27.6.12

Evacuated

By Jessica Cropsey

On Saturday, we took a family trip to the Focus on the Family Visitor's Center in Colorado Springs to visit Adventure in Odyssey.  Little did we know that the small plume of smoke we saw near Pikes Peak that afternoon as we exited the building would turn into something so big.

Those of you who follow the news probably have heard about the Waldo Canyon fire near Colorado Springs.  That small plume of smoke that we saw was the very beginnings of that fire and has turned into a massive, uncontrolled wildfire now on the outskirts of Colorado Springs (population 400,000) and the Air Force Academy ($$$priceless$$$).  High winds and very dry temperatures have exacerbated the fire, causing it to spread dramatically in the last 24 hours.  The fire chief has called it "a fire of epic proportions."  Well over 32,000 residents have evacuated the area.  Now we are among those growing numbers.  Just this afternoon we were asked to leave MTI (Mission Training International).  We are now refugees at Vista Grande Baptist Church.  

Source:  BBC News

Our crew is situated in two of the rooms in the children's wing.  Elise & Micah are loving the new array of toys.  We have our own bathroom (complete with a child-size toilet & sink).  The kids have little cots to sleep on (off to the left) and the congregation of Vista Grande Baptist gathered enough air mattresses for all of the adults and older kids.  What a blessing!  Showers might be a little hard to come by, but we're all missionaries, right?      


We are planning to continue our classes as scheduled tomorrow, using the facilities at the church.  Our scheduled topic for next Friday was "Transition".  I guess God decided to give us all some real life experience in this area a little ahead of schedule.

We are very thankful for the organization of our firefighters and emergency response personnel, and for the vast resources available to meet the needs of those who have been displaced.  A similar scenario in the developing world would likely have a very different outcome.

Please pray for the 800-1,000 firefighters who are working incredibly hard to extinguish this raging fire and pray for rain that this land so desperately needs.

1 comment:

Mike said...

Glad you're all safe Jessica. I've been wondering if MTI was included in the evacuation. We're schedule to begin there in about a month. What a disaster, so many people have lost their homes.