Olive Crest United Methodist Church
7180 North 60th Street
Omaha, Nebraska 68152

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Rev. Debra Tompsett-Welch

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The Spiritual Life

May 1999

Looking for Family in the midst of the Fire

By Rev. Michael Lee Burgess

It started when my pager went off. Sara Doukas was calling me. Joyce Hennig had just called her to see if she still lived with Angela Kroeger. Sara said "No, why do you ask?" Joyce said, "well I was worried because her apartment is on fire and we can see it from here." My secretary Gabbie and I ran out to the car and took off. It was a little tense when the police officer directing traffic said the building had burned to the ground (early reports are often in error). The building was still standing, but the 3rd floor and roof were gone. Angie ran up to us and we hugged her and listened to her worry about her cats.

After a while I went off and had the fire chief send some people to look for Angie's cats (God gave me this collar for a reason you know, to help other people out). I will let Angie tell you the fire story but what I noticed was the people. Angie was really worried about her upstairs neighbors who lost everything. People from all over the neighborhood were coming to see if their neighbors needed help. The Salvation Army and Red Cross were both there trying to help out. I saw a police officer walk by looking at the building, a really big tough looking cop, with a very sad look on his face. Later we were waiting in line for a chance for Angie to get inside and look for her cats when a young, very flashy dressed black woman came up and asked if they were letting anyone in who had lived on the third floor. They said no, and she said "all right" and walked on. An older Hispanic lady said to her family, "She works very hard. She earned everything she had, and now it is all burned up." Her words were approving and her look was sympathetic. At any other time, I would have expected her to be disapproving of the young ladies clothes, but this time she was looking at the person, and not the clothes.

Then I remembered how people had acted after the Ice Storm the year before last when everyone was without power. Complete strangers were trying to help each other out. Despite everything going wrong, they were polite to each other. When my sister Ruth went through the Hurricane in Florida, she said that afterwards, "everyone was nice to each other, at least for awhile". I think in disaster, we forget to see the small things that separate us, and remember that we are all part of the same family, the family of God. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could remember to be family, without having to have a disaster to knock the false pride and materialistic illusions from out eyes? The Kingdom would be so much closer.

Let us take ten minutes a few times a week this month to remember what is truly important (is it living, does it love?). If we do I believe our lives will be so much richer. We spend so much time on the false and so little on the true and deep. Mostly I think because we forget how to tell the difference. If we all try and spend some time in the coming month, remembering the truly important and spending time with God to help us get a perspective for living well our lives will be better. All of our lives will be enriched if we all work on this together.

Thank you for your help

Your brother-in-Christ, Reverend Michael Lee Burgess

P.S. Stay Tuned for Angie's Story

The Fire - by Angela Kroeger

The day after my apartment complex burned, the weather was cold and very rainy. The already saturated remains of the building were threatening to collapse at any time. Tenant's were being allowed into their apartments two at a time per floor to retrieve their belongings. Folks on third floor, where the damage was worst, were only being given twenty minutes to do this. I had lived on the second floor. The flames had never touched my apartment, so all the damage to my area was from water and smoke. It was still dangerous, though, as bit by bit the ceiling was falling. My mother and I stood in line for about an hour. We went into the dark and smoky apartment to rescue my artwork, a few special family mementos, and other items of sentimental value. We each carried out an armload of stuff and were told that we probably wouldn't be able to go back in later for more. But I have renter's insurance.

Let me tell you, a good insurance agent can be a powerful ally. Just a couple of hours later, they got a salvage company to go into my apartment and pull out as much of my stuff as they reasonably could. (As I write this, I don't actually know what they got out or what kind of condition it's in. They will be getting in touch with me in the near future to go through their storage area.)

If I may digress for a moment--if you rent your living space and don't have renter's insurance, GET IT! Do not procrastinate on this. Out of twenty-four households in that building, I was one of only six with renter's insurance. Some of my neighbors, particularly those who lived on third floor, came away with absolutely nothing except the clothes on their backs. I overheard one woman telling her companion that the only thing recognizable in their apartment was the rocking chair, and even that wasn't worth trying to haul out. So get renter's insurance! Trust in God, but remember that He commonly acts through earthly agents. Don't make His job any more difficult than it already is.

The salvage company recommended I take my computer to a specialist, and they wanted me to take the parts of my machine with me, instead of leaving it to them. As we carried the parts of my computer through the rain to my car, a little slip of paper fell off my monitor, something I'd taped there months ago. "Dwell not on the bad. Turn it over. See the good." My friend Diane picked this up off the ground. The ink was running and the words blurred, but she carried it home and left it on the table where I'd see it. I had to smile as I read it. All things considered, there was much good to be seen.

