Red Hill is Burning... Please Pray!

It is just past midnight in Cape Town, and I'm just out of the shower. I've been up in Red Hill, the informal settlement where Amy works with children in an after-school program, and am now up praying for the fire on the mountain to stop. Red Hill is nestled down the slopes of a mountain behind Simon's Town, and just across the road from the shack community, the mountain is burning out of control.

I went to check on our friend and Amy's co-worker Zoleka and the children with whom Amy works - the fire has not yet crossed the road into the settlement, but it is very close. The kids have been evacuated down the mountain, but the adults remain behind. I still smell like smoke and fire after my shower and I have ash and sand in my ears and mouth due to the 40+MPH winds whipping the fire across the mountain. If you pray, please pray for our friends, co-workers, and the kids and families that have become such a part of our lives.

Today is also the day that we send out our "everyotherfriday" email prayer letter to friends and supporters - I don't usually post it here, but since I've written it early this Friday morning to send out and it's mostly all about Red Hill, I've copied it below. If you want to get in on this email list that comes, appropriately enough, every other Friday, just drop me an email to steven %% AT %% servlife %% DOT %% org. And please pray for Red Hill, the families there, and the firefighters who are working to save lives and homes on the mountain tonight.

Subject: URGENT prayer needed this everyotherfriday From: Steven Nicholson Date: February 8, 2008 1:19:21 AM GMT+02:00

Greetings from South Africa!

Since I put URGENT in all caps in the subject line, let's get down to it. It's just past midnight on Friday morning in Cape Town, which makes it Thursday for pretty much everyone reading this, but it is Friday here and we need your prayers today - whatever day it happens to be wherever you happen to be.

Red Hill, the informal settlement of shacks where Amy works with kids in the afternoons, is at this very moment in serious danger from an out-of-control fire burning on the mountain. I've just returned from Red Hill and hopped out of the shower to wash away some smoke, ash, and sand. Here is the latest first-hand report:

Along the road from Simon's Town to Red Hill, fire from earlier today is still smoldering along the top of the mountain. As I descended the mountain toward Red Hill, I was stopped three times by police and firefighters asking me to turn back. Being a pastor is sort of like a free pass around here, so I was allowed to continue to the community of shacks. The smoke was too thick to see more than a few feet, but I was able to make it to the entrance to the "middle camp" of shacks where our friend and Amy's co-worker Zoleka lives. This is also where the Kids' Club meets and where the majority of the kids live that Amy works with.

The electricity is out in Red Hill - not sure if it was cut as a precaution or if the fire damaged the lines - but the light from the fire was almost bright enough to allow me to see the way to Zoleka's home. Red Hill is situated on the downhill slope of the mountain, and the fire was burning from the edge of the road up the slope as far as I could see. Only a two-lane road is keeping the fire from burning through the community. The wind is also blowing down the mountain - pushing the fire up to the road and toward Red Hill. I spoke with some firefighters on the scene who told me the wind was at about 45MPH - that was the steady wind. I would guess that the gusts are closer to 60MPH. Sparks are flying across the road into the camps of shacks constantly, but no fire has started around the homes.

Zoleka is safe and wanted to remain behind with her family through the night, but most of the children have been evacuated down the mountain as a precaution. Because the smoke was blowing across the road reducing visibility to less than a foot with hot ash and sand blowing in my face, I wasn't able to make my way down the mountain in that direction any longer to check on the kids. But I'm confident that they are at least safe, if not comfortable. Several people in Red Hill with vehicles are making preparations to evacuate, but the firefighters and police on the scene have not ordered a full evacuation yet. If they do, we hope to be in touch with Zoleka so that we can return in the night to help her to safety along with other neighbors.

PRAY - Pray that the wind will stop blowing and that our God who controls the weather will mercifully order the weather to cooperate with efforts to contain the fire.

PRAY - Pray that the children of Red Hill who are separated from family will be safe and comforted.

PRAY - Pray that the community of Red Hill will be given peace to rest this night.

PRAY - Pray for the firefighters and police who will have no rest tonight because they are struggling to protect lives and homes.

PRAY - Pray that God will spare the people of Red Hill from the devastation of losing their homes and meager belongings.

PRAY - Pray that these fires and God's mercy that protects Red Hill will be an instrument of grace that God uses to draw the people of Red Hill to Himself.

I will post updates on my blog (http://twoandtwomakesfive.blogs.com) as we receive them - we are praying that tomorrow I will be able to post that the fire was contained just across the street and that Red Hill and all the families there are safe. Please pray with us now if you receive this email on Thursday evening where you live.

Finally - pray for our upcoming trip to Zimbabwe next week. This email was supposed to be about Zimbabwe, the church that we partner with there and the orphaned children they are caring for, and our trip - but those details will have to wait. Joel Vestal, the founder and leader of ServLife, arrives in South Africa with his wife Elise next Thursday and we head up to Zimbabwe together on Friday. We'll be back in South Africa by Monday night, so in about a week and a half I'll have updates from the trip on the blog. In the meantime, pray for us, our trip, the church, and the kids. Thanks to all of you who are doing so much to support our work there and the church's sacrifice on behalf of their children.

If you want to know how to support our work, Zoleka's ministry to children in Red Hill, or the orphaned children supported by Family Praise Fellowship in Zimbabwe, drop me an email or leave a comment on the blog. Thanks for your prayers and for your willingness to pray on a Thursday evening - I promise it's already everyotherfriday here!

Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika!

Steven and Amy Nicholson

HIV/AIDS Africa Initiative

ServLife International

http://www.servlife.org
http://twoandtwomakesfive.blogs.com

Skype: steven-amy
iChat/AIM: servlife steven and servlife amy

Thanks, blog-readers, for your prayers. Updates in the morning - pray for good news!

PS - The pictures obviously aren't from tonight - it was so dark and smokey the camera would have been useless. Not to mention I didn't take the camera with me...

Comments

[Rebecca]

I certainly am praying, Steven, and will be back here soon for updates.

[Marlow]

Praying for Red Hill. Keep us updated!

[Sav]

I just forwarded your everyotherfriday email to some prayer warriors...
We're praying.

[Faydra]

Praying for Red Hill and eager to hear more about Zimbabwe. We can't send a package in time for this trip but what can we send and when? (Kaden has his March birthday coming up :-) )

[Aeriale]

Praying, praying, praying! Do keep us updated.

[amy]

Here's an update for everyone. Steven is in Red Hill right now and people's houses are burning. The fire has crossed the road. People are trying to gather up as much of their stuff as they can and leave. Steven has helped Zoleka and her family load their things and move them to a safe place. He's now trying to help others. There's not really any coordinated effort to evacuate people, but the police and firefighters are there. Unfortunately, the wind is so strong that they can't really contain the fire. I'm at home trying to call everyone I know who has a car to go and help. Unfortunately, I don't know too many people with cars and the majority of the ones I do know are still at work (it's the afternoon here). Please continue to pray!

[Kayla]

Thanks for the update Amy...we are continuously praying. Give Zoleka our love. -Kayla

[steven]

Hectic, terrible day for so many, and a great day of rejoicing for others. So many questions in that. But the best news is that the fire passed within a few feet of Zoleka's home before turning down the mountain. Updates and pictures are in the new posts - thank you all for praying for our friends. God has spared hundreds of people from losing everything, but there are others left with nothing - much work remains and the threat of new fires and new flare-ups still exists. Please keep praying and stay tuned for how you can be a part of our response to this crisis. Thank you, thank you, thank you!