Monday update (12:30pm)

We have heard that we will be able to return to Koinonia tonight starting at 3:00pm. Those of us with homes in the canyon would love to be back, as the resort life is wearing on us!

A hurried evacuation leaves quite the mess to clean up and move back in. It is a funny dynamic when you grab things you cherish and forget to grab things you need for the next day! Kim Breuninger joked with her church staff that they shouldn't be surprised if after the hectic evacuation she showed up to church in a tutu and stilettos!

It will take a while to get things up and running once we return to camp. Most of our staff will have to move back in to their houses and offices, and we'll be cleaning up the debris from the winds and the messes we left for the first day. Unfortunately, in all the haste, a window was left open at my house, and unless a smokey scent becomes the new fad, my washer and dryer will be running for a while.

When I think of the fires, I think of seeing God's intervention in multiple ways.

1. This year, for some reason, and I don't know all the details, but the fire season was declared to start earlier than in any past year. If this hadn't been the case, many fire departments and air crews would not have been ready to fight this size of fire.

2. The smoke from the fire traveled directly over our heads all the way down the canyon. At first thought, this is bad, because it means the winds are coming our way, but in hindsight, because of the power outages, many residents weren't aware of the fire until they looked out the window and into the sky. Many residents were notified of the fire by their neighbors before the sheriff and fire department were on scene.

3. As soon as most of the residents evacuated on Thursday night, the winds died down and the fog settled in. The news reported that winds might not subside until Saturday morning, but the winds settled almost immediately as the sun went down Thursday night. The fire has spread very little since then in comparison to the rate it was traveling on Thursday morning.

4. There have been no fatalities throughout the weekend, and only a few firefighters have sustained injuries from the blaze. Everyone who needed to be evacuated was evacuated, including pets.

5. From Koinonia's side, we had 200 guests attending science camp when the fire started. This group usually comes 30 weeks a year from Tuesday to Friday, but this week and this week only, they were booked for Monday to Thursday. This meant that by the time we were aware of the fire, most of the campers already had their bags packed and ready for pick-up in the parking lot. This allowed for the buses to load up quickly and take the campers to safety.

These are just a few of the ways we saw the hand of God at work.