Dear Ones, this is an adaptation of a testimony I gave to our intercessors this week about our adventures in the Oregon fires. I know many of you prayed as well, and I wanted to share the victory with you. Let me testify again that God is faithful to His written Word, and He is faithful to His RHEMA Word. All glory to His name!
ORDEAL BY FIRE
Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Luke 10:19 NKJV
Let me say, first of all, THANK YOU for praying for us all through this tremendous ordeal with the fire. Let me say too as the Lord allowed us and our immediate neighbors to be unscathed, there are many of our neighbors who have lost all, and even their lives, in fires that were carelessly started and completely avoidable – they didn’t have to happen. Please join me in prayer for them…
WHO IS IN THE FURNACE WITH YOU?
So, here’s the story…
Labor Day weekend (4-6/9) we had a very successful House Church Roundtable Weekend with sixteen leaders from Oregon, Alaska, Tennessee and Kansas. Then…Monday night, the fires hit. Super strong winds out of the east, coupled with the failure of power companies to deenergize their lines lead to broken power lines that started fast moving fires, coming down the canyon towards Lyons, our home.
At 230am, our son burst into our room, saying a neighbor had beat on our door, saying we had to leave immediately. I dressed quickly, walked out the front door to assess the situation outside, and was almost overcome by the acrid fumes of the fire. In the air, ashes fell like black snowflakes, and I heard in the distance a ‘boom-boom-boom’ as firefighters used dynamite to blow down trees to try to stop the fire.
I walked inside to text Patty to text and email you all to tell you we were evacuating in the face of a deadly fire. I told RM and Aaron to pack three days’ worth of clothes, while I grabbed our valuables and my clothes. I knew we would be back because, by revelation and spiritual faith, I had prepared for a catastrophe…
RHEMA VICTORY
…but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. 1 Kings 19:12 KJV
Here’s a teachable moment…God prepares you for everything if you listen.
August first I had gotten a prophecy about a catastrophe in September. I judged the prophet to be a credible man and his prophecy to be a valid warning. I then warred against that catastrophe for ourselves and for our nation, decreeing the judgment of God on that accursed thing, and that it would not come to pass. There is more to that prophecy…
We first drove to Don’s house in Scio, the three of us in three vehicles. Then I decided we needed to go to the Comfort Suites hotel in Albany. We called there, made reservations. They were very gracious and got us in early. We had hauled out Rex the worship dog in his crate, and I took him to Pet Village in Salem where they housed and fed him for free during the whole ordeal.
After getting settled, RM and I went back to Lyons on Tuesday at noon to see to our home. The smoke and fog were so thick as we approached our town the air was hardly breathable. Highway 22 out of Salem to Lyons was closed, but Highway 226, the back way was still open. That was soon to change, for the worst…
We found our house intact, but with the power and gas off…We got some more things from inside and locked all of our doors and windows more securely. Looters were already starting to take advantage of the chaos to steal what they could. We were so thankful to see the arrival of the Oregon State Police and Oregon National Guard. Our next door neighbors, the Darrows, are in the Guard.
THE FOURTH MAN – JESUS!
Being prophetic people, we marched around our home seven times praising God and proclaiming that He is our refuge. On the fourth time around, four being the number for the world, the power came back on in our home. The Lord who reigns over the world had our backs!
On Wednesday I went back and tried to cleanup our front yard a little to bless our neighbors. The atmosphere was brutal. Again I marched around the house seven times, proclaiming the Lord is God Almighty. That afternoon something spectacular happened. Our brother Samuel Martey called me from Ghana, saying he needed to pray for me and our house. As he prayed he spoke about rain and the wind reversing direction…two hours later we noticed on our security cameras that the front porch and back yard were wet. Unpredicted rain out of nowhere covered our home…our God is able!
On Thursday another fire threatened our home from the south, which led to the closing of Highway 226. I texted Patty to tell you that this wasn’t over yet! The closing and opening of roads was changing almost hourly, as chaos and confusion continued to plague everything. At one point on the fire map you could see an arc of fires around Lyons on three sides, within a half mile, with the apex of the arc being over our home.
You have to choose to believe the revelation or give in to fear and confusion in the circumstances. Having done all, stand…
We attempted to come home on Saturday which was a mistake. We stayed one night and then went back to the hotel. We were still on level three evacuation orders and our home had no natural gas, making the move back to the hotel obvious. The air was still brutal as well. One thing that had opened up is that we learned that all – hotel, meals, vehicles – of our evacuation expenses would be covered by our homeowners insurance. I have never, ever regretted tithing…
Finally, on Wednesday the 16th we were upgraded to a level two emergency situation, meaning we could return home safely. I managed to get a guy from NW Natural Gas to come – he was at the end of his shift and we weren’t on his list, but he joyfully came away – and turn on our gas and test our appliances, opening the way for the three of us to return home, bless God forever.
VICTORY!
We returned home on Thursday.
On Friday and Saturday it rained heavily, as it promises to do tonight, cleaning the air and reducing the fires. Tonight should knock the fires out!
All through this my brother called me every day, checking on me.
For those of you who fought through with us, THANK YOU! I’ve always prayed for folks in natural disasters, but never really experienced one myself. Now, I know. I understand the terror and pain, and more than ever know how to fight on my knees…and win, thanks to you guys!
Thanks for being there…love you! KRP
Remember dear ones…