Fire!

"We've got a very big problem!  There is a fire at fish pond #2!"

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But, I am getting ahead of myself.  Let me explain a few things.  

1.  It has not rained here in many weeks.

VERY, VERY DRY!

2.  It was Saturday afternoon.  All the workers (who know how to deal with fire) had left.  The majority of the other missionaries had gone to a wedding.

3.  There was a group of teenage boys that had gathered to play soccer.  They were all barefoot!

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Back to the story:  Alloys and I jump into the car with buckets and some of the boys.  

We were told that the goat shelter that was inside the fish pond fence is gone.  Luckily, the goats were out grazing.

Fish pond and what was left of the goat shelter

We arrive a few minutes later.  I send some of the boys to the fish pond to fill the buckets with water.  I warn them not to get the fish too - we didn't want to cook any fish today in the fire.

I grab some green branches and go running to the fire.  (Here, you use green branches and beat the fire out. This is because there is usually not any readily available water)

One of the green branches we used to beat the fire

 The fire is very high, probably 8 feet at this point, burning in some tall grass.  The wind was feeding it just right.  Alloys, a guard, a few boys and I run through some of the area that has already burnt, trying to get to the flames.

The reason we were so desperate at this point was because it was headed straight for our pigs, chickens and goats.  It was only a few hundred feet from the cages.

See the arrows pointing out the livestock houses

It was at this point that I realized we were in over our heads.  I sent one of our boys to go find anyone on the property to help. He came back 30 minutes later to say there was no one.

I have to admit, I looked around at all those boys - barefoot, standing around or trying to beat the fire - I was scared.  

I was worried about the livestock. 

I was worried about these boys being in danger.

The smoke was so thick I had trouble breathing many times. 

I had never been in a situation like this and I was in charge!!

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But, after a minute, God helped me get it together and get organized.

We started attacking the fire in an organized way, working it back towards the wet lands on the back of the property.  

The buckets were coming too slow . The boys were barefoot and walking through freshly burned areas to get to us!

Rice fields

After about an hour of exhausting work, we chased the fire across our fence line.  The neighbor has a rice field, which slowed the fire down.  

We started getting water from the water canals that feed the rice.  These canals are only about 2 inches deep, but after another hour of wetting and beating we got it under control.

But, small areas kept re-starting!  We would look back and see a flame where we had just put one out.  We could not leave them because the flames could spread too quickly.

Towards the end, the other missionaries returned and helped us put out the last flames that kept popping up.

After it was finished, we all went to the Prayer Garden to thank God for his protection.

It was dark when we finally made it back home.   

I was so tired.  So dirty.
But so thankful that God had protected everyone.  

There were not any real injuries.  Some of us have some small burns and lots of scratches, nothing more.

I looked pretty bad

Those are  my good shoes!  

After I took off the shoes!  Pretty funny!  One child told me I was black like him now!

"My whole body hurts!"