Colorado WildFire Update

The Colorado Springs wildfire is still raging, and has destroyed an estimated 346 homes so far, making it the most destructive fire in the State's history, and one of the worst fires to hit the American West. The fire is now 10% contained, but has cost an estimated $3.2 million to fight.

Some may have also heard of the fire in Northern Colorado, which started a couple weeks ago, killing one person. It has decimated 257 homes, and up until Tuesday (when the Colorado Springs fire surpassed it), was the most destructive State fire thus far. Firefighters are hoping to have the 136-square-mile fire contained by this weekend (it is currently at the 75% mark).

There are also quite a few other wildfires in Colorado at this time, so please continue to pray for all those affected.

Colorado Springs Fire

Please pray for Colorado Springs...they are facing possibly the worst fire they've seen in their State, currently covering over 6,200 acres with only 5% containment. The Flying W Ranch and other homes have been burned to the ground, and over 32,000 Colorado Springs residents are on mandatory evacuation as of last night, with more expected today.

Picture taken from a friend's home in Black Forest, CO on Monday.

We have a friend who's sister is a firefighter down there, and ask for prayers for her, all of those who are fighting the fires, of course all of the Colorado Springs residents.

See here for more details.

He Keeps the Key

Is there some problem in your life to solve,

Some passage seeming full of mystery?

God knows, who brings the hidden things to light.

He keeps the key.

Is there some door closed by the Father's hand

Which widely opened you had hoped to see?

Trust God and wait -- for when He shuts the door

He keeps the key.

Is there some earnest prayer unanswered yet,

Or answered NOT as you had thought 'twould be?

God will make His purpose by-and-by.

He keeps the key.

Have patience with your God, your patient God,

All wise, all knowing, no long tarrier He,

And of the door of all thy future life

He keeps the key.

Unfailing comfort, sweet and blessed rest,

To know of EVERY door He keeps the key.

That He at last when just HE see 'tis best,

Will give it THEE.

~ Anonymous

...These things saith He that is holy, He that is true, He that hath the key of David, He that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;
I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept My Word, and hast not denied My name.

~ Revelations 3:7b-8 ~

Incident Command

I started this post in early May, but forgot finish it until now...oh well!! Better late than never, right? :)

During my EMT Course, two of my required certificates, were about Incident Command Systems-both on National and Local levels, and how teamwork, good communication, and preparation are imperative for successful operations.

While studying, I had a mini revelation, which I thought I'd share.
3 crucial parts of the Command system are:
Chain of Command - referring to the orderly line of authority within the ranks of the incident management organization.
Unity of Command - Which means that all individuals have a designated supervisor to whom they report to at the scene of the incident.
Unified Command - In incidents involving multiple jurisdictions, a single jurisdiction with mulitagency involvement, or multiple jurisdictions with multiagency involvement, Unified Command allows agencies with different legal, geographic, and functional authorities and responsibilities to work together effectively without affecting individual agency authority, responsibility, or accountability.

Now think about this for a minute...
Chain of Command...doesn't that sound an awful lot like how family systems are set up?
Unity of Command...Who is our 'designated supervisor'?? Who else but Jesus Christ?!?
Unified Command.... Sounds a bit like marriage to me! We need Unity in our marriage--a oneness, a coming together of 2 separate people, with 2 separate pasts and growing ups, who meld all of that into one.

Wow!!! I don't know about you, but this was inspirational to me!! I find it so amazing how often God ties 'everyday things' into His ordained way of living...
Looking a little deeper into Unified Command, we find:
When an incident occurs within a single jurisdiction and there is no jurisdictional or functional agency overlap, a single Incident Commander is designated with overall incident management responsibility by the appropriate jurisdictional authority.
The designated Incident commander develops the incident objectives that direct all subsequent incident action planning. The Incident Commander approves the Incident Action Plan and the resources to be ordered or released.

As an incident expands in complexity, Unified Command may be established. In a Unified Command, individuals designated by their jurisdictional or organizational authorities (or by departments within a single jurisdiction) work together to:
- Determine objectives, strategies, plans, resource allocations, and priorities.
- Execute integrated incident operations and maximize the use of assigned resources.

