Participants:
Series Code: TDYL
Program Code: TDYL190038A
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00:01 I want to spend my life
00:07 Mending broken people 00:12 I want to spend my life 00:18 Removing pain 00:23 Lord, let my words 00:29 Heal a heart that hurts 00:34 I want to spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:45 I want to spend my life 00:51 Mending broken people 01:09 Hello, and welcome to 3ABN Today, 01:11 and Happy Thanksgiving. 01:12 Man, what a wonderful time of the year. 01:14 It is. 01:15 We have Ms. Yvonne here, and of course, Jill, and Greg, 01:17 and the Morikone, and you as the family. 01:20 That's right. 01:21 And this is a very special day, 01:23 one of the holidays that we as Christians 01:25 just love to enjoy. 01:26 That's right. 01:28 It's Thanksgiving, where all of our thanks 01:29 and prayers go to our Heavenly Father. 01:31 Amen. 01:32 And we hope today that you are having 01:34 a great Thanksgiving with those around you. 01:37 But it if you're by yourself, you're not by yourself, 01:39 you're not alone, anytime you submit 01:42 and commit your life to Jesus, 01:43 he's there, and thank you for joining us. 01:45 So we want to be part of your family today 01:47 and you be part of ours for this great celebration. 01:51 We have some programming, 01:54 some footage here taken out in Paradise, California 01:57 through the fires they had this past year. 02:00 And, Greg, you were out there 02:01 and spent a lot of time this past year. 02:04 And you, the viewers, helped. 02:06 And we are thankful for you, the viewers, 02:07 for what you do and support of 3ABN 02:10 getting the gospel to the world in many different ways. 02:13 And one of those is helping so many victims from this fire. 02:16 This is gonna be a great program. 02:18 We've got a few minutes to talk. 02:19 Then we got a lot of footage here today. 02:21 I know. 02:22 Mrs. Yvonne, what are you thankful for? 02:24 I'm thankful for you. Oh, good answer. 02:26 Hey. 02:29 You started well. I know, I know, right. 02:31 How did I do? Good. 02:32 Let me see if I got a tip, no, nothing yet, later. 02:36 And I am thankful for my sis and brother here, 02:40 and our whole 3ABN team, our whole family, 02:44 our viewers who watch and support. 02:47 I'm just so thankful. God has been so good. 02:51 And as I watch what He does, just every day, 02:55 He's doing something in our lives 02:58 that makes a difference. 02:59 He's always there, He's so faithful. 03:02 Amen. He's an awesome God. 03:05 So I'm thankful. I'm just thankful. 03:07 All right, that's what today is all about, 03:09 should be everyday as Christians, right, 03:11 Thanksgiving. 03:12 But today is one of those times we can celebrate 03:14 and the world celebrates Thanksgiving, 03:16 where people do it in different ways, 03:18 but ours is giving thanks to the Lord. 03:20 And thanks to you, without you, 03:22 our viewing and radio listening audience, 03:25 and those around the world, there would be no 3ABN. 03:28 So thank you for helping us continue the vision, 03:31 the mission of taking an undiluted 03:33 three angels' messages into all the world. 03:35 One that would counteract to counterfeit, 03:37 one of the things that people have said over the years, Greg, 03:40 is that, you know, the message is still the same. 03:44 Someone wrote me recently and said, 03:46 "Sometimes I go to different Churches, 03:48 I go here and there, and I really don't know, 03:50 I'm kind of go to the legal side, 03:51 I go to the liberal side. 03:53 But I go back to 3ABN, and I say, 03:56 "That's what I grew upon as a child." 03:57 Amen. 03:59 Now hard to imagine, we've been here that long, 04:01 since as a child and as a young grown up. 04:04 Thank you for sticking to the message 04:06 and the three angels' messages. 04:07 Greg and Jill, tell us what you're all thankful today. 04:10 You know, I love Thanksgiving because it's that time 04:13 where you actually come apart 04:14 and you count your blessings, you thank God 04:18 for what He's done in your life in the past year. 04:21 But not just Thanksgiving, 04:22 God wants us to be grateful every day. 04:24 I love Lamentations 3:22. Oh, yeah. 04:28 It says, "Through the Lord's mercies 04:30 we are not consumed, 04:31 because His compassions fail not." 04:33 They are new every morning. That's right. 04:36 Great is His faithfulness. 04:38 So every morning when we wake up, 04:40 "God I am so grateful for your faithfulness." 04:43 We recently had a 3ABN worship, 04:45 we always meet for corporate worship, 04:47 this is just before this program, 04:49 just before Thanksgiving. 04:50 And the person who is doing the worship 04:52 talked about how we have so much to be grateful for. 04:55 If we have a roof over our heads, 04:57 Thank You Jesus. 04:58 If we have food to eat on the table, 05:01 Thank You Jesus. 05:03 If we have family and friends, 05:05 what a tremendous blessing, so... 05:07 And all of us have the Lord Jesus Christ. 05:09 So I'm thankful for Greg. 05:11 My husband is 17 years, he is such a gift in my life. 05:16 So thankful for you, thankful for you my sis, 05:19 and Danny, and your mentorship in our lives for the 3ABN team, 05:23 and you at home as part of the 3ABN team. 05:27 So I'm just, my cup overflows. Amen. 05:30 All, I love it. That's awesome. 05:31 We got folks here, don't you? Family? 05:32 I do, for Thanksgiving too, I'm so excited. 05:36 My mom and dad, my sister and her husband 05:40 and the four nephews, 05:42 which is probably the most important, 05:43 well, not really most important... 05:45 We've got to make them more to go. 05:47 Great guys. But things are fun. 05:48 It's a lot of fun. Uncle Greg gets a good workout. 05:51 Oh, I bet. 05:52 Four nephews, you know, 05:53 they're getting bigger every time I see them so. 05:55 And I hear they like soccer, so you're gonna have to get out 05:57 and play a little soccer with them. 05:59 Exactly, yes. 06:00 And then I can't walk the next day. 06:01 You're right. 06:03 So I just have to say this one myself. 06:04 We were playing a little tag, 06:06 and I'm not real fast at running right, 06:08 so the six-year-old caught me, the six-year-old, and he said, 06:13 aunty Jill, as he just blew past, 06:15 I'm not even running my fast. 06:20 Makes you feel good. 06:21 I was a little embarrassed. 06:24 I'm thankful to be a part of the ministry of 3ABN 06:26 and thankful for you of course. 06:28 I'm blessed with a wonderful wife, 06:29 wonderful team, working with both of you, 06:31 the entire team. 06:32 It's a blessing, it really is. 06:34 And you were mentioning the Paradise fires, you know, 06:36 there are disasters that happen all over the world 06:39 on a daily basis, you know, 06:40 tragedies in many people's lives. 06:42 And we were there like you said, a year ago, 06:44 but then we had the privilege of going back 06:47 and seeing what has taken place over this past year. 06:50 And it's amazing to me to talk to the people there, 06:54 and they're just explaining, you know, 06:56 we're so grateful to have just a pair of shoes, 07:01 another pair of shoes, a house, something to sleep on. 07:05 They said, "We escaped with the clothes on our backs." 07:09 And they were grateful for those 07:10 and that they escaped with... 07:11 Exactly. 07:13 Eighty-five people lost their lives there, 07:14 just tragically. 07:16 Amazing. A town of 20, some, 25,000... 07:18 26,000. 07:19 26,000 people, most of them are displaced. 07:21 That's correct. 07:22 And only 4,000 or so has come back, I mean... 07:25 Basically all of them were displaced 07:26 because there were no utilities, 07:28 not unless you brought a generator 07:29 but they wouldn't let you up there 07:30 because it was very unhelpful 07:32 because of all the smoke, all the contaminants. 07:34 And yet through it all, you're gonna show us today 07:36 by being there and talking to the people that 07:39 God is always there, and the answer is prayer. 07:42 And I mean, incredible things are happening. 07:44 So we wanna go to that in just a minute. 07:46 But just again, I wanna say a big thank you, 07:50 and I'm thankful for Greg and Jill, 07:51 and of course, Yvonne. 07:53 But for Greg and Jill, for your positions here, 07:56 for taking over the responsibility day to day, 07:59 that's called precedent. 08:00 Okay. To be coming. 08:01 You know, agreeing to do that in the last several years. 08:04 And, Jill, you see, oh, oh, 08:06 knowing that God has put you in a position 08:08 for such an hour as this, people resented you, 08:11 retired, we heard you retired, not really, I mean, 08:14 I'm hearing, I'm enjoying it, but it frees me some to, 08:17 you know, I get to do other things, 08:19 and before, I was able to do some music 08:21 and different things besides. 08:22 But, you know, having you here and knowing that 08:25 you are all diagonal, 08:27 believe in the Seventh-day Adventist doctrines, 08:29 which is Bible doctrines, which is truth. 08:32 Your mission is the same as ours. 08:33 We're exactly, you know, 08:35 unified in taking the three angels', 08:37 undiluted three angel's messages 08:39 to the world, 08:40 loving people, doing what we can. 08:42 And with the youth, we got the people 08:45 who literally are onboard with social media streaming, 08:49 all the stuff that... 08:50 It's kind of over my head now and getting, you know, 08:53 I'm okay with television, radio and satellites and all this, 08:57 but all the technology is changing as we know Yvonne. 08:58 Yeah, it is. So I'm thankful for you guys. 09:01 We Pray for you every day. 09:03 And thank you for now letting us 09:05 be a part of the ministry 09:07 that you guys are leading out in. 09:10 So without you, I mean, I can't imagine, I just know 09:14 that God has placed you here for such an hour. 09:15 So what am I thankful for? I'm thankful for you guys. 09:19 And of course, you know, my kids with Melody and Trinity 09:21 and all my grandkids, you know, son in law, Greg, 09:24 and I mean, you know, all this, 09:25 so many things, we can go on about that. 09:27 We do. You didn't say my kids. 09:29 Yeah. I'm thankful for my kids. Of course. 09:31 They're gonna watch this and say mom, he didn't say so, 09:34 well, my whole family. 09:35 No, absolutely, we wanna go, Greg, now. 09:38 Once again we're gonna go to Paradise. 09:40 And this is about what, 45-minute? 09:42 This is a 45 minute roll. 09:43 We basically did, we split up the 2 hours. 09:46 We did a 45 minute roll for the first hour 09:48 and approximately 45 minutes for the second hour. 09:50 So make sure you stay tuned. 09:51 We're going back, we're talking about 09:53 what happened a year ago, what's happening now 09:56 and some exiting things, amazing miracles 09:58 that God is doing there in Paradise, California. 10:00 Great, let's go to it. Okay. 10:02 The sign behind me says, "Welcome to Paradise." 10:05 A little over a year ago, this town was anything 10:09 but a Paradise. 10:11 As the fire roared up over the ridge, 10:13 they say it was consuming a football field every second. 10:18 It's incredible. 10:20 This town of 26,000 people 10:24 lost over 19,000 structures. 10:28 That would be houses, 10:29 businesses, sheds, barns. 10:35 Behind me, you can hear traffic and activity going on. 10:39 One year ago when we were here, 10:40 it was quiet. 10:42 You couldn't hear a bird, 10:43 you couldn't hear any leaves rustling. 10:46 The air was filled with smoke as we were driving up skyway, 10:50 which is the main thoroughfare in an out of this town. 10:54 Signs say, we believe, Paradise strong. 10:58 Tragically that day, 85 people lost their lives. 11:14 We headed up the hill then 11:16 and met at the Ace Hardware parking lot, 11:18 which is the intersection of Pearson and Clark road. 11:23 And then some of our crew dispatched down 11:27 Pearson road off to the east 11:29 to try and set up evacuation warning signs, 11:31 and it was already too late. 11:33 The traffic was just horrendous, 11:36 everybody trying to get out. 11:38 And so else we did was dispatch ourselves 11:41 to intersections. 11:42 I stayed at that particular intersection. 11:44 And for a while, I controlled the traffic signal. 11:47 And then, after that, I put them on red flash 11:50 and just jumped out in the intersection 11:52 and just directed traffic through the whole event. 11:56 Through the whole event? Yeah. 11:57 So you were one of the last people to leave? 12:00 I wouldn't say that, but I did not leave until 12:05 what I saw the last car come through 12:06 in my intersection. 12:08 So I'll just go out there and say that 12:09 he was one of the last people to leave the city of Paradise. 12:13 When I got the all clear from my boss on the radio 12:16 that I could leave, I headed down Clark road 12:20 and there was no way I could escape. 12:22 It was flames everywhere, fire burning, 12:25 and I managed to get turned around 12:26 and head back up to that intersection, 12:29 and we were in the pitchest black darkness 12:32 you have ever seen 12:33 at probably by 9:00 in the morning. 12:35 At 9:00am? 9:00am. 12:37 It was pitch black, all overhead security lights, 12:41 everything came on until the power went out. 12:43 And then of course, then they were gone. 12:45 It was pitch black. 12:47 And then I poked through that last bit of flame on Clark road 12:50 and the sun was shining, 12:52 and there was a helicopter dropping water, 12:54 and it was just a... 12:56 It was a wonderful sight, after a day of that. 13:00 So tell me what 'cause now we're talking about, 13:02 this is the one year anniversary, 13:04 what's this last year been like for you personally 13:07 and maybe for your responsibility 13:09 there as the public works manager, 13:10 for the city of Paradise. 13:12 Well, it's been difficult. 13:14 We had some, you can think that 13:16 you are going to think ahead and think through everything 13:19 and you're prepared 13:20 and you know what's going to happen, 13:21 but we had some really interesting things 13:24 with plastic culverts, plastic drainage pipes. 13:28 They burned all the way out, 13:29 all the way through under the road. 13:31 All the way through? 13:32 All the way through under the roads. 13:34 And in places where you have a drainage inlet 13:38 and there would be leaves or pine needles down in there, 13:40 it would catch fire and burn all the way through 13:42 under the road, and we were having roads 13:44 that were in imminent danger of collapse. 13:47 And things we had never thought of, 13:49 never dreamed of, we've been had equipment 13:52 and contractors changing culverts 13:54 all over the town 13:56 and still have just a humungous amount 13:59 of culverts that are burned out. 14:01 Never thought of that? Yeah. No. 14:03 Interesting. 14:04 What about the community? What has been... 14:06 As you seen the community, and of course, 14:07 the Seventh-day Adventist Church, you know, 14:08 because of the Adventist health system, 14:10 the hospital that's there, the school, 14:11 the academy, the local Church there, 14:14 how have you seen all that come together 14:17 as in working together? 14:18 Because we've been noticing 14:20 a lot of people using the word courage, 14:21 resilience, resurgence, all those words being used. 14:25 Our Seventh-day Adventist Church 14:27 and our people are the most wonderful people 14:29 on this planet, in my opinion. 14:32 The Seventh-day Adventist gave money to pass out 14:36 to campfire victims, 14:38 and it has been such a blessing to sit 14:40 in on those meetings and see the help 14:43 that's going out to people, 14:45 from just generous donors. 14:49 People that aren't even here donating money 14:51 to help out camp fire victims. 14:53 That's encouraging to see. Yeah, it is. 14:55 And that's a big thank you to you as well 14:57 because we put the need out a year ago, 14:59 and we have still been 15:01 receiving donations for the camp fire 15:02 here in Paradise, California. 15:03 One of the most recent ones, 15:05 is in the month of October actually. 15:06 And so we've been continually sending money here, 15:09 a 100% of it that comes in through 3ABN, 15:11 we pass along to the city here of Paradise, California. 15:13 So that's, thank you to each one of you 15:16 for doing that. 15:27 We sat down in the incident command, 15:30 we had prayer, this was right at 8 o'clock. 15:33 We started hearing report, 15:36 the first one was that the fire is approaching 15:40 and that the town of Paradise had issued an evacuation order 15:43 for our location. 15:45 It was east of Pentz road. 15:47 So we looked at each other and we thought, that's us. 15:50 We have to go, we're going to be evacuating. 15:54 And we had heard reports of flames up 15:56 at the north of campus by that time, 15:57 I walked out to see. 15:59 And to my horror, 16:01 I saw flames on the south end of campus, 16:03 just outside the front door of the hospital. 16:06 I ran back in the command center, I said, 16:09 "Folks, we have flames in the parking lot, 16:10 we have to go now." 16:12 So our lead, 16:13 our emergency management lead was there 16:16 and she said "All right, guys, we got to go, 16:19 get all patients to the emergency room 16:21 for evacuation." 16:23 I'm the manager of the operating room. 16:25 And as soon as I found out that we were evacuating, 16:28 I asked to be excused 'cause three of the patients 16:32 were supposed to start at 7:30, 16:35 and then we had an 8:30 start of another case. 16:39 And so, I held the other case, 16:43 and my concern was getting the three patients 16:46 that were on the operating room tables already, 16:48 get those cases done in to the ER. 16:52 I arrived around 6:35, 7 o'clock for pre-op, 16:57 and I went through prep. 17:00 And the nurse suddenly gets a phone call, and she says, 17:03 "This is never good." 17:05 And they said, "Hold for a second." 17:07 And then she said, "Hold." 17:09 She turned around, I said, "What's going on?" 17:11 And she says "Well, there is a fire." 17:13 I said, "Give me my cell phone." 17:15 So they handed me my cell phone, 17:16 I've got the IV going on, I'm ready to go in for surgery, 17:20 and I was the chief engineer of a fire crew in a fire house. 17:23 And we've been evacuated three times 17:25 through down the canyon. 17:26 And I knew that we had a situation in, 17:29 so I called my wife Cindy, who was in the backyard, 17:32 watching the fire roaring up the Feather River Canyon. 17:35 The Feather River Canyon channels, 17:38 it comes down at the high pressure above it, 17:41 wind was doing 35 to 50, gusting up to 72. 17:45 I knew that this was a big event, 17:47 I asked them to pull my IV out. 17:49 I heard the codes going in the hospital. 17:52 They pulled my IV out, and I got up, and I ran. 17:56 I ran to the front of the hospital 17:58 where the admittance is. 18:00 And as I run out, 18:02 I saw the flames in that parking lot 18:03 you are talking about. 18:05 My home's gone. 18:06 I literally, my son picked me up, 18:08 and we drove through the fire and the smoke, 18:11 and we got to our house, and we had just 18:14 explosions going on around us, I'm Vietnam vet. 18:17 There were embers flying through the air, 18:19 like fireflies on fire being blown by the wind, 18:21 almost like tracer fire. 18:23 And we got to the house, and we only had 15 minutes. 18:26 And I think one of the most important moments 18:28 is I told everybody, 18:30 we're going now, we're leaving, five cars. 18:33 And my daughter said, "One more box." 18:34 And she ran back in, 18:36 and she got her wedding pictures. 18:38 My home is gone, my wife and I are safe, 18:41 and we are grateful for that. 18:42 That's what matters, isn't it, in life? 18:44 Absolutely. 18:45 And we were separated at that time, 18:47 she was over at the school, she teaches kindergarten. 18:50 We were talking on the cell phone. 18:51 I said, "I'm here I'm helping 18:53 with the evacuation of patients. 18:54 I'm fine for now." 18:55 She said, "Yup, I'm here, 18:57 I'm helping to get the kids out of the school." 19:00 And then we had separate cars. 19:02 So, you know, we talked, and then each of us 19:05 made our way out of town, different routes, 19:08 and that's a different story, I won't go into that. 19:11 My home is still standing. 19:12 It's about the fires a half a mile south 19:15 and a mile east of my home. 19:18 So at this point, I have my home. 19:21 But on my way out, 19:23 I called my daughter and told her, 19:25 "I didn't know if I'd ever see you again." 19:28 Because you're trying to get out. 19:30 Yeah, it was... 19:32 But for some reason I wasn't in a panic to get out, 19:37 but then we lost cell services, 19:39 so she was pretty traumatized 'cause she didn't hear from me 19:42 for about 3.5 hours that I'd gotten out. 19:55 Pretty frightening. 19:56 And everyone was obviously trying to get out, 19:59 and it just stopped, and it got to the point 20:02 where me and other people in the car with me, 20:06 we didn't think we're gonna make it. 20:08 I mean, it was just a question for me of, 20:11 "Is it gonna be the heat?" 20:14 or "Are we gonna catch on fire?" 20:16 Propane tanks were exploding all around. 