Emma’s Perspective on the Day of the Fire

Celestia advised that Emma and Graham each write their fire story to help them process it. We are all still grieving dear friends and your prayers are deeply appreciated. We make ourselves vulnerable by sharing what we went through and felt and continue to feel….Emma is 15 years old and she has worked many hours typing her version of the fire. Thank you for listening and praying for each of us….and here is her unedited version:

My take on what happened January 14th…7 weeks ago today..

It all started at around 3:30am I woke up to the sound of the smoke alarm going off it was way annoying not the sound you really want to wake up to…I met mom in the hallway and we fanned the smoke alarm Graham also met us there…we fanned it and checked through the whole house still half asleep and soooo tired because mom and I had stayed up till about 12:30 am talking and laughing while we were both on our computers and I was talking to friends while she was writing a blog entry for the next morning so she would have a head start…so after checking through the house and finding nothing we all went back to bed…it took me awhile to fall asleep after being so woken up with that alarm so I laid there thinking if the house ever was on fire what would I get out after the kids of course!! I thought about everything in the house and made my decision and off to sleep I went.

At about 5:30 I woke up again to the smoke alarm going off this time even more awake and more annoyed at that stupid smoke alarm!!! Mom and I met each other in the hallway and this time Graham slept right through it..we fanned it again and it would stop then go off again so we went through the house and when we got to the laundry room we noticed smoke coming out of the hot water base board heater! We talked and decided it was no big deal as the inspector before we bought the house just a year ago had told us it was the best kind of water heater and it would last for years so surely there was nothing wrong with it and it was no big deal that the smoke was coming out!

So we decided we would call Dad at 7 so he could sleep he had been so exhausted with all that had been going on at the church and he was on his retreat for him to get closer to God and to really just focus on what God wanted him to teach on for the next series at church…So mom told me to go back to bed so off I went but not before I checked my cell phone! I looked and I had a text from my good friend Josh he had texted me good morning as he was up because he has such a big family that to get quiet time with god and reading his bible then he better get up way early normally he was up at 6 and this time it just so happened to be at 5:30..I texted him back and told him good morning and that my stupid smoke alarm was going off and I was ready to kill it cause I just wanted to sleep!! He told me that I should just take the batteries out. Well I went on to tell him that I couldn’t because it was one that was connected into the electricity! After texting him for about 15minutes,I dozed off..one of the worse dozing off’s in my lifetime..I only slept for about maybe 5 minutes..and that was to me the worst sleep in my entire life so far I hope I never have one like it…in just those few minutes I woke up to Mom on the phone with 911 saying “My house is on fire my 6 kids are sleeping I need to wake them up and get them out of the house”

I jumped out of my bunk bed as I sleep on the top I don’t even remember how I got down but im guessing I just jumped off of it I ran over to Graham’s room across the hall and grabbed his arm and told him “you have to get up and help me the house is on fire” after seeing he was awake I ran back to my room and woke up Liberty and Isaiah and told them to put their clothes on the house is on fire and its cold out we have to get out! Liberty scrambled to get ready and I grabbed Isaiah and ran back to the boys room to get him some clothes I don’t know why I thought they had to be dressed as the house was on fire I should have just sent them out but then there’s that denial there is no way my house would be on fire and it’s the middle of winter and its freezing I don’t know how long we would have to wait outside and how freezing it was!

After getting Isaiah’s clothes on I told him to go put some shoes on I ran back to the laundry room right in front of the garage door and mom was standing there hysterical she wanted to put out the fire and as I did too we thought maybe to put flour on it but then decided we shouldn’t and water wouldn’t work either so I went and grabbed a coat and some jeans and changed really fast then I ran to Elizabeth and Elijah’s room and found that they were not in their beds that Graham had grabbed them and taken them to the car then I raced to the front door and found Isaiah who was slipping his shoes on and Liberty who was holding our dog Nelly and took them and put them in the car…after putting the kids in I sat in the car thinking not too clearly and thought about what I needed and remembered earlier that morning what I had thought about…I ran back inside to find Mom and told her in her bathrobe to get outside and she ran off to grab some clothes…I then after she left the house went and found my camera which I had just bought in November and found my purse that I had been given for Christmas (one of those American Eagle ones) sitting next to it and even weirder my iPod shuffle was sitting there not where it normally would be so I threw them in my purse and went looking for a shirt for youth group cause I wanted to look “cute” yea right I was totally out of it thinking I wanted to look cute for youth and my house was on fire I was in denial there was no way my house was on fire things like this happen to people in the movies not me! I then ran back to the laundry room where it was on fire and opened the door and saw the flames touching the ceiling it is one of the scariest things to see.. and then took off running to the kitchen I grabbed my mom’s computer because I realized that morning while laying in bed that of all the things we have like picture frames and photo albums her computer has sooo many pictures so I grabbed it and my shoes and ran to the car and there I sat waiting and waiting for the fire department.