The day of the fire, I had left work in a state of near panic, praying hard all the way for the safety of the other tenants, of my cats Murphy and Luna, and of my upstairs neighbor's cat Max. When I arrived, I couldn't even see the three-story building, the smoke was so thick. I parked and approached on foot as close as we were allowed. There were four fire trucks blasting the building with water, and the flames were leaping high. The third floor--all of it--was an inferno. All my neighbors and I could do was watch. Someone told me that all of the people had gotten out, which was great news, but no one knew if any animals had been rescued. I continued to pray for Murphy, Luna, and Max--and the dog across the hall--and any other animals that I hadn't met but knew must be in there.

People began materializing to stand by my side. Rev. Michael and Gabbie were the first to arrive, and three other dear friends came to the site to offer whatever help they could. With so much love and support, I felt strangely calm and well protected. Time passed, and it began to seem likely that nothing could be alive in there. But I kept praying. And then I saw the most glorious thing I have ever seen in my life. A fireman emerged with Max in his arms. The cat was soaked and totally coated with ash and soot, but he was alive. Given the state of third floor, this was nothing less than a miracle. I thanked God for this answered prayer, and at that moment, I knew everything would be alright. I knew that if Max had made it, then Murphy and Luna on the second floor would too. I told the firemen to be on the lookout for two black cats. Hours passed as they searched and secured the building, but they found no trace of my little ones. But I did not allow myself to lose faith.

Finally, they started allowing people into the building to search for pets. I skulked down the dark and nasty hallway to my apartment. I quickly checked all of their favorite hiding places and I found Murphy wedged into a cranny in the closet. Joy filled my heart as I held him. He was wet and terrified, but otherwise unharmed. I handed him off to a guy in a hardhat and searched for Luna. Luna wasn't in any of his normal spots. He wasn't anyplace that I could think to look. I was almost ready to give up, then I noticed that the cabinet above the refrigerator was open just a crack. I usually kept that blocked with a heavy statue, which was now slightly turned. I looked in the cabinet, and there was Luna! He had sheltered himself so well that he was totally dry! Praising God, I hauled Luna out of there. Both of my kitties were alright! I was overjoyed.

They let me back in for my computer (I have several novels-in-progress on the hard drive). I got it unhooked and then someone official came to chase me back out. Apparently the flames had flared back up again somewhere in the building (although they didn't tell me this at the time). I grabbed Suzi, my Bonsai tree, and ran out. With Murphy, Luna, and Suzi, all of the living entities with whom I shared my home, were accounted for. (With sadness I must report that not everyone was so fortunate. I heard that four cats lost their lives.)

That night, after the fire, I thanked God for sparing Luna, Murphy, Max, and Suzi. And I prayed for all of the others who had lost their home in the fire, especially those who had lived on the third floor, where the devastation was worst, and for those who had lost their pets. Outside, there was a thunderstorm. Given the amount of water damage that my level had already sustained, I didn't believe that anything would survive the night. But I had my cats, and that was all I cared about. Like Hazel Burgess always says, "If it lives and breathes, it's important. If it doesn't, it's not." She's so right about that.

The second night after the fire, I lapsed into habit and spoke my usual bedtime prayer. I began as I always did. "Holy One, I thank You for the great abundance that You have given me." Then I paused and really thought about that statement. I usually said that phrase in reference to my material possessions, an undetermined amount of which I had just lost. But at that moment, I felt nothing short of wealthy. I had Murphy and Luna right there in the room with me. Suzi-Bonsai was in Rev. Michael's care. And I was completely surrounded by friends and family, who were continuously startling me with their generosity.

My Dad, with all his health problems, had come in from Schuyler and gotten me some clothing, toiletries, and other necessary items. My Mom had come up from Lincoln, and gotten me still more supplies. Diane and James had opened their home to me, so I could have a place to stay with my cats until I got a new apartment. Coworkers were being very generous, sending anonymous envelopes of money to me and to another coworker who had lived in that building. Two more wonderful friends bought me a big load of groceries. People were flooding me with offers of assistance. The list went on and on. I have never before experienced so much love and human goodness. And let me tell you, it's an unbelievable feeling.

"Holy One, I do thank You for the great abundance that You have given me." I have everything I could possibly need or want, and then some. I am still reeling from this realization. Count your blessings. You'll be amazed. I sure was. Angela Kroeger

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