coming back around and sure enough a small fire (maybe 3 ft. x 1ft.) had started.  I flagged him down and pointed to the fire.  We got him a hose and buckets, I dialed 911, and ran in to find my car keys in case.  Amazingly, 911 picked up immediately, unlike last time I tried calling and eventually hung up after several minutes of not getting through (for a car accident we’d witnessed).  As I was on the phone with 911, I see pick-up truck after pick-up truck parked on our road or in our field and people coming with shovels to help.  Someone had a fire extinguisher and others were helping with buckets of water. The wind was really blowing, so it just kept spreading. While on the phone, I told the dispatcher that the fire was now about 3 car lengths by 1 car length for lack of a better way to measure. As I eventually hung up the phone Trevor’s aunt and uncle called having heard that there was the fire. I get off and Trevor calls…  All the while about a dozen men and one woman are out there working on putting it out. Kids were helping as they could while staying safe (and apparently loading our car with suitcases, sleeping bags, diapers, and baby clothes).

These neighbors, or whoever they were, were eventually hidden by smoke and I could tell they were making little headway when finally a helicopter landed in another part of the field and dropped off 7 firefighters. Eventually there came a bull dozer, a water truck, 5 fire trucks or engines, 2 helicopters dropping water onto the field, and another airplane checking on progress.

They got it out within about an hour or hour and a half from start to everyone leaving.

When I had a moment to breathe, I just couldn’t stop thanking God! 

For the woman, who for all I know was an angel sent by God, who knocked on our door. I don’t know how she would have seen it and how she got down our driveway so quickly.

For 911 actually answering immediately.

For random neighbors or strangers knowing what to do and coming to help.

For the driver who must have started the fire, despite being scared (unbeknownst to me),  acting confidently and contacting others to come.

For the wind blowing away from the house and thus the fire blowing away instead of toward us.

For the kids finding ways to help and just doing it.

I just felt so encouraged and so blessed. I couldn’t help but share.

After everyone left, the kids and I took turns checking to be sure we didn’t see smoke and anything still smoldering. Then we went out to check. Having found a spot or two smoking, we carried buckets over to be sure nothing more could come of it. As we were doing that, my sister arrived to be moral support and just be here. What a gift!

Adi took some great pictures as she and Oma took turns spraying the grass on the back side of the house.