20:18 There's trees everywhere here. 20:20 And I think it's probably... Falling on the road. 20:22 Yeah, it's probably gonna be a tree that falls on us. 20:24 And we said our goodbyes, and we prayed, 20:28 prayed and prayed and prayed for deliverance for us, 20:31 for everyone in this town, for God's mercy. 20:37 I was on the cardiac/neuro unit, 20:40 and that's when the supervisor told me 20:42 that there's a fire. 20:44 And later I found out that it jumped 25 miles 20:49 within an hour to our hospital. 20:51 And so we're caravanning out of Paradise. 20:53 And a little bit out of Paradise, 20:55 I stopped to watch the fire and see like 20:59 how it's affecting the town. 21:02 And I was like, "Where's my dad? 21:04 Why isn't my dad behind us?" 21:06 I asked my mom and she was like, 21:09 "He went back to the school to go get the servers 21:11 that he had built." 21:13 And I was like, "What! 21:15 No, how can he be going back to town? 21:17 The fire is spreading so fast." 21:19 And so we prayed right then and there, 21:22 and we called my dad. 21:26 At that time, he said he's stuck, 21:29 he's actually not gonna probably make it out 21:32 because fires were just 21:33 springing on both sides of the road, like in the row. 21:37 So he was dodging the fires. 21:39 Yeah, he said, "I'm probably not gonna make it 21:41 because we're not moving, and there's fire all around. 21:44 And people are getting out of their cars 21:46 because they think that they're gonna get stuck, 21:49 and they're going on foot." 21:52 But it's so smokey, and they can't see anything. 21:55 He told me it's literally like midnight. 21:57 And he was like, "I love you. 22:01 And if I don't see you again, like, take care, you know, 22:05 it'll be okay." 22:07 And at that time I was just like crying like a baby. 22:10 Then we were just waiting for our dad. 22:13 And sometimes we didn't get connected to him 22:15 because there were so many people calling Paradise. 22:18 So like here and there, I would get texts from my dad, 22:21 it's still gridlocked, it's still gridlocked. 22:23 And hours later, it's still gridlock, you know, 22:27 he was still stuck in traffic. 22:29 And thankfully after much prayer and... 22:36 Crying and prayer, he made it out, 22:39 he came to where we were in Oroville. 22:41 And as soon as I gave him a hug, I was like "Dad, 22:44 you smell like a burnt person 'cause it was like smoke. 22:46 Smoke. 22:48 Yeah, but I was so thankful and so happy to see my dad 22:52 and realized that really, there's nothing, 22:55 there's nothing that's so important as family, 22:59 as your loved ones. 23:12 I'm standing outside the resiliency building here 23:14 in Paradise, California, 23:16 and you can see the crowd behind me. 23:19 What brought this whole group together 23:21 is the community as a group, coming together 23:24 as a whole to encourage each other, 23:28 to talk about the rebuilding process. 23:31 And also to spend 85 seconds in silence, 23:35 remembering those that passed away here 23:37 tragically in the fires one year ago today. 23:41 It's a very emotional time. 23:42 It was very quiet, obviously, 85 seconds of silence 23:46 for those that passed away. 23:48 Lots of tears, lots of mixed emotions 23:50 for many people, but it's neat to see 23:52 the community coming together in support. 23:58 This sculpture was created out of all the keys 24:01 from anything that has perished from our community, 24:04 may it be churches or banks or houses, 24:07 jet skis, diaries, you name it, and it's on here, 24:11 as well as the keys from our fallen neighbors 24:13 of the deceased. 24:15 Everything on here was done with intention 24:18 and just has a purpose and a meaning behind it, 24:21 even the base itself, being an electric wire spool, 24:23 and this is my artistic representation 24:26 of trying to work on forgiveness and moving forward, 24:30 but it's below, the pain is below 24:33 and the hope is above. 24:35 How did you collect all these keys? 24:36 I just asked. 24:38 I put out may be two three days after our tragedy, 24:40 and I said, "Hey, If you give them to me, 24:42 if you're vulnerable with me, with my family, 24:45 I would love to build you something beautiful 24:47 that represents hope." 24:49 So today's a big day because today 24:51 is the unveiling of the phoenix. 24:53 And so tell me about today 24:54 'cause this is the one year anniversary 24:55 to when the fire started. 24:57 Correct. Today, I invite people home. 25:01 And just like my dad, you know, just two seconds before 25:03 I started talking to you, 25:05 I got the call that my dad's on his way. 25:06 That's the first time, my dad will be back. 25:09 I can't imagine if there's other people 25:11 out there feeling that same way. 25:12 And I'm just so proud that we're home, 25:15 and that I gave it reason 25:16 for people to come back up the hill 25:20 and not to be scared to go down it again. 25:26 Well, there were flames on both sides of the road, 25:27 trees and brush... 25:30 Could you feel the heat? 25:31 At that point, I wasn't feeling the heat. 25:34 There was a lot of smoke. 25:35 But just having fire anywhere nearby, 25:38 we have been given evacuation orders in the past 25:41 and seen smoke, 25:43 but I had never seen flames, you know, near me. 25:46 It was just getting worse in terms of flames and trees 25:50 and cars burning, and then traffic stopped. 25:55 It's a narrow-wooded road with tall trees on either side, 25:59 all of them burnt, 26:01 and you're looking up realizing, 26:03 you know, they could fall at any moment. 26:05 But then there were fires by the road that were very close, 26:08 and the car on my bumper burnt. 26:10 And at one point, and then cars began to honk 26:13 because, we weren't moving at all 26:15 and the flames were encroaching. 26:18 So people were just getting frustrated, 26:20 they weren't angry or aggressive, 26:22 they were just desperate, and began to honk, 26:26 and I even honked, like what good is it gonna do, 26:28 but I did. 26:31 And at one point, 26:32 I eased the car forward out of line, 26:35 just to get away from a fire 26:36 that was on one side of my car. 26:40 And then I realized that this, you know, 26:43 we're not getting out, it just didn't appear that 26:45 there was an way of escape. 26:48 I was praying, singing. 26:51 Grander earth has quaked before 26:58 Moved by the sound of His voice 27:01 Over the phone, I could hear the fire, 27:02 I could hear the flames, crackling and stuff. 27:05 Just say what did it sound like? 27:07 It was, I mean, it was quiet, I couldn't hear anything, 27:10 I heard my mom honk, but I could hear like 27:12 the other cars or anything. 27:14 All I heard was what was in the car 27:16 and then the flames outside of the car. 27:18 And I mean, it's almost like, I could picture like 27:23 where she was and what was going on. 27:25 I ended up calling the police 27:27 because I didn't know that anybody knew 27:30 who was out there. 