The Camp Fire began in Butte, California on November 7th. Due to 50 mile per hour winds, the fire spread to over 70,000 acres in less than 24 hours. 20,000 residents were forced to evacuate early in the morning causing massive traffic congestion and panic. The fire continued to spread for 20 days creating ash that was so heavy it blocked the light of the sun.
On November 27th, firemen were able to contain the fire with the help of heavy rainfall. The city is unable to rebuild until FEMA removes the contaminated ashes. At this time the homeowners are displaced living with friends and family members. Some are living in their cars and RV's until they are able to relocate.
THE CAMP FIRE IMPACT- The fire destroyed 153,000 acres leaving behind death and destruction. 52,000 people had to be evacuated, 7,100 structures were destroyed, and authorities have reported that the death toll has risen to 88 people.
Liberty's Send Now team partnered with Samaritan's Purse to help the victims of The Camp Fire in the city of Paradise. Their mission was to assist home owners in recovering lost items from the ashes of their houses. The homeowners returned to the footprint of their homes and told the team which special items that they hoped to recover.
The team served a couple that had just gotten married in September. Sadly, in the fire all of their wedding gifts were destroyed. However, they truly believed that there was one gift that would have survived: two, metal intertwined hearts.
Two students searched for these hearts and found many other items but did not recover the beloved gift. When one of the students was about to give up, she prayed to God that He would give her eyes like His. The next time she dug her tool into the ground, she found the two hearts. The wife was overjoyed and the discovery led to conversation and healing.
Three graduate counseling students served on the team and were able to actively listen to the home owners as they helped them process their loss. One counseling student was able to talk to a homeowner who was experiencing PTSD from the trauma of escaping the quickly approaching flames. The counseling student learned compassion and how to meet them in their pain like Christ does.
"This trip grew in so many ways, especially spiritually. I had been on mission trips before, but I had never felt God as strongly as I did on this trip. Additionally, this trip confirmed my calling to crisis counseling." -Undergrad Counseling Student
This trip answered unspoken prayers in many of the student's lives including Emily Suzanne. Emily Suzanne is an online student pursuing her Masters in counseling who was hoping to graduate May 2018. She wasn't sure how she would be able to graduate since she needed a supervisor's approval for her outstanding internship hours. She served faithfully on the trip despite the uncertainty surrounding her future.
The following Monday, God brought two Liberty professors together who had previously never met to see if Emily met the requirements to graduate. Upon learning about Emily's service in California, she was approved to graduate! The same day, God also opened the door for a potential job in California. Emily reflected, "God knew I needed that trip. I went with a servant’s broken heart and returned blessed. God had me in the palm of His hand and carried me through."
The team was blessed with this "lifetime experience" and the opportunity to help meet the homeowners' physical and psychological needs while executing the plan of salvation. Even in the destruction, they saw God's love and sovereignty everywhere. Their key takeaway from this trip is that, "Our God is the God of faithfulness and hope and He restores beauty from ashes."