Dear Family and Friends:

The Peace Christian School (Adventist Academy) from Chetwynd, British Columbia were here, working on the housing construction project. The group had been divided up into three groups, each working at a different site. One group was heroically digging a six-foot hole for a C.R. (stands for Comfort Room (bathroom) of the church. The second group was fighting off heat stroke and laying block at the mission house site. The third group was tirelessly painting the outside of Espinosa’s home, and it was looking great.

Fire - Palawan Project

Fire – Palawan Project

Bill was in town, an hour away, picking up more building supplies, and Laura was helping the painting team. Jud Wickwire, our vice president of operations, was here, sweating and working with the rest of us. He had walked from the construction site, looking for Laura. He needed her to clean the cement mixer since everyone else was too busy.

As they were walking back, they noticed a small fire had started next to the building site. Sparks from cutting rebar had fueled it. It had been several months since it had rained and the tall grass was a tinder-box.

Jud and Laura ran to the fire. People had already grabbed buckets, filled them with sand, and were throwing it on the fire. The fire continued quickly to gobble up the dry grass and spread. At first, the flames reached up as high as our heads, then it mellowed to a steady burn, about knee-level, and it quickly got too far to haul sand anymore. People grabbed shovels, and whatever they could find and started whacking at the fire. It was headed in the direction of the village.

While they whacked at the flames, the volunteers fervently praying that the bamboo homes wouldn’t catch on fire. Smoke filled their eyes and lungs, and their legs quickly were covered with ash. From time to time, they would have to step back for a bit as the heat got too intense and they needed to catch their breath.

After awhile, they heard the sound of sirens in the distance. It was a fire truck from the bigger town of Aborlan. They emptied their water on the fire. When the water ran out, they had to return to town for more. When they came back, they zipped past our fire, to answer the call of another one fire about half a mile away.

By 2:00 PM, after about two hours of adrenalin and hard work, everyone was exhausted, hungry and thirsty. The fire was out! In answer to many prayers, it had stopped just before the road that separated our property and the village. Everyone was SO happy! Everyone wearily made their way back to camp and started woofing down food and water. . . for about five minutes. Then, we were informed that the fire had jumped another road that ran perpendicular to the village and started to burn another field. We grabbed our shovels that now felt as though weighed 100 pounds, and trotted off down the road. This one wasn’t so bad and after whacking for a bit, the fire was extinguished. This time, everyone stuck around to make SURE no hot spots would flair up and that all was well. In the end, everyone was praising God for stopping the fire in time, and that no one got hurt.

The academy groups are gone now, and the building of the mission house continues with local help. We are confident God will provide needed resources, and we look forward to the day that we can move in!

God bless you all.

Sincerely,
Bill & Laura LaBore and family