Advantages of Using Unified Command
In multijurisdictional or multiagency incident management, Unified Command offers the following advantages:
- A single set of objectives is developed for the entire incident.
- A collective "team" approach is used to develop strategies to achieve incident objectives.
- Information flow and coordination are improved between all jurisdictions and agencies involved in the incident.
- All agencies with responsibility for the incident have an understanding of joint priorities and restrictions.
- No agency's legal authorities are compromised or neglected.
- The combined efforts of all agencies are optimized as they perform their respective assignments under a single Incident Action Plan.

Now, doesn't that sound just like marriage, and even has roleplaying tied into it!! The Incident Commander is the Husband, as the head of his home. He's given the ultimate responsibility for his home, by his authority (God), to lead his wife and family wisely, to state the family's objectives, to approve plans, and to authorize/approve when resources (money, time, etc) are to be used.
As women, we are called to be our husbands' helpmeets (Unified Command??), to help encourage him in Godliness, and as it is appropriate, to be their most trusted advisors, besides God in helping to create the objectives for our families. We are also often the ones to help carry out the plans our husbands create.

One of my mom's favorite thoughts is: The husband decides what he wants done that day (lays down the command), but the wife is the one who carries it out, and decides when and how and by who it is to be done in that day (lays out the laws). Therefore, a child really should not go to his father (or visa-versa) and get permission/command something to be done, without checking in with the mother first, because she is the one who has to make sure all the million and one things are done each day, in their proper order. :)

For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this and he doeth it.

When Jesus heard it, He marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

~ Matthew 8:9-10 ~

Flights Finalized

Well, I got my flights to the Philippines finalized today... I will be leaving sa US on September 10th, 2012 at 10:30am, using Asiana Airlines, ug will arrive sa Davao City on September 12th, 2012 at 6:20am, with layovers in Seattle; Seoul, South Korea; ug Manila, Philippines.

Here are my flight stats (For the Nerds ;p):
Flying there:
Air Time: 18 hr 23 min
Layovers: 9 hr & 57 min
Total: 28 hrs and 20 min


Coming Home:
Air Time: 16 hr 40 min
Layovers: 7 hr & 10 min
Total: 23 hrs and 50 min

As I said in my last post, I'm planning to serve at Mercy until the end of October, and then serve in the Butuan Bukid for the remaining time.

Some people have asked me what the weather/seasons are over there in the Philippines, and here is my answer:

Normal weather has 4 seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall (Autumn), & Winter. However, in countries like the Philippines, there are only 2 recognized seasons:

• Dry Season (tag-araw) - November to April
• Rainy Season (tag-ulan) - May to October

There are also "unofficial seasons":

• Winter/Cold Season (tag-lamig) - November to January
• Summer Hot Season (tag-init) - March to May

• Spring or when things grow (tag-sibol)
• Autumn or when things die off (tag-lagas)

Sing unto the LORD, all the earth; shew forth from day to day His salvation. Declare His glory among the heathen; His marvellous works among the nations.

~ 1 Chronicles 16:23 & 24 ~

Hope Officialized

Five years ago, I added "Hope" as my second middle name, after God powerfully used that simple four letter word in my life, to drastically turn it towards Him. Though I used it for everything, I wanted it legally acknowledged too. I figured I could just do it when my passport expired (which happened this year), and so I did, getting it officialized today at the court house.

However, in reflection, I would highly recommend (at least to all of you unmarried women), to do all name changes at the time that you change your maiden name to your wedded name, because there are a lot of hidden fees that you don't know about until you've already started the process:
An approximate initial total of $210, including the $88 Court Fee, $116.65 Newspaper Publication Fee, and $1.50 ea. Certified Copies Fee (at least 3 needed). Then of course, it costs money (and/or time) to change your identification documents: Driver's License, Passport, SSN, Bank Account, etc.

So, just my two little cents of warning and advice... :) For the record though, my official name is now Sarah Kathryn Hope Pinkerton...meaning "God's Pure Princess Full of Hope". :)

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? Hope thou in God: for I shall praise Him for the help of His countenance.

~ Psalms 42:11 and 43:5 ~