27:32 And because there was no cell service really, 27:34 it was very spotty and no one had really known, 27:39 you know, who was in the hospital, 27:41 who's leaving the hospital so... 27:43 Seas that are shaken And stirred 27:49 Can be calmed And broken for my regard 27:54 I called her, 27:57 I didn't want to upset her, but at the same time 28:00 I didn't feel like I should leave 28:01 without saying good bye. 28:03 And I really don't know what I said to her, 28:05 but she could tell that I was trapped 28:08 and she kept saying just drive mom, just drive. 28:10 And I said, there's no driving, we're trapped. 28:15 And then she said, just don't stop praying, 28:18 don't stop praying. 28:19 And while she was talking to me, 28:22 somebody who was very distraught, 28:26 whose car had burnt, just opened the door 28:28 and jumped in, didn't know whose... 28:29 Into your car? Into my car. 28:31 She didn't know whose car she was jumping into, 28:33 but she recognized me, and she, well, 28:35 I am on the phone with my daughter, 28:37 she cries out, Dr. McLarty, we're going to die. 28:39 And I said I know, I know, 28:41 and I just kept praying and singing. 28:43 You said I know? Wow! 28:45 So you knew you were gonna die. Yeah. 28:47 And through it all, Through it all 28:51 My eyes are on me 28:54 And it is well with me 29:02 I mean, she actually told me goodbye. 29:06 The phone kept going out, and I would wait, 29:08 and I would try calling her and she would answer. 29:11 At one point, I called her 29:12 and she said, you know this is it, 29:13 I'm not gonna make it out of here, 29:15 and she said good bye. 29:16 My best friend actually was there with me. 29:19 She was crying with me. 29:20 And it was very, very stressful. 29:22 Yeah. 29:24 And then cell phone service has gone, you know. 29:26 The phone hung up, and I told them in the car, 29:29 I said, you know, I just lost my mom. 29:31 And, you know, that was the last time I said, 29:35 like that's the last time I ever gonna hear from her, 29:37 you know, so... 29:41 Far be it from me To not believe 29:48 Even when my eyes can't see 29:53 It's hard to believe it's one year, 29:55 after the fire took place here in Paradise, California. 29:59 How many times have you been back here on this campus? 30:01 It's my first time. This is your first time. 30:04 And when you say that you stood and watched this burn, 30:07 this part burn, where were you? 30:09 Originally, I was at the front of the hospital 30:10 at the emergency room. 30:12 Which is right off to our left here. 30:14 Yes. 30:16 And we were not aware that the hospital 30:19 was actually burning, but the fire department 30:21 notified us that we had to leave the building. 30:23 So we went to the helipad which is in front of me 30:25 and waited out there because it's a clear space. 30:29 And it was there that you saw this burning? 30:31 Yes. 30:33 Along with everything else that's around you, 30:34 which is absolutely incredible. 30:36 Yeah, it was 360 degrees of fire. 30:39 Yeah, I can only imagine standing here 30:41 or being there on the helipad, 30:43 which has been turned into a remembrance, 30:46 which is really, really special. 30:48 And I haven't seen that, 30:49 I mean, I haven't been over there. 30:51 You haven't been there yet. No. 30:53 I'm just seeing some things from a distance, 30:55 that thinking back 30:57 'cause that's where we were last. 30:58 And this mountain That's in front of me 31:04 Will be thrown into The midst of the sea 31:11 As you go back to that day, 31:13 it brings back, I know, 31:14 a tremendous amount of memories, right? 31:16 Yup, you could hear fire alarms going off, 31:19 propane tanks exploding. 31:22 Lyra, what is it like for you to think, wow! 31:25 My mom was standing out here, and some of the photos 31:28 that we've seen are just tremendous. 31:30 Yeah. Flames, smoke. 31:33 What's that like to think about your mother being there? 31:37 It's like scary to think about 31:39 because it brings back, 31:40 like my memories of that day, and like, 31:44 talking to her on the phone. 31:46 But obviously, it can't affect me 31:49 as much as it did her, since she was there in person. 31:53 I wanna ask this question to both of you, 31:54 what has carried you through this past year? 31:57 Here we've been a year since that horrible day. 32:01 You don't just get over something like that, 32:02 that happened today and you're over it tomorrow. 32:04 I wish I could give this rosy testimony 32:08 of all these amazing things that have happened to me since. 32:13 I would say that emotionally, 32:16 you know, just my feelings, 32:20 and anybody else that's been here 32:21 would know what I mean. 32:22 You feel like you've been erased as a human. 32:24 Oh, wow! 32:25 I mean, you just kind of feel that you've just been, 32:29 I don't know, erased. 32:32 But I have had to just rely on my beliefs. 32:38 And most of the stuff, I don't feel it, 32:41 I just have to believe. 32:43 And through it all, Through it all 32:46 My eyes are on You 32:50 And through it all, Through it all It 32:53 Andis well 32:59 You're holding something in your hand, 33:01 looks like a journal to me. 33:03 Well, everybody talks about their journal, you know, 33:05 it's supposed to be important 33:07 when you go through a hard time, 33:08 so I thought, I'd try this journal. 33:11 And I've never been a journaler, 33:13 so I wasn't sure what to do, and I made it my devotion. 33:18 So I would date it, and then I'd put down 33:22 the chapter that I was reading, 33:25 and I started off just paraphrasing it. 33:28 And I'd try, my goal in Bible studies, 33:31 I try to read one chapter of the Bible a day, 33:34 and one chapter Proverbs, and one chapter of Psalms. 33:37 Oh, that's good. 33:38 So the idea is that I'm reading through the Bible, 33:41 and that with Proverbs, that I'd become wise, 33:43 and with Psalms, I know how to pray and praise, 33:45 'cause if I can't think of it, David, kind of tells me. 33:48 Yeah. 33:50 You have something you wanna share? 33:51 Yes. 33:53 I can hold this for you, so you know... 33:54 Okay. 33:55 We were under pressure beyond our ability to endure 33:58 and despaired feeling like 33:59 we had received the death sentence. 34:01 But this happened so that we might not rely on ourselves, 34:04 but on God, who raises the dead. 34:06 He delivered us from deadly peril 34:08 and He will deliver us again. 34:10 On Him, we have set our hope 34:12 that He will continue to deliver us 34:14 as you help us by your prayers. 34:17 Wow! That's powerful. 34:18 So looking to the Lord for strength. 34:20 And through it all, Through it all 34:24 My eyes are on You 34:27 And it is well It is well 34:34 So let go my soul And trust in Him 34:42 The waves and wind still know 34:46 His name 34:50 There are lots of people 34:51 that are going through their own storms, 34:53 their own fires, 34:54 maybe saving their own lives. 