They took forever at least In my mind while watching your house burn and the smoke get worse everything seems to tick by very, very slowly I was scared out of my mind and of course I still had that denial that I would be back at my house that night and it would be no big deal my house was going to be fine…the fire department still was not there it took them about twenty minutes and each minute dragged slowly by I waited with all the kids in the car freezing as it was a winter morning and we all were not really dressed to be outside as we had just woken up and it was only 7 in the morning… the kids were pretty freaked out and mom was crying and trying to get internet connection to ask her blogging friends (you guys) to pray and graham was also on the phone with 911…after talking to them Graham took Liberty and Isaiah down to the end of the drive way so they could stay at one of our dear neighbors…finally after the 20 long minutes they arrived the first fire chief truck made it down and then the fire truck got stuck in our very long drive way the fire fighters were pulling the long hose and running down the drive way one of the fire fighters asked me to take the kids cause it was going to get really smoky and bad so I grabbed Elizabeth and Elijah and we started walking down the long drive way I carried Elijah and one of the fire fighters carried Elizabeth it was hard to walk in the drifts of snow as they were about up to my waist…

we got to the end of the drive way and I was totally out of it and worried about my house and I was not sure what to do I ended up talking to our neighbor and we got in her car and we went to her house…which later I regretted going with the kids but I didn’t want them to be scared.. Since they had only been home from Uganda for a few weeks and what would they think of going to some stranger’s house!! When we got to her house she made the kids some breakfast and I made some calls to friends and family asking them to pray I couldn’t see my house from this neighbors and which worried me more…

All I could do was wait and pray and wait some more….after about an hour or two some friends of my mom’s arrived with donuts and little valentine stuffed animals to cheer us up she got one for all of us kids even me which was very sweet of her..but I couldn’t eat my house was on fire I didn’t feel like eating and I don’t think anybody did…we waited some more I texted Graham who had his cell on him and had stayed back at the house but he after awhile ended up walking to the neighbors…where I was really happy to see him and I asked him how the house was all he said was “pretty bad”…I then tried texting mom and she didn’t reply..so I waited some more all I knew was from graham that there was 20 fire trucks there and it was still burning…

at about 11:30 Graham and the neighbors son Chris also one of our good friends decided they were going to go walk to the house I decided the kids would be okay and I headed out with them after borrowing a a scarf and hat as it was freezing! And we started the walk to our house to see what was left we first took a road that was near by and you could see our house to see if it was still burning we then walked down the main road and headed down and around fire trucks to our house…we met pastor Mark also known as our churches children’s pastor and Pat Parks one of my parents friends and they asked if I was warm enough which I think I was more numb from everything going on…we walked down the drive way and saw the fire fighters sitting in the snow and looked like they were just trying to breath and then some other fire fighters were shoveling things out of the baby’s room and onto the front yard…it was sooo sad to see the cribs that were now just chunks of charcoal and to see Elizabeth’s most loved dresses that she insisted on wearing every morning were now just charred fabric…

I saw Mom and ran over and hugged her and in awhile the fire fighters asked if we wanted to go see what was left of the house we headed inside the damage was incredibly sad…we walked around and just cried at what was left which isn’t much as it is like 98% loss…we saw our family pictures on the wall which you now could not even recognize what they used to be of…it was like a bad movie a bad dream a nightmare. We all cried and then after seeing everything headed outside the fire fighters were going to leave cause the fire was over there was nothing more they could do or help us with…Mom and Dad decided we should go get some showers and change but then the sudden thought we have nothing to change to! Nothing to take a shower with nowhere to take one!

After some calls our friends Seth and Maria who were out of town said we could use their house for as long as we needed..We headed to the neighbors to find that Elijah was napping and the kids were playing happily after loving on them we headed over to Seth and Maria’s we opened the door and found that some good friends of ours were there and on the couch was each person’s name and a pile of clothes it was the sweetest sight in the whole world I went to the pile and found some jeans and some sweaters a purple one which is my favorite color J and things and this person had actually got me all the right size…We stayed at Seth and Maria’s for a few days and eventually moved to a hotel where we stayed for over a month. It was strange living in a hotel but I actually enjoyed it we became friends with the staff we knew everyone’s name and made friends with the cook and the hotel actually said that they would be sad to see us go because we had brought so much Joy to the hotel.

We’re now in a rental and well its nice and everything but it’s still not home and I still miss my house so much I miss all my kitty’s and my horse Daisy everything’s so different and new I’m still grieving and I will be for awhile it’s sad to see everything taken away that you knew and loved in just a day.. Things like my baby quilt and pictures are not replaceable but we got the most important things out of the fire and that’s my 6 siblings and Mom. Things like my baby quilt and pictures are not replaceable but I got the most important things out of the fire and that’s my 6 siblings and mom I love you Mom thanks for waking me up or I would not be here today..Much Love –Emma Lee Joy

27 thoughts on “Emma’s Perspective on the Day of the Fire

  1. Emma, this is so moving and you are an incredible girl. You have a huge heart and a huge portion of courage. I’ll be praying for you as you sort out all these emotions and pack them into a corner of your heart. I know you will never forget this night. Perhaps one day you will draw on this to minister to somebody else. I pray that God meets all your needs. Love Fi

  2. Emma,
    Wow, thanks for sharing that with us. I hate so much that you had to go through all that but I am also very grateful that God saved your family.

    I have actually been thinking about you all week for some reason. Everytime I read the blog The Journey I think of you and how I believe you will do great things like that someday for God.

    Are you going on the Uganda trip in May? If you have a project you are working on for that trip (like the stuffed animals you did) I would love to help out if I can, just let me know.

    You have an amazing family and I thank you guys for sharing part of your incredible lives with us.

  3. Hey Emma, your so awesome. What a detailed description of all that happened. Thank you for sharing it with us. Thank you for sharing your heart. You are an amazing girl who has endured much. We love you girl and you are a total blessing to your family. You took care of so much. You have TONS to be proud of sweet girl! Love you, jen

  4. So so so so so so glad you all made it out! Don’t even want to think on if you guys didn’t…, and also very glad you were not able to take the batteries out of the fire alarm seeing as how that was the tool God used to wake you guys up and get you to safety,Still grieving and Praying for you all always,

    Love, Joshua

  5. Thanks for sharing! We’ll keep praying!

    Emma … you and Graham were an amazing help to your mom during this most devastating time. You both took charge and did what needed to be done. As I read your story, I thought of my big kids, and all that they would do in such a situation. I’m sure that they, too, would take care of the little ones and then think of things like mom’s computer, and the photo albums that Graham tried to retrieve.

    I pray that God will bring peace to your heart even in this most difficult time.

    Laurel
    mama of 13

  6. Hey Emma,
    I really liked reading your story. When I went through a sad family situation, when my brother had a brain tumor, I wrote an essay like your which really helped me process my emotions and grieving. I think it is really awesome that you were able to do that too.
    I enjoy reading your Mom’s blog and have been praying specifically for you!
    God Bless!
    Em

  7. Emma,
    Thank you for sharing your heart. You are an amazing young lady. I are so thankful that your whole family survived the fire, uninjured. I cannot imagine the hurt and pain you have experienced, though, in your heart. I know you know… to cast all your cares on Him! That is the only way to work through this mess!

    Praying for you!
    ellie

  8. This neighbor will always be there – anytime you need anyone. You were very precious that day. So concerned for your mom and torn between her and the little ones.

    Your tender heart is a gift from God. I see it every time we’re together; I see it when you are teaching the little kids; when you talk with friends.

