A gift to Margarita and our intern family- the moment you've been waiting for for 6 years...
Monday, August 17, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Back at it!
Thank you so much everyone for praying!!! Our 16,000 acre fire has seen it's last juniper and tumbleweed! Well- a few tree's are still smoldering... Mr. Brown explained today that the base of the trees turn into an oven pretty much and continue to slowly burn from the inside out for a while... but as long as they're surrounded by "black" (already burnt stuff) we should be okay. The men are still patrolling though. But while they patrol... camp is back in action! Praise the Lord! Mommy's working on a montage right now so you can see some shots of camp in action (working in this case means strongly thinking about it). In the meantime... we've had our Daddy back and we love it. Daddies... kid's love 'em. Here's a song I wrote in his honor:
"A Daddy held his Baby When He was at the Hospital" by Lucy
A daddy was at the Hospital
Daddy held a baby
And I went to the grocery store
In my car seat
With a big treat
What was it? Candy
But I was not old enough to eat candy
But Daddy had no ?
So he rided with our Mimi
But did you remember, he had no truck
So he had to ride with Mimi.
Also... Henry's almost officially a big boy (potty training will seal the deal). Here's his bed as of a few nights ago. (Thanks Gray!!) We only had enough paint for the bottom part for his first few nights but finished it and put it together in all it's glory last night. Only then did mommy realize that they had just constructed the only thing that may actually be more confining to sleep in than a crib (no complaining though!) Here's a clip of us waking him up the next morning... well... he wasn't really sleeping- more like basking in the glory of his freedom. And the latter is a shot of the completed project.
And last, but not least... WHC Interns '03.... both Mr. Brady and Miss Micah are here right now! Watch out for some great pics. Margarita, Mommy's setting up a special photo shoot for you... so be sure to check back. Oh - and here's a picture of me blogging, for those of you who've been wondering!
Friday, August 7, 2009
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Mr. Brown!
I thought he was just making hamburgers the other night but it turns out he was fighting fires... and now this... He's a tv star! Here's my famous neighbor and some good footage of the fire:
http://www.ktvz.com/global/story.asp?s=10856020
Here's Mrs. Brown's update on the fire for now:
"Fire is quite large, and has jumped one of our fire lines, but camp is still not in immediate danger. There are other fire lines yet. BLM and Forestry are now out helping us. It's not worse-case-scenario yet, but it's not going totally according to plan either. Wind, humidity, and weather are not working in their favor at the moment."
http://www.ktvz.com/global/story.asp?s=10856020
Here's Mrs. Brown's update on the fire for now:
"Fire is quite large, and has jumped one of our fire lines, but camp is still not in immediate danger. There are other fire lines yet. BLM and Forestry are now out helping us. It's not worse-case-scenario yet, but it's not going totally according to plan either. Wind, humidity, and weather are not working in their favor at the moment."
good news!
B came home @ 1:30 last night... said things have died down soooo much!!! Most of our men are home...BLM taking care of the rest last night! This is huge!!! Thank you GOD! I'm driving into Antelope this morning so I'll try to get some pictures of our changed landscape. Thanks again for praying... keep on going if you will, (He hears you!!)... especially for those arriving today, that this won't be a distraction or a hinderance, that they'll get to hear about Jesus and a greater fire will be lit in their hearts!
Found this...
http://www.ktvz.com/global/story.asp?s=10848689
The last minute of the video report shows a flyover of the fire on our property.
photos by Abby Brown, my shotgun photographer on the 30 min. drive home today...
Found this...
http://www.ktvz.com/global/story.asp?s=10848689
The last minute of the video report shows a flyover of the fire on our property.
photos by Abby Brown, my shotgun photographer on the 30 min. drive home today...
Antelope VBS perseveres- please pray for all our hearts as we are weary, good thing He's promised that when we're weak He's strong!!
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Hail, Fire, and Brimstone
That's what someone just announced (jokingly) over the radio. In the last hour, the prospect of rain was exciting- until we found out that the National Weather Service issued a warning for golf ball sized hail this afternoon! And said for those in the area to take cover- not an easy thing to do when you're fighting a wildfire! Rain is welcome, lightning and hail are not! It turns out the BLM is coming back, though, with new equipment and crews- whew. Sometime today I'll try to catch you up on what's going on out here but it'll likely be after little ones are in bed (Yes, Lucy let me borrow her blog to update you all!) In short... there is a fire, a pretty big one, on our property and our fire team has been doing an amazing job to keep it under control. Long before their own energy gave out, the Lord's been holding them up with his righteous right hand (me and Abby Brown have been talking alot about that amazing hand lately on the way to VBS)- we are safe, buildings are safe at this time, and that's the important news for now. Please pray with us over the entire situation... especially for those exhausted men out there. Check back tonight for more info.