34:55 Is there something that you would have 34:57 for somebody at home to say... 34:59 Well, for myself and, you know, 35:01 I may be kind of unique is to keep going, 35:04 and I have to rely on something other than emotions. 35:08 And sometimes forced myself to pray, 35:11 like I say, I've had, 35:12 you know, forced myself to pray 35:15 and forced myself to continue reading the Bible. 35:17 And I never questioned God, 35:23 I mean, I never had doubts about God. 35:25 That's one thing that I don't struggle with. 35:27 That's great. 35:29 I believe God is loving, and pure, and holy, 35:31 and good, and just, and faithful. 35:34 I struggle with, what do I do now. 35:37 And what should my decision be. 35:40 But I would say, never stop praying, 35:43 never stop reading the Bible. 35:45 And, you know, don't rely on your emotions, 35:49 keep the word endurance and perseverance, you know. 35:52 I probably use these words a lot, 35:53 and I just keep thinking about that, 35:54 where to endure, where to endure. 35:56 And through it all, Through it all 36:00 My eyes are on You 36:03 It's gonna get better. 36:05 It's tough at first, it is, and there's gonna be moments 36:09 where you think like, 36:12 this is so bad, like I can't go on, 36:15 I can't do it anymore. 36:16 But like, you can, 36:18 it's possible to move on from that. 36:24 Yeah, you know, being young, 36:26 you have your whole life ahead of you. 36:33 The waves and wind still know His name 36:40 The waves and wind still know His name 36:52 And through it all, Through it all 36:56 My eyes are on You 36:59 And through it all, Through it all It is well 37:07 And through it all, Through it all 37:11 My eyes are on You 37:14 As Dr. McLarty reminded us, 37:16 if you feel like your life is being erased, 37:18 hang onto Jesus, 37:20 because He's not letting go of you. 37:22 I think of Isaiah 43, 37:25 it talks about Jesus calling you by name, 37:28 you're not forgotten. 37:30 He knows exactly where you're at. 37:32 What situation is going on in your life, personal, 37:36 maybe with your family, your work. 37:40 A fire in your own life, God knows all about it. 37:44 This here is where the Paradise 37:46 Seventh-day Adventist Church stood. 37:48 It looks like just kind of a barren, rough, dirt field. 37:52 But you know what, the Church is not gone. 37:54 Yes, the building's gone, but the people are still here. 37:58 It may just look desolate, but they're gonna build 38:00 another church here. 38:02 Hang onto Jesus. 38:04 Remember, He loves you with an everlasting love. 38:07 He has His arms around you. 38:09 During a test, they say, the teacher is silent. 38:12 So as we go through these fires, 38:14 these floods of life, 38:15 God is right there with us in the midst of the storm. 38:20 So how's your soul with Jesus today? 38:22 Are you well with Jesus? 38:24 I pray that is. 38:27 As I was trying to leave the hospital, 38:30 we ended up getting stuck 38:31 with in probably 200 yards of the hospital. 38:34 The sheriff was in front of me and there were cars 38:36 that were abandoned in front of us, 38:37 ambulance burning up. 38:39 And there were other vehicles that had been abandoned, 38:41 starting to catch fire. 38:43 And the sheriff and I were conversing back and forth. 38:46 He knew I had patients in my vehicle, 38:48 and I told him, we need help. 38:51 The fire had actually came up to the side of the road 38:55 and fires were catching on the other side of the road, 38:57 so we had no place to go. 38:59 There was no back, no forward, no side. 39:02 And so basically we decided the best thing to do 39:05 was to move our vehicles both sides of the road, 39:09 depending on where the flames were to try 39:11 and make sure that our vehicles 39:12 didn't have direct contact with flames. 39:15 And so the individuals in my vehicle, 39:17 at this point, there were three patients, 39:21 and I had added another individual community person, 39:24 their vehicle had broken down. 39:26 And it was a 75-year-old community member 39:28 that I saw standing on the side of the road. 39:31 And I said, "Get in my vehicle now." 39:33 And so she was talking on her phone at that point. 39:36 And finally I said, "Lady, 39:38 you need to get in my vehicle right now, 39:40 get off your phone and get in here 39:42 for your own safety." 39:43 And so she actually came around 39:44 and sat in the front seat of my vehicle, 39:46 so my vehicle is completely full 39:47 at this point. 39:49 So it's you, a 75-year-old, 39:50 two ICU patients, and a hospice patient. 39:54 And I was calling my children at this point 39:56 because it did not look like I was gonna make it. 39:59 And so I called my son and said, 40:01 "I love you, and I don't know that 40:03 I will see you again. 40:04 But just know that you are important to me." 40:08 And then I called a friend and said, 40:11 "I need you to watch over my kids." 40:13 So let me just hit on some of the story right here. 40:15 So your children don't have their mother? 40:18 Correct. 40:20 She actually passed away five months before, yeah. 40:22 So you are just recently widowed, 40:24 and your kids don't have their mom 40:26 because their mom just died, 40:28 and now you have to call your son, 40:30 and say I'm not gonna make it. 40:32 Yup. 40:36 So I was relying on God to take care of us 40:38 'cause just God can know, you know, 40:40 what's best for my family. 40:46 And through it all, Through it all 40:50 My eyes are on You 40:53 And it is well It is well 41:00 So let go my soul And trust in Him 41:08 The waves and wind still know His name 41:15 Chaplain Brown, to see that footage of a year ago, 41:17 when we were there and the chapel at the Chico, 41:21 Seventh-day Adventist Church, 41:22 and to hear your testimony 41:24 and to how the Lord preserved you 41:27 on your escape out, with the flames all around, 41:30 your children, making that journey, 41:32 talking about the loss 41:34 that had just taken place last year in your life 41:35 with your wife passing away. 41:38 A lot of emotion and here we are, 41:40 one year later on the property, 41:44 your house is behind us, 41:46 describe what's taken place over this last year, 41:49 because people followed your story, 41:51 were touched by your testimony. 41:53 And so what's this last year been like for you? 41:58 It's been a year that you never anticipate 42:01 happening in your life of course. 42:03 And within that, there's been 42:04 a lot of opportunities for gratitude, 42:07 for seeing God's goodness 42:09 and His hand through this experience. 42:13 Some of the things that transpired of course 42:15 right after the fire, we, 'cause of chaplain services 42:18 have been involved in supporting the community, 42:21 some of the things you actually see on my property 42:23 are gifts from the community. 42:26 Like what would we be looking at here? 42:27 So there's a trailer 42:28 that's still on our property right now 42:30 that's been used multiple times 42:32 by multiple families as a place to live, 42:36 so that was a gift to our community. 