Thurs., July 12, 2018

Acts 6:6 – The community presented these seven to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

A community about 20 miles from our house had an explosion last night. In downtown Sun Prairie, WI, a contractor hit a 4” gas line. Rescue personal and the local utility company worked diligently to shuffled people out of the affected area. About 45 minutes after the leak was reported, there was an explosion, caused by leaked gas. Several injuries were identified, to rescue personal as well as civilians. Sun Prairie Fire Department Caption Cory Barr lost his life. He is pictured here with his twin daughters. He is also survived by his wife.

For the past week, people cheered the rescue operations of a Thailand soccer team who were removed from a remote underground cave. One rescue worker died. Amazingly, the entire team and their coach are now safe at a hospital.

Rescue personal are special. When everyone else is running from a tragedy, rescue folks run into the problem. We see this time and time again. 9-11. Hurricanes. Tornadoes. Fires. Rescue people did not think about themselves but about the people whose care and safety they are entrusted.

The local Sun Prairie police and fire departments have reiterated multiple times how this situation could have been much worse. As they choked back tears and buried their emotions about loosing one of their own, trained personal remind us that so many more lives and families could have been affected.

This is selfless giving. Yes, this is what they are trained to do. When tragedy happens, they do their jobs.

During an early morning update early, rescue personal were peppered with questions. When can affected people return home? When will the name of the person who died be released? What could have been done differently? Yes, the reporters were doing their jobs. But these folks were running on very little sleep. Safety is their number one concern. They remained professional, patient and compassionate. They showered nearby police and fire departments with compliments for providing additional help and assistance. They asked for help and it showed up.

We see tragedies happen all around the world. When it happens closer to your neck of the woods, you take note. Hubby Rick worked last night. He delivers fuel for a local convenience store chain and was near Sun Prairie after the explosion. He described the fire as significant and visible from quite a distance.

There has been an outpouring of support for the Sun Prairie community, the Barr family and other displaced individuals and families. When challenging things happen, I pray we show up, lay hands on those affected and pray for them. This is what communities do. This is what God’s community does.

For this, I am grateful.

Lord God – please be with the families and business who are reeling in grief tonight. Wrap your loving arms around them and hold them tight. May a community rise-up and surround them with compassion, care and love. Amen.

Blessings –

Dianne

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