A Community Loss

This morning, just before lunch, my daughter gave me some sad news:  the Somers Congregational Church in Somers, CT burned to the ground last night.  This center of worship and community events in northern Connecticut was built in 1842 and had played host to three Shoreline Ringers handbell concerts in as many years, the most recent just one month ago.  Always a welcoming host to the local bell choir, our hearts go out to the congregation at this time of great loss.  Please pray for them, and for their community, as they begin the rebuilding process.

WFSB Channel 3 News article
Eyewitness YouTube video (some profanity)

If you are interested in reading more about the history of the church, click here.

Our Condolences

Yesterday, my mother informed me that one of the children who moved into my childhood home (after her parents purchased it last March), Kasey Cae Scheff, passed away on Sunday. She was only six years old. My family and I would like to extend our most heartfelt condolences to her family, and ask that others keep them in prayer at this most difficult time. To read the obituary for Miss Scheff, please visit the Lakeview Funeral Home website.

Update on California Friends

Good news from the west coast! Our friends and their relatives are all safe and back home, or they were never evacuated because the fire steered clear of their communities. All their property is intact and life is returning to normal, whatever that is considering that large portions of San Diego County are still engulfed in flame. The current estimate is that ~1500 homes were destroyed in the San Diego area alone, with ~ 482,000 acres burned in total throughout the state. Residents will be cleaning up for a while.

If you would like to monitor the wildfire recovery effort, visit the San Diego Fire Blog. If you would like to donate to the cause, visit either the American Red Cross or Charity Navigator. If neither of those activities is possible for you, I would ask that you pray for all who were (and are) affected by the disaster. Thank you.

Please Pray for California Friends

My family has been watching the news coverage of the San Diego fires quite closely the past few days as some of our friends, and the parents of some of our church friends, live in the affected areas.

Our friends, The Family R, live in Oceanside, a town that has (thankfully) escaped evacuation and fire…so far. We telephoned them yesterday to see how they were faring. Cheerful and upbeat, they informed us that the air in their part of town was clear. They couldn’t smell any smoke; although if they stepped outside their front door, they could certainly see smoke in every direction. My daughter checked a Google map of the fires this afternoon and The Family R is definitely surrounded. Their current flame-free status very much depends on the wind at this point. We are praying that they will be able to remain in their home.

Mr. & Mrs. S, the parents of our church friends, have not fared as well. They were evacuated from their home last night. At this point, I am not sure if they are staying with friends or if they are in an evacuation center. Their home is under much greater threat at the moment, so we are praying that their residence would be spared even the slightest amount of damage. That may seem like an unrealistic request/expectation at this point, but God is a God of miracles. Defying common sense is His business. He saved my husband from cancer; He can certainly save a house.

Any prayers that you could lift up on behalf of these families, and the thousands of others who are currently displaced, would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Lest We Forget

With the bridge collapse in China, the mining disaster in Utah, the mudslides and flooding in the Midwest, and all the associated victims, it is easy to forget these people after the immediacy of each disaster has passed off the breaking news ticker. Lest we forget the long struggle that victims and their families often face, here is an update on the last remaining survivor of the I-35 Bridge collapse in Minneapolis, Minnesota who remains in the hospital --- Paula Coulter. The information printed here is taken from a hospital website that patients can use to keep family and others updated on their condition.

August 19, 2007: Today, Paula was able to lay horizontally for several hours. Her brain and blood pressures remained at an acceptable level. The sedation medications continue to be reduced, while her stamina for laying flat seems to be increasing. As I wrote earlier, this is key for the lengthy time she’ll need to endure for her back surgery.

August 21, 2007: I know the neurological team met with the family today. Surgery for [Paula’s] back is right around the corner. It’ll be here before you know it.

August 22, 2007: The surgery actually got underway a little after 4:00 PM. It’s an extensive surgery. I understand that doctors will take about 90 minutes just to get to the area where the “real work” begins. Surgery time is expected to be about 6 hours.

August 23, 2007: Paula’s surgery went until 10:45 PM. So, it turned out to be close to 7 hours. Doctors are “very confident” of the results of the surgery.

If you would like to read additional journal entries about Mrs. Coulter and her family, view photos of the accident, or if you would like to donate funds to Caring Bridge, please visit her website.

Disclaimer: I do not know Paula Coulter, nor am I acquainted with her. She graduated from high school just minutes from my hometown in southern Minnesota. I merely feel called to ask the readers of Gooseberry Lane to pray for this woman and for her family while they all face the daily challenges of recovery.