More Info:
B came home last night and actually slept. He had to go into the office this morning to prepare for summer staffers and work crew arriving today. That's the good news... camp is still on for this week as of now. There's alot of smoke,and the guys are still out there now (B included... he headed out straight from office) but we'll welcome week 7 of campers tomorrow... close to 700 middleschoolers! So, that should indicate that they've got the fire under control (that's my hope at least). I don't know how they predict these things, but the "pro" firefighters that came in estimated it to continue burning for another 4 days... but it seems the intensity has died down for now. B tells me that the thing about fires out here is that they're low to the ground- until they hit a juniper, at least. We don't have a lot of trees but the dry brush all around in combination with early evening winds just make the flames spread like crazy. The fire started two days ago and was noticed by a volunteer on her way out of camp. By 11ish we were heading to the pool to meet B for lunch but he ended up rushing off on what we all thought was an adventure at the time. (it's wildfire season...real life practice for the fire squad which consists of a good portion of the men who work at the Ranch) Whenever there's a fire call here the guys get this little twinkle in their eye. They act all serious and in "go mode" but I can just hear B inside his head squealing like a school girl. He loves this kind of thing... and he's good at it. He hadn't come home, though, that night and I kept hearing bits and pieces of what was going on, but the real shocker was after I'd put the kids to bed (well, Lucy kept waking up asking if our neighbor, Mr. Brown, was cooking hamburgers- thanks to the smoke). I got a phone call from Shirley at the main office saying to go ahead and pack a bag and be prepared to grab the kids as soon as I got the next call, the flames were quickly approaching main camp, and our homes. If the flames jumped across the main road it would be bad. I think I'd always kind of wondered about those folks you see on the news who's homes get devastated by wildfires... and I remember having thought before that if I were in their shoes... and I knew something like that was on it's way, I'd start packing like mad and cram everything I could into my car or a big truck. But when I got the call, I just started turning around in circles... looking around to see if I could narrow down what to take- and the funny thing was that I realized none of it seemed to matter at that moment, it was just stuff. I had to stop and say "ok Lord... I hadn't imagined this being a part of my life story but I wonder what you have for us from here." There was a weird peace but a longing for B to be here. When I get nervous, I clean. I held myself back though considering the circumstances and prayed instead. Thank you to those of you who were praying with me and who still are. I was scared... but not. Just a really new feeling (you'd think there wouldn't be many new ones @ 30). "Do not fear for I am with you, do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10. B got home around 1:30 am- they had to start taking sleep shifts. By this time they had stopped the flames from crossing the road (for the first time at least) and danger did not seem as imminent. We slept a little. Each day since has been so strange... we keep living life as normal b/c that's all we can do... B keeps heading back out exhausted but yet renewed (enough), everyone around here is praying unceasingly and praying together when we can (glad the flu's a thing of the past!) On that note though... we have been closed for two weeks b/c of the flu (swine)... we thought we would be able to reopen this past week but b/c of just a few later developing cases of the flu among staff... and no real predetermined standards within the state health department, they recquired us to remained closed. We were all kind of wondering what was going on here... thinking maybe one day far down the road we see the good in it all, what the Lord would do with all this... but isn't it interesting that no campers were here for the start of the fire. (They have never in the history of the camp cancelled an entire week of summer camping!) B/c we were closed that takes 8 or 9 hundred extra people out of the equation... the fire was spotted quickly...all staffers were able to respond quickly and focus all their attention on fighting it. I could go on and on about what a difference that had to have made. With campers here, the story I'm sharing tonight would have likely been alot different. I wish I could say we're in the clear- but the wind keeps me from saying that. As long as there's still a spark those guys will be hard at work. Please pray for what that will look like with campers coming tomorrow... That wise decisions will be made, that the flames would die, that everyone would have rest, that Christ would reveal himself here in ways we couldn't imagine. Satan would love to see this place gone, I have a feeling. God knows the bigger picture. He is with us, He is powerful. And that's where I have to land on all this tonight. Oh- please pray for sweet children also, who are missing their Daddy.... whiny and emotional right now... but sweet nonetheless. I'm a little whiny too, but I guess that's what late night blogging will do to you. I don't know how Lucy does it :)
More Info:
B came home last night and actually slept. He had to go into the office this morning to prepare for summer staffers and work crew arriving today. That's the good news... camp is still on for this week as of now. There's alot of smoke,and the guys are still out there now (B included... he headed out straight from office) but we'll welcome week 7 of campers tomorrow... close to 700 middleschoolers! So, that should indicate that they've got the fire under control (that's my hope at least). I don't know how they predict these things, but the "pro" firefighters that came in estimated it to continue burning for another 4 days... but it seems the intensity has died down for now. B tells me that the thing about fires out here is that they're low to the ground- until they hit a juniper, at least. We don't have a lot of trees but the dry brush all around in combination with early evening winds just make the flames spread like crazy. The fire started two days ago and was noticed by a volunteer on her way out of camp. By 11ish we were heading to the pool to meet B for lunch but he ended up rushing off on what we all thought was an adventure at the time. (it's wildfire season...real life practice for the fire squad which consists of a good portion of the men who work at the Ranch) Whenever there's a fire call here the guys get this little twinkle in their eye. They act all serious and in "go mode" but I can just hear B inside his head squealing like a school girl. He loves this kind of thing... and he's good at it. He hadn't come home, though, that night and I kept hearing bits and pieces of what was going on, but the real shocker was after I'd put the kids to bed (well, Lucy kept waking up asking if our neighbor, Mr. Brown, was cooking hamburgers- thanks to the smoke). I got a phone call from Shirley at the main office saying to go ahead and pack a bag and be prepared to grab the kids as soon as I got the next call, the flames were quickly approaching main camp, and our homes. If the flames jumped across the main road it would be bad. I think I'd always kind of wondered about those folks you see on the news who's homes get devastated by wildfires... and I remember having thought before that if I were in their shoes... and I knew something like that was on it's way, I'd start packing like mad and cram everything I could into my car or a big truck. But when I got the call, I just started turning around in circles... looking around to see if I could narrow down what to take- and the funny thing was that I realized none of it seemed to matter at that moment, it was just stuff. I had to stop and say "ok Lord... I hadn't imagined this being a part of my life story but I wonder what you have for us from here." There was a weird peace but a longing for B to be here. When I get nervous, I clean. I held myself back though considering the circumstances and prayed instead. Thank you to those of you who were praying with me and who still are. I was scared... but not. Just a really new feeling (you'd think there wouldn't be many new ones @ 30). "Do not fear for I am with you, do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10. B got home around 1:30 am- they had to start taking sleep shifts. By this time they had stopped the flames from crossing the road (for the first time at least) and danger did not seem as imminent. We slept a little. Each day since has been so strange... we keep living life as normal b/c that's all we can do... B keeps heading back out exhausted but yet renewed (enough), everyone around here is praying unceasingly and praying together when we can (glad the flu's a thing of the past!) On that note though... we have been closed for two weeks b/c of the flu (swine)... we thought we would be able to reopen this past week but b/c of just a few later developing cases of the flu among staff... and no real predetermined standards within the state health department, they recquired us to remained closed. We were all kind of wondering what was going on here... thinking maybe one day far down the road we see the good in it all, what the Lord would do with all this... but isn't it interesting that no campers were here for the start of the fire. (They have never in the history of the camp cancelled an entire week of summer camping!) B/c we were closed that takes 8 or 9 hundred extra people out of the equation... the fire was spotted quickly...all staffers were able to respond quickly and focus all their attention on fighting it. I could go on and on about what a difference that had to have made. With campers here, the story I'm sharing tonight would have likely been alot different. I wish I could say we're in the clear- but the wind keeps me from saying that. As long as there's still a spark those guys will be hard at work. Please pray for what that will look like with campers coming tomorrow... That wise decisions will be made, that the flames would die, that everyone would have rest, that Christ would reveal himself here in ways we couldn't imagine. Satan would love to see this place gone, I have a feeling. God knows the bigger picture. He is with us, He is powerful. And that's where I have to land on all this tonight. Oh- please pray for sweet children also, who are missing their Daddy.... whiny and emotional right now... but sweet nonetheless. I'm a little whiny too, but I guess that's what late night blogging will do to you. I don't know how Lucy does it :)
My Father(s) the Hero
When we can just see his face up close (ashy and dirty as it may be)- all fear fades away. It doesn't matter what fire is burning out there... we have our DADDY! ( reminds me of another Father!)
The fire's still going... buildings appear safe for now (depending on the wind).... Daddy's home for now... men still out there fighting and tired. BLM here now and till it's completely out (a very good thing!) Please keep praying!
The fire's still going... buildings appear safe for now (depending on the wind).... Daddy's home for now... men still out there fighting and tired. BLM here now and till it's completely out (a very good thing!) Please keep praying! Update... I think the Bureau of Land Management just left b/c their property is in the clear... seems that the storm has caused quite a few fires in the area and the workers are spread thin... please keep praying for all our men out here. This means they'll have to double up their efforts... and they're already only getting a few hours of sleep every 24 hours, if even that. Mommy will give you a full rundown of the whole fire event as soon as she can.
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