Samaritan’s Purse volunteers are working with homeowners in Spokane, Washington, to recover valuables from homes claimed by wildfires.
“In a matter of like 30 minutes everything just blew up. The fire jumped the river, and it was coming here. The police were going door to door, saying, ‘Get out now.’ There was lots of smoke, and ash was falling from the sky,” said Paul Blake.
Paul Blake and his wife, Evelyn, are grateful for the volunteers who recovered a number of valuables, including coins from Paul’s grandfather.
Earlier, after seeing a monstrous cloud of smoke in the distance, Paul and his wife, Evelyn, had gone back to their home to get their cats and grab any last-minute items. The direction of the wind had changed. The fire that had been moving west suddenly changed direction with it. The flames were coming straight toward their home.
When they got the order to evacuate, they were ready.
“When I locked the door and left,” Paul explained, “I fully intended that we would be back and that we would find Toby and everything would be good.”
The wildfires that blazed through Spokane, Washington, destroyed more than 800 structures, including Paul’s home of 33 years. Like other residents of the area, Paul thought he would be coming back to an intact home. Instead, he returned to a ruin of ashes and a front door threshold leading to open sky.
Serving Amid the Ashes as Jesus’ Hands and Feet
Samaritan’s Purse has been serving fire-devastated communities in the area since Aug. 17. Working out of a base of operations at Life Center, a local partner church, Samaritan’s Purse mobilized teams of volunteers to begin valuable recovery efforts as families returned to what was left of their homes.
“It has been very inspiriting to see the community of Spokane helping one another,” expressed Matt Campbell, the Samaritan’s Purse program manager for the response. “Partnering with Life Center has been a true joy. When we see how active the local church is, it gives us confidence that once we leave, the families here will be loved and pointed to Christ.”
As volunteers began searching Paul and Evelyn’s property, they came across a cherished teapot and other delicate dishware. One of the most precious items found was a collection of his grandfather’s coins.
Paul was grateful to God for these recovered mementos.
“All I can do is trust in him,” Paul said. “Like Job, I don’t have the answers, but God does. He loves us, and we can trust in him.”
Take It All, Lord
When the fire came, Doug and Georgann Howie were about to go on a five-day trip to hike in the alpine areas of Mount Rainier when the fire came.
Doug and Georgann Howie came home after the fire and nothing was left except the concrete foundation and a few valuables our volunteers were able to salvage.
“We were all packed. Thank God. He knew we needed help. We had our clothes, toiletries, everything ready to go the morning before the fire.” Georgann explained.
That same day, Doug finished working on the new gazebo in their backyard.
“I thought it was just going to blow right on down past us,” said Doug.
Georgann was tracking the location of the smoke and felt certain that the fire was still on the other side of the river. Then she started to see their neighbors packing their vehicles with belongings.
Soon after, police and emergency management called for evacuations.
“They said, ‘Go now, you don’t have a choice,’” Georgann said.
They rushed around the home to gather their luggage and whatever belongings they could take. A week prior, Georgann felt the urge to prepare an emergency bag with all their important items, should they ever need to evacuate. The couple saw this as the hand of God providing for them even before the fire first sparked.
When they returned days later, all that remained was their home’s concrete footprint and the charred ruins of Doug’s gazebo.
Georgann struggled to finish her sentences as she expressed gratitude to God for the foresight He gave them to gather those essential items and documents.
Our volunteers have been serving in the area since mid-August.
“God went before me and prepared a way—like He always does,” she said. “Days before [the fire], I was like, ‘Thank you, Lord, you gave me the strength to get this done,’ because I’ve been—”
She became filled with emotion, and Doug helped her complete the thought: “She has Stage 4 cancer right now.”
“But she doesn’t look like she has cancer,” he continued, smiling tenderly at his wife.
A year ago, Doug and Georgann left their home of 36 years in Selah, Washington, to live closer to their kids and grandkids in Spokane.
Their home was one of the last to burn on their side of the neighborhood. Just across the street, a line of houses was still standing. They spoke with hope despite their loss.
“As Christians, we know this isn’t our home,” Georgann said. “I told Doug, ‘If one person comes to Christ through this, then take my house, Lord.’”
The couple connected with Samaritan’s Purse through their daughter-in-law whose parents are local Billy Graham chaplains. Soon after, the orange shirts of our volunteer teams appeared on their property. Their daughter-in-law and granddaughter were among them, pulling on protective suits to begin searching the ashes and rubble for any precious items that were not taken by the blaze.
Somewhere in the ashes of the home was Doug’s vast collection of carpentry and welding tools gathered over decades. Georgann mentioned her cherished annotated Bible and the journals from her cancer journey had been consumed.
Early on, volunteers found a plaque from a construction project one of Doug’s workshop classes completed in 1982. In all the loss, it was a small reminder of a sweet memory from Doug’s career.
In the end, the couple both know that the Lord saved what really mattered. He had protected the couple, their family, and their friends. No life was lost.
“We feel so blessed,” Georgann said. “I drove up and saw everyone from Samaritan’s Purse praying, and I’m thinking, ‘Oh, this is beautiful.’”
