Fire on the Mountain

It is mountain burning season. For numerous reasons, Gumuz begin burning the grass off the mountains. Until today, I thought that fires were set randomly without thought of whether everyone was ready for the fires to start. I thought the Gumuz just enjoyed the drama of it all. They are warriors. They seem to enjoy fighting fires too.

I thought it was for the hunting. Fires cause animals to leap out of hiding holes and brings a good meal. I thought they liked to clear their fields for next year's harvest. Yet every year, the fires catch villagers off guard and people are scrambling to save their crops drying in the field and keep their villages from burning down. I wondered. Why don't they organize themselves so that everyone has finished bringing in the crops and the dry grass for roofing? Why don't they first clear paths and prepare backfires?

We had just said farewell to some guests from Addis, when we heard fire crackling and saw dense, dark smoke. The fire was so close we could see the flames through the thick bush around our property. It was close. Rolf, our guard, Karissa and our oldest kids headed off with rakes to make a firebreak. The rest of us started praying for safety and help. Within 20 minutes men and women and older children came running. This fire caught everyone off guard. Horns started blowing and voices shouting out calls for help. More men came running. The fire raged up three sides of the mountain that we live on. The flames were high. In some places, raging higher than the tallest trees. As the fire died down where the dry grass was scarce, the fight began.

Water is so scarce that no one would dare use water to fight a fire. And so a fire is fought by ripping green leafy branches off the trees and beating the fire. Others set back fires and still others rake paths. It works. The fire hits the firebreak and stops dead. Most of the time. This time though the fire jumped firebreaks. It came close. We could see the flames from our porch. For three hours or more, men, women, and children beat back the fire.

It's done now. My firefighters, thirsty, tired, filthy have come home. I am proud of my firefighters. The menfolk and womenfolk (young and old) working alongside our Gumuz brothers and sisters. Tired. Dirty. Safe.

My husband will be picking burrs out of his hair. The kids will shower off the soot. The Gumuz will sew up ripped clothes. This fire will be the talk of the village tonight. There will be grumbling. At least one family's crop was lost. 

And I realized. The Gumuz don't like being surprised by fire either. And this one surprised everyone. Set by a child. A small flame set an entire mountain on fire and the fire rages on. The timing was wrong. Too much wind. Too soon. Acres of elephant grass and dry leaves. Entire crops still out in the fields. This fire will catch more people by surprise. Now we see that Gumuz typically set fires intentionally, in a controlled manner, to prevent such wild fires from occurring.

And today I discovered we have another firefighter. My young daughter. A girl that prays without ceasing. "May no one be killed by this fire. May no one be harmed by this fire. Let this fire stop". She doesn't forget to say thank you at the end of the day. My firefighters include one who fights with prayer. She continues to pray and worry for this child who started the fire for she will be blamed. 

I am proud of my firefighters. The menfolk and the womenfolk (young and old) working alongside our Gumuz brothers and sisters. And I am proud of the one who says "I am not brave like the others" and so instead she prays.

Update written February 3: Three crops were lost and a lot of full beehives. The cost will be high. A dozen cows - maybe more. But for now, a goat or two and some chickens. Pray for G and his family as they handle this crisis. He is one of our staff which brings additional challenges to this situation. His brother was murdered just a few weeks ago. He is experiencing intense trials. Pray that he and his family might stand strong and that the Lord will be His strength and His provider.