    It’s God’s heart.

    You are loved.

  9. Sweet Emma,

    You are a precious girl. I just know you are! Your family is so blessed to have you. Thank you for being brave enough to live through that nightmare again as you wrote that. God is going to do something amazing out of all of this, just like He has always done before. I can’t wait to see it (since you know your mom will blog about it!) I know it’s hard in the meantime. But keep focusing on being thankful just like you’re doing. You guys are such a testimony to so many people. God is using this horrible tragedy already!

    much love from me and all the blog friends,
    Holly Gilliam : )

  10. Nice Job Emma! I know that God has big plans for you and your ability to incorporate this horrible time in your life into a positive wonderful thing! I can’t wait to watch that unfold.

    You, along with your whole family are awesome!

  11. Emma, you are so brave to share you story. You are such a sweet girl and I know your family loves you so much. You have such a precious heart..that loves orphans..a heart of God. I know you and Alexis would be such great friends if we only lived a little closer. 🙂

  12. I’m so happy to see your account sweet Emma. As difficult as it was to type those thoughts, you will look back years from now and see God carried you.
    May God richly bless your life throughout the years to come!! You heart will have a special tenderness having gone through the trials.

  13. Emma,

    You are an amazing young woman. You have a heart like your Mama’s…such a fierce love for God and His people.

    I will continue to pray for you and your family. Thank you for being so brave!

  14. Emma, that is so difficult to do and you did it beautifully. I hope it helps heal the terible hurt. Please know that all your Moms bloggy friends are still praying. I was in China when it happened and I posted it on my blog. My friends here in NY are still asking how you are all doing!!!!!!!Blessings to you all!!!
    Kathie

  15. Thank yo so much for sharing your story with us! There is no way of knowing who will come across this post someday and need to know that things like this happen to the best of people. Your are so courageous. You kept your head and thought of others in the midst of great fear. May God bless you and heal you!

  16. Thanks for inviting us into your hearts and trusting us with your story!
    Emma big hus to you that was very brave and courageous to writ all that.
    our biggest gift to God is telling his story and getting everything out into the light- never hold anything in. God uses everything for good….. i know he loves you all so much!

  17. Emma, thank you. I’m sure you’ve felt at times that you had to be “brave”. You have such a mother’s heart – you put everyone else above yourself. Thank you for sharing how you have felt through all of this. I know it is hard, but I also know God is bigger. We love you, angel!

  18. Thank you for sharing Emma, you are wiser beyond your years! Your heart reminds me so much of your Mom – and I know you’ll think that’s such a great compliment.

    I like to think if we didn’t have a number of years and several thousand miles separating us we would be friends.

    I’ve commented before saying that I thought it was God’s miracle that your Mom couldn’t settle that night and now it transpires it was a miracle that touched you too! So amazing.

  19. Emma — You are such an incredible person and I hope you realize that about yourself. While you will mourn the material things that you lost in the fire, you are so right in your belief that you still have those things that are most important to you … your family. Thank you so much for opening your heart, and your pen, and letting us share in your experience.

    God Bless.

  20. Emma you are a truly amazing young women. Your strength and and caring ways are sure a blessing to your family and for all who know you. Linn what a great job raising such a caring young woman. I know how proud you must be of her. Thank you for sharing such a personal moment with all of us. Thank GOD you all got out.

  21. Emma, Thank you for sharing your story with all of us. You were very brave and such a help to your family in a moment when pure panic could have taken over and left you helpless. But for God! We are all very proud of you and Graham for your actions and we continue to pray for your family.

  22. Oh sweet Emma, thank you for sharing your thoughts and feelings. I am praying for you and your family. May God restore you all.

    Blessings,
    Julie

    PS You did an awesome job helping your mom get the kids out. What a blessing you are to her!

  23. Emma, I couldn’t stop reading and crying as I relived that morning with you through your words.

    I also kept thinking, How PROUD your mother must be of you.

    ((hugs)),

    Jill G in Missouri

  24. Bless you sweet girl- it must have been so hard- I can’t even imagine. You are such an awesome teenager, such a blessing to your family. Thank the Lord you all go out safely.
    I am so sorry for your loses. They are huge.
    Jean from MN

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>