an update

Here's a letter I just sent to let folks know what's been happening here:

Friends,

It was evening when the fire started. Heather was cooking dinner and looked out the window to see the back of our neighbors' house ablaze, black smoke filling the sky. We rushed over. Everyone was out and no one seemed hurt, but the fire was spreading too quickly to stop and it looked like very little from the house could be saved. The power and intensity of the flames was shocking. (Pictures available here)

By the time firefighters arrived and got water on the fire (there are no hydrants here), it was clear the house would be a total loss. I saw people rushing around in confusion and grief. The family would lose almost all their possessions and the community would lose the newest and best-built house, a duplex, precious space that could provide homes for two families. And there would be no compensation, as it was not insured. Just a total loss. As the sun set, it mirrored the blaze, slowly dropping away to leave people standing in the dark.

When I got back home, Heather had already begun preparing the retreat guest rooms for the family. It was the best place for them with their five children, where they could all stay together and have enough kitchen and bathroom space. I saw the oldest son and told him they were welcome to stay in the rooms. But he hesitated. "No," he said, "those are for the guests." Meaning the people who come for retreats, many of them poor, struggling with homelessness. I almost pointed out that his current situation wasn't so different from theirs, but then just said, "You can be the guests for a while." They all moved in that night.

Within a month someone had offered them a nearby house for low rent. And many others had donated clothes and household items and other necessities. The family is still in a very difficult situation and the community here is unsure how they can replace the living space (the house had been built by people on the farm, people who are no longer here or no longer up to such a task). But we are grateful that God provided a way through the devastating crisis.

And we are grateful for friends from two new ministries who will be visiting us this month. The chaplain of Good News Partners, a ministry that helps people transition out of homelessness, is bringing a group of women next weekend. And a man who leads a bible study at a weekly soup kitchen at his church just north of Chicago is coming the following weekend to meet us and see the farm. He hopes to bring a group for a retreat later this summer.

Thanks for your support and prayers. We're especially grateful for them this year.