Part XIV :: The Fire and Departure to Berrien Springs
Before heading out to Berrien Springs, our missionary team held a leadership training seminar in Spokane. Upon hearing that we would be having the meeting in Spokane, I felt apprehension. I had no desire to go anywhere that reminded me of what had taken place. I was told we would be afforded a hotel room near the airport and felt better about taking the journey back to the east side of the state.
I told my wife I had no desire to go up on the in-laws' hill after the last visit. While she visited, I spent the time reading some religious books at a nearby campground. My wife dropped me off at the shore of a lake where their family had swum throughout their childhood and early in our marriage. I watched the wind blow against the water as a storm rolled in. The clouds grew grey and I began to walk around the trails that meandered along grassy hills. I reached a viewpoint up at the top of a hill where there was a campground that overlooked Lake Spokane. Being here alone felt good. I was finally putting my foot down. This was my silent way of saying “enough.”
The rain began to fall upon me. I felt the water wash over me when I saw my wife driving down the hill toward the beach area. Behind her were her parents. Her parents had seemed upset that I did not go with her. Not an angry upset, but more that upset feeling when things are not as they used to be. After they told me they loved me, we parted, and we made the evening drive back toward the coast.
A few days later, we heard the news that another forest fire had started in the vicinity of the in-laws’ house. This had become a common occurrence throughout the years, and the prospect of a dangerous fire roaring through their land was a statistically large possibility. Now one was in the area, and smoke was rising over the trees from the south. It didn’t look good.
We were told that the fire was moving north now. The path of the flames was spreading north. Their home was right in the crosshairs. It was an epic fire, and one that the firefighters were unable to get a handle on. Freddy had recently been released from the hospital with the same mystery illness that had taken hold of him when we visited a couple of years back. Now at home, he was able to ignite their old RV and make their way toward the nearest town.
Freddy and Darla had evacuated before, and this time may have seemed like another close call. Unlike times before, they quickly jumped in the RV and drove along the dirt road leading out of the canyon. They did not know if the fire would rip through their property for quite a while. When they arrived in the nearest town, their RV broke down. They were able to get it fixed enough to hobble to a FEMA evacuation center in Deer Park. That evening they would listen for confirmation that their land had been mowed down by the fire.
The fire moved rapidly, destroying everything in its path. It annihilated everything. Plumes of pitch-black smoke rose over the mountains, visible from Deer Park.
Helicopters flew to and from the regional airport carrying material to put out the fires. Yet, it was too late for the family. They soon would find out that their home, as well as Stephen’s home, was literally wiped off from all creation.
The fire winded its way down the easement road, picking and choosing which homes to clear. Some houses miraculously stood intact with no damage while others were turned to ash. The fire wiggled its way down to Albert’s house and did its handy work.
It was ironic that FEMA would take care of Freddy and Darla. It was the same FEMA that was said to be creating camps to murder the elderly. The disaster coincided with our departure for Michigan, so we made our way to Deer Park for a quick visit. The distressed couple looked as pale as ghosts. Their world had been ripped from them. Their small RV was set up in the parking lot of a Deer Park High School. A few other evacuees were there as well. Inside the RV were gifts donated by people from around the community. Clothing, food, cleaning supplies, a vacuum, and many other items were given. It was ironic how the people that were supposed to soon be persecuting them had come to their aid. Darla kept repeating how she was shocked that so many cared enough to give
gifts. I prayed that this would open her eyes to the fact that the world wasn’t as evil as
Albert continuously preached. Even Freddy, in his otherwise epic obstinance, seemed to see it the same way.
Darla and Freddy moved like zombies. Their lives and everything that seemed to matter to them had been taken away. Freddy’s health was plummeting. Stephen opted to move in with a church member. Albert and his wife moved into his son’s mansion which was on the outskirts of Spokane. Towards the west of the school, we could still see the flames and smoke rising heavenward. The fire would be raging for quite some time.
Sadly, guilt is often a cornerstone of religion. Once you internalize it for years, you feel that every choice is weighed. We had been taught that ignoring guilt was a surefire way to chase away the holy spirit. On one hand, we were now to depart on our long journey east. Yet, on the other hand, we felt guilty for not staying behind and helping. We had felt that some were saying it was our duty to stay behind and do whatever we could to help rather than make our way to our training. Yet, there was nothing we could do. All we could do was say goodbye to the past and put our feet towards a new life. A lot of us were now saying goodbye to the way things had been. Many had said goodbye to homes that they had built decades building. Life would look much different for them. We all knew that this was the kind of shaking in life that can truly alter how one sees the world. Events like this can make or break a person. We prayed that these events would lead to a better understanding of humanity and the world. Maybe this would also be the event that would get Freddy and Darla away from that doomsday cult.
It was a long drive to Michigan. A lot of the talk was about the fire, religion, and what we expected from training. I was nervous to be meeting more Adventists. I wondered if these folk would be accepting, or if they would have strange traditionalist views that seemed to twist and grasp the church. I felt like an outsider due to my time at Countryside. As a missionary, I felt inept. And, I still had no desire to be back in the United States. I longed to be back in Ukraine. I didn’t want to be back for five years or more. Yet, this is what I had signed up for, and it was best to put that out of my mind. God would reward us. We were going to earn those stars.
As we made our way through Montana, I visited places I had not seen since I was a child. I felt a sense of awe and wonder as we drove through the Rockies, and saw vistas of the plains open up. Huge plateaus rose from the prairies and rolling hills.
Then they began to flatten out as we approached Great Falls. After breakfast, we
continued north towards Havre. I remembered this route as a child. Back then it seemed so long and boring. Now it looked beautiful. We would make our way east to meet up with another missionary couple that would join us as we ventured forth.
In Poplar, we visited an older couple that had been missionaries in Papua New Guinea. They seemed nice enough, yet I was still on guard and felt distant. We spent a night at their house and set out. They decided they were going to try to speed on ahead, hoping to make better time. Personally, I was enjoying the ride and didn’t feel like rushing on. I also wanted the trip to be enjoyable for our seven-year-old. We would have much time to talk in the next few months.
Our trip took us through North Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin before we passed through Chicago. At that point, it was just a couple more hours before we would make our way north along the shores of Lake Michigan and towards the town of Berrien Springs. We circled along the river before pulling into the familiar AFM campus. We would be rooming up with the pastor in a well-appointed two-floor condo just a short walk away from the building where our training would take place.
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