on friday night after work, i headed to starbucks where i met Rachey Rach for a coffee break. "our" starbucks is on Imperial - its the one with all the statues and the fountain out front - they have the best patio furniture and a wonderful couch. we settled in and began the life update - we talked about Rachel's Andrew's upcoming birthday and our freakishly busy schedules -anticipated the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday and times with our families - cherished moments with our sisters - and discussed our affinity for school breaks. we were in the thick of conversation when we were interrupted by one of the baristas who kindly informed us that Starbucks would be closing in 5 minutes....at 6:00pm. He then sat down and gave us a very brief explaination of the reasoning behind ANY starbucks closing before 10:00pm. Apparently there just aren't enough customers - maybe i should stop by there every night - it is by FAR my favorite starbucks....hmmmm.... upon our discovery that coffee would be much shorter but still just as sweet, Rachel and i said goodbye, hugged, and promised we would meet again soon...i don't like goodbye's - even from coffee dates. anyway, i then headed to the target on malvern - the target GREATLAND (which i suppose is comparable to a SUPER wal-mart; although we don't have those here) in hopes of finding a good pair of trouser jeans...lucky for me - i found them (in a size smaller than i usually wear - my self-esteem says thank you) AND i also found a brown cardigan - which i have been on the prowl for for weeks now. WONDERFUL! my friend and coworker Melody and I then went to my house where i warmed up some leftover padthai from lunch with erika (who lives in chicago but was in town visiting on wednesday) poured two glasses of wine (and no it was NOT two buck chuck - melody only buys the exquisite kinds...) and sat down for a wonderful evening of light conversation and a girly movie - no reservations. unfortunately, we just got AT&T U-verse with DVR and try as i might i could NOT figure out how to switch the tv into DVD mode. frustrating. i even stooped to the level of reading the manual...now that is desperation! so instead we decided we would watch America's Next Top Model re-runs...we settled...but what choice did we really have?
Saturday i woke up early and got ready for a tea in honor of my Aunt Joy who turned 75. I left my house at 10:30am and headed for Gavilan Hills (which is past Riverside). as i went up the hill from my house, a thick haze of smoke became increasingly evident and i had to turn my airconditioner onto recycle mode so that it would only filter the air from inside the car... i knew immediately a fire was somewhere and it was pretty close by. i prayed but continued on - these fires have become somewhat familiar and far less intimidating than they probably should be. On the 91 freeway going East towards Riverside, I drove right through by the flames...people were outside of their cars taking pictures and the traffic was heavy. Nevertheless, i arrived at Marilyn's in good time and enjoyed the tea and luncheon with family - spent some time chatting with my cousins, aunts, and my mom! what a blessing! the time went quickly and all too soon, i was ready to get on the road and head home. unfortunately, it was at that point that i was told literally all the interstates running from Gavilan Hills to my house in Fullerton were closed, and an alternative route would have to be developed. I ended up driving on dirt roads to the 74 highway which runs through lake elsinore and perris and then connects to Ortega Highway which winds around and around and around a mountain until you end up on the other side in San Juan Capistrano. i then hopped on the 5North and headed towards orange county. as i got closer, the dark cloud loomed and i drove into what has been described as one of the worst fires since 1961. Rachel and I had been texting with trepidation as we discovered we were being evacuted and that Andrew and his family were in imminent danger as their entire backyard was on fire. everything felt very heavy. i could tell in my roommates' voices that they were scared and that the news would be on continuously throughout the evning keeping all of us up to date on the latest advances of the flames. it took me several hours longer to get home than it should have and it was quite an unpleasant journey. the intense smoky smell made me naseaus and the winding roads along the mountain with so many altitude changes hurt my head tremendously. nevertheless, by the grace of God, i got home safely. with the encouragement of Lindsey and Adri-Anne (my roommates) i went ahead and packed up some of my most valuable possessions... the box of things i've saved from college - notes from friends and the special postcards from world changers around the world...my painting from danny...the New York ring I got with Emily...my new red Christmas jacket...the scrapbook my mom made of pictures from my childhood years...my children's book collection...my favorite Bible and all my Max Lucado books...my big green pillow...my rainbow flip flops...my chi iron...and my world changers blanket. I put all of that along with my laptop and phone charger and the file including all of my important information by the front door, filled up a water bottle, and considered myself ready to go. For the next several hours we all sat together in the living room and watched as so much of our community was devoured by the flames. We could smell the smoke and see the ashes falling like rain from the sky. Prayers resounded throughout the evening and we waiting somewhat anxiously praying and hoping that we would not hear the sound of police knocking on our doors and asking us to leave our home. Finally, knowing there was absolutely nothing we could do, we retreated to our bedrooms and attempted to sleep. The fires raged throughout the night and we could see flames and smoke from our bedroom windows - nevertheless, the Lord protected us. Sunday morning came and although the air was still thick with smoke and ash, the fires had started to dwindle and the weather was finally working FOR the firemen rather than against them. Sunday was a day of productivity for me. I cleaned up the living room and did the dishes, vacuumed, did all my laundry, and worked diligently on the EV Free Fullerton staff christmas celebration invitations. in the evening, i picked up my blessed friend Jennifer Jackson and we went to dinner (at pat & oscars - one of my absolutely favorites) and to Rock Harbor. it was a beautiful time of praise and adoration for the Father and a special time for our friendship. It was a wonderful ending to wildfire weekend - and one that i will consider richly blessed in times to come. Jenn is an incredible person and our friendship is one that can only be described as God-orchestrated...but that is a post for another time altogether. However, at the conclusion of this weekend i have no words but to say "thank you Lord for protecting so many and graciously revealing Your power and glory even in the midst of the raging flames - You are God alone and i'm so blessed to trust You." 
My friend Andrew Smith and his family are only one example of God's amazing hands at work through this fire. They were evacuated on Saturday and i received a text message from Rachel (Andrew's girlfriend) saturday evening stating that the palm trees in their backyard were on fire which obviously indicated immediate and imminent danger for his home. I immediately texted back, "I am praying that God holds the flames and protects their home! He is incredibly powerful and nothing is too big for Him!" Well, come Sunday morning, Andrew's house is one of only two standing on the block. His parents have been having the neighbors over for to watch church (online because their favorite pastor speaks in Colorado) and it gives me goosebumps to think that God saved the church building and protected the family that was actively sharing His name with the neighborhood. He is still answering prayers and actively making an impact here on earth...what a gift to be a part of His family and to have the faith that He is in control. God is not far from us here on earth - He is just intentional and selective. He is still bringing glory to His name - He is still at work!
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