42:38 So after the fire, we ended up finding housing 42:40 for many, many people. 42:42 A lot of basic necessities, financially, clothing, 42:48 you name it, we've tried to support. 42:50 And through those experiences, 42:52 we've had an opportunity to really touch the inner core 42:57 and need of this community. 42:59 Oh, yeah. 43:00 And to see people as they really are. 43:02 And what I discovered is that 43:05 there is a real resiliency in humanity. 43:08 Oh yeah, that's true. 43:10 And it's been amazing to see people's journey, 43:13 and their gratitude that comes back 43:15 from the gifts that we're just redistributing 43:18 back to them. 43:20 And so I found that through this last year, 43:23 through all of the activities, through the support 43:25 that we've given to so many people, 43:27 that really I've been as blessed in return 43:30 as the blessings that I feel like 43:32 I've been able to give. 43:34 What's it been like for you and your children to come back 43:37 here and spend, what, 43:39 how many weeks since you've moved 43:40 back into your home? 43:41 So actually it's been months now, at this point. 43:43 Okay. 43:44 We've moved in 3.5 months after the fire. 43:46 Wow, that's pretty quick. So it was. 43:48 We actually ended up 43:49 doing a lot of work on the property 43:51 to get utilities reconnected to the home. 43:54 Coming back into the house, it felt like a different home, 43:59 it wasn't really our home at first. 44:02 We lived in an RV for 3.5 months. 44:05 And so, it was interesting being displaced. 44:08 It was something I'd never anticipated 44:10 happening in my life to live out, you know, 44:13 a space that you didn't choose to live out of. 44:15 Yeah. 44:16 And so coming back home, 44:18 it took us probably two or three months 44:20 to reconnect with the house. 44:23 If you look around this community, 44:24 it's not the same community, 44:26 it was probably the biggest loss 44:27 that we had in this community was the community itself. 44:30 You know, my neighbors are all gone if you look. 44:32 Yeah, it's incredible, as you said, right. 44:34 I mean, this is your neighbor, was right here, that's close. 44:37 Their house burned? Exactly. 44:39 What about the next neighbor? Their house burns. 44:41 And what about the next neighbor? 44:43 Their house burns. 44:44 Yes, and if you go down the street the other way, 44:46 the same thing, house after house after house. 44:49 And so we really were the only people living, 44:51 back in this neighborhood for months and months 44:54 due to the fire. 44:55 To school for my kids is now a half an hour, 45:00 instead of five minutes. 45:02 The lights in town are pretty much gone, 45:07 as far as, you know, 45:08 the traffic that you normally have, 45:10 the lights from your neighbors' homes, 45:13 so it's a really dark community at night, that's difference. 45:15 Wow, yeah. 45:17 You have to drive for shopping, 45:20 so it takes more time to do everything. 45:25 But I think at the end, you just have to realize that 45:27 this is a different community, a different time 45:30 and not try and recreate what you had, 45:33 but to look forward 45:35 and look for the blessings and for the reality that 45:39 this is a new community now. 45:41 You know, I'm just gonna ask that 45:42 because here we are Thanksgiving season, 45:44 and we should be thankful every day of the year. 45:46 I know, this time of year, November 45:47 is a special time of thanks, 45:49 but how does one find something positive 45:53 when tragedy's on the run because here in Paradise, 45:56 we're talking about the fire that ravaged this community. 45:58 But then, you may be 45:59 in your own fire, in your own life, 46:01 wherever you are in the world. 46:03 So how would you, Pastor, give hope to someone 46:06 or encourage them on how to find something 46:08 out of their own ashes in their own loves? 46:11 You know, my home was preserved, 46:13 it's to me a miracle that it's still here. 46:16 And in my home, there is a little saying that 46:20 my wife had bought and put on the wall, 46:22 and it says, "Gratitude makes what we have into enough." 46:25 Wow! Say that one more time. 46:27 Gratitude makes what we have into enough. 46:30 And I think that as I have listened to people's lives 46:35 post fire that many of them are grateful, 46:39 just for the basic necessities. 46:41 It's not about the stuff that you have or had, 46:45 it's not about your position in your job, 46:49 it's really about just, 46:51 you know, being thankful for today 46:53 and for what you have, 46:55 which in the very essence of it is life 46:57 and that's what so many people left here with, 47:00 and they had nothing to return to other than maybe a property, 47:05 everything was gone. 47:07 And so often I hear from people that the blessings that 47:10 they actually received from the fire 47:11 was the loss of their material things, 47:16 and it freed them up to a different life 47:17 and a different opportunity. 47:18 Which is really hard to really even think about, 47:20 so really, that was a blessing to have a loss, 47:23 is that what you are saying? 47:25 That's hard. Yes, yes. 47:28 It's a perspective of it 47:30 I wasn't anticipating coming out 47:31 of so many people in this community 47:33 'cause I hear them come through our clinics, 47:36 they talk to our associates themselves at the hospital, 47:39 which I work, that over and over again, 47:42 they're finding blessings out of the loss 47:45 and the change in their life. 47:47 So talking with you, Pastor, is just, again, I'm inspired, 47:50 I was inspired by your testimony a year ago, 47:53 and I'm inspired again and encouraged. 47:56 To me, as I look at you, it seems as though your soul 47:58 is well, right, with God. 48:02 How do you have that day to day connection with Him? 48:03 I mean how do you... 48:04 'Cause I mean, to me, you seem at peace 48:06 even though you lost your wife, your community's gone, 48:09 you know, your house is here which I'm sure 48:11 some people are dealing with survivors guilt maybe. 48:14 You know, like, wow, how come everyone, 48:15 all surround me, it's gone, and mine's here. 48:19 How do you have that peace in your own personal life, 48:21 where it is well with God? 48:25 I think it again comes back to gratitude. 48:27 I'm grateful for what I have. 48:30 You know, there's things that I wish 48:32 that I had on the personal level, 48:34 with my wife, of course. 48:36 But as far as, in the material things, 48:38 I think that I'm on the same journey 48:40 as the rest of the community. 48:42 And that I have my kids at the end of the day. 48:45 I have a place to live. 48:48 And that which I have I realized is really not mine, 48:53 it's just a gift. 48:54 This home shouldn't be here. 48:55 When you look back at this home, 48:58 it shouldn't be standing on this property, 49:00 it shouldn't be in this community. 49:02 And so I realized that, you know, 49:06 maybe I paid the mortgage, but in all reality, 49:08 God's the giver of all gifts, and it is a gift. 49:12 And so we've used it like we did before the fire, 49:15 as a space for community to come. 49:17 You know, on my property, 49:18 we have some friends living here 49:20 just like I lived on someone else's property 49:22 for 3.5 months. 49:24 We've tried to make sure 49:26 that the gifts that God gave to us 49:27 that we are returning them 49:29 as best as possible and blessing the community. 49:32 It's in giving that we receive, you know, 49:34 that reminder is something that I experience every day 49:38 that as I give, I actually receive back more, 49:41 and it just gives you 49:43 a different perspective on life, 49:45 and I think a positive perspective. 49:47 Is there anything in closing 49:48 that you would like to share with our audiences viewing 49:51 from around the world, 49:52 something an encouragement, something that comes in mind 49:54 that you would like to share in closing. 49:58 I would say that, we all have fires 50:00 that we go through in life. 50:02 Trials of our faith, personal trials that's 50:07 whether it's disease that is ravaging your life 50:12 or someone you love's life, whether it's, you know, 50:15 loss of a job, a loss of a community, 50:18 loss of a relationship, that in reality 50:22 we can always find something to be thankful for. 50:26 You know, it's a perspective that we choose to make, 50:31 and it's a daily perspective we choose to make. 50:33 So I would encourage you that whatever you are going through, 50:36 no matter how big your trials are at the moment, 50:41 that look for the positive, look for the God moments 50:44 'cause those are really the things 50:46 at the end of the day that we can look back on 50:49 and know that we are not alone, 50:52 God loves us, he has a plan for our life. 50:55 It may not be the plan that we had for our life, 50:58 but it's one of those things 50:59 where I think at the end of the day, 51:01 we can look back and say, 51:03 you know, God was with us 51:04 through our trials and out of it, 51:06 we've learned things that we never thought we will. 51:09 And then it is well with my soul, then, isn't it? 51:10 It is. 51:12 You know, it's one of those things that 51:14 when you think back, you know, 51:15 music can touch your soul like nothing else. 51:17 You know, songs like "It is well with my soul," 51:21 it gives you the peace that you need through your storms 51:24 and that comes alone 51:25 from that relationship with God. 51:28 It is well 51:36 With my soul 51:43 It is well 51:51 With my soul 51:58 It is well, it is well, 52:05 With my soul 52:12 So where do we go from here? 52:16 I think that's a question lots of people are asking. 52:21 I think it's a clear thing 52:23 that it's gonna be a lot different. 52:28 We know that God leads. 52:31 And through, you know, the ashes and the fire, 52:37 God, He'll lead us somewhere, and we're waiting for that. 52:42 It is well 52:50 With my soul 52:57 It is well, it is well, 53:04 With my soul 53:12 It is well, it is well, 53:19 With my soul 53:26 I was actually just talking to some of these people, 53:28 they were sharing how... 53:30 Yeah, they were sharing their whole stories about 53:31 how they were able to get out and so forth. 53:33 And I am the blessed one, you know. 53:35 And I'm just like "Wow," 53:37 it puts my life into perspective 53:38 because here I am, like, my house is still standing, 53:42 you know, my family wasn't threatened, 53:44 my little, precious kitty cat wasn't threatened, you know, 53:46 it's just like, 53:48 their perspective has totally changed, 53:49 which has also changed my own perspective, you know. 53:51 What really matters is my relationship with God, 53:56 with my family, my friends, you know, 53:57 that's all that really matters. 53:59 Yeah. 54:00 And that's just really humbled me 54:01 in working with these precious people 54:03 and victims here. 54:04 It's just like, yeah, so much to... 54:05 Yeah, so reaching out to others is actually 54:08 benefits me amazingly. 54:10 It's just, I thank God for that. 54:19 The waves and wind still know His name 54:30 And through it all, Through it all 54:34 My eyes are on You 54:38 And through it all, Through it all It is well 54:45 And through it all, Through it all 54:49 My eyes are on You 54:52 And it is well with me 55:02 Oh, what an incredible footage and what an incredible story. 55:06 And I mean, it just, what's it do to you, 55:09 hearing some of these stories and... 55:11 It's to me is just amazing. 55:13 I mean, to see how people go through all of these things 55:19 and yet we know God is with them. 55:21 Amen. 55:22 But it's just the pressure, and oh, it's just... 55:25 It's heart breaking. It's heart breaking. 55:27 The impact it must have on you, Greg, 55:29 'cause you were there, we were watching, 55:31 but you were there. 55:32 Yeah, very emotional being there, 55:33 the first, you know, right after it happened, 55:35 we were just there a couple of days 55:36 after it happened. 55:37 And then to go back even a year later, 55:39 I mean, it's amazing to see 55:40 there's just skeletons of trees, 55:42 just standing totally just, yeah, 55:43 there's still cars that are burned out, 55:44 buildings that haven't been cleaned up, 55:48 it's just, it's amazing the massive job there. 55:50 We just ended with Pastor Chaplain Brown, 55:52 just, this is the stuff that we didn't have time 55:54 to put in the video but the heat around his house, 55:56 this is incredible, his house survived. 55:57 The heat around his house, they estimate at 2,000 degrees. 56:01 The taproots and trees 56:02 which go down in the ground totally gone, 56:04 so yes, the trees gone but also the tap root, 56:06 the root system, totally burned up, 56:08 tremendous heat, it's incredible. 56:09 Amazing. 56:10 And these gutters as you said were... 56:12 They were on fire Melted, burned. 56:14 Because there were leaves in the gutters 56:16 and the gutters were on fire because... 56:17 The house didn't burn. Nope. 56:19 I mean, that's just amazing. Really is. 56:20 But the loss of life was tremendous too. 56:22 Oh, terrible. Yeah, absolutely. 56:24 Yes. Eighty-five. 56:25 Eighty-five people lost their lives. 56:27 I mean, incredible and to deal with that, I mean, 56:29 this is something it's gonna last for a long time, you know. 56:32 Oh, yeah, a long time, absolutely. 56:34 So, well, thank you so much for bringing that. 56:36 We're gonna have a second hour... 56:37 We're gonna show 56:39 how you the viewer and your support, 56:41 what it's done for the encouragement 56:43 and a blessing to those 56:44 and those folk in Paradise are very thankful 56:46 for you as we are. 56:47 Hey, we'll be back in just a moment. 57:00 Stories that touch our hearts, 57:03 stories of changed lives. 57:06 The prayers and financial support 57:08 of people just like you 57:10 are what make it possible for us to tell the stories 57:13 that make a difference. 57:49 You are 3ABN. Thank you for your support. |
Revised 2019-12-12