God’s Deliverance on the Edge of the Fire
On Friday afternoon of September 9th, 2022 a wisp of smoke was spotted rising in the not-too-far-distance behind the monastery chapel. It grew rapidly into a column of white, red, and (occasionally) black smoke. Soon, special fire-fighting aircraft (“spotters”) could be seen circling overhead. A dreaded wildfire was upon us!
Fearing the worst, we quickly sprang into action and prepared for evacuation. Personal belongings were stuffed into carry bags, the main icons of the chapel together with the Holy Relics and other Holy things were carefully wrapped and packed into the back of the car. The Highway patrol officer soon arrived and announced that a mandatory evacuation was in effect. We had only ten minutes to vacate. Office computers, our dog “Zushja”, and finally our cat “Cricket” were stuffed into the car. Just as we were about to leave, Cricket made a break for it. Unable to retrieve her, we left her to her fate.
A half mile down the road, we turned back to watch low-flying planes dump crimson fire-retardant on the edge of the growing conflagration. How near the fire was to our beloved monastery!
A two-hour drive brought us to the safe haven of St Herman of Alaska Monastery in Platina. There we took refuge for the next two days. The brothers showed us extraordinary kindness and hospitality. Brotherly love, compassion, and understanding prevailed—for they too, only a year before, had had to evacuate for the same reason.
Sunday morning Divine Liturgy commemorated the sober feast of the Beheading of St John the Baptist (old style). The day was peaceful—spiritual fellowship, old friendship renewed. Then in the early afternoon, we learned that the wildfire was subdued and the evacuation order had been lifted. Thanking and bidding goodbye to our fellow monastics, by late afternoon, we returned to Manton to find our monastery whole and intact. Even Cricket made a nonchalant appearance. Glory to God! What anxiousness we had felt on Friday! What relief to find we were safe! So many had prayed, and God had had mercy on us. A molieban of Thanksgiving was served shortly after we returned.
A few days later, hiking to the edge of the monastery property, we witnessed just how hard the firefighters had worked to stop the spread and just how close the fires came. After startling a deer, pink swaths of fire-retardant could be plainly seen only 300 feet from the edge of our property. Beyond this, fire engines and water tanks worked in the charred and ashen landscape to extinguish the little fires that remained.
The threat of wildfire and subsequent evacuation remain a reality in the West. To adapt to this, we are cutting trees to establish fire-breaks around the monastery buildings at considerable expense. But, more than anything, we are learning to rely on God and on prayer. Who could have known that the weather would significantly cool only two days after the wildfire started? Who could have known that we would receive a solid two hours of rain within three days of the wildfire? All these things must be received with thankfulness and as a sign of God’s providence and His continued protection.
