Coloradans Needs Our Prayers and Our Help

My rant today isn’t a rant; it’s a request for prayer. The people of Colorado are suffering unimaginable fear, loss, and devastation due to what is the worst fire season in the state’s history.

This is particularly close to me because we have dear friends who live there. Boulder, Fort Collins, and the foothills neighborhoods of Colorado Springs have had an untold number of homes consumed by the fires. Colorado Springs is being evacuated. A family member there on business was able to leave Monday without incident. I spoke with another friend on Wednesday and his voice broke with emotion as he described in detail what they were experiencing. I have been unable to reach other friends who live there. The Air Force Academy was ordered evacuated.

I know that we have many things on our minds right now, but I ask all to take time each day to lift the people of Colorado in prayer. By nightfall Monday, 32,000 people had fled their homes seeking safety elsewhere. One of the most heartbreaking scenes of the devastation I saw was that of a woman who was unable to get to her home where her husband was alone and unable to drive. The officer could only tell her he understood her dilemma, but he was not permitted to let her enter the fire zone. This was but one tragic account. I do not know the ultimate outcome of her situation, but her grief and frustration touched me deeply as I imagined what it would be like if it were me in a similar situation. Thankfully the fires have claimed relatively few lives, but that makes the loss of lives no less painful.


The High Park fire, west of Fort Collins, was measured at over 87,250 acres destroyed with 55 percent containment and at least 257 homes burned. A fire near Last Chance on the Eastern Plains grew to 45,000 acres in eight hours. Wind gusts of 65 mph and temperatures of 100-plus degrees continue to exacerbate efforts to gain control over the fire.

People need our help. If we are able to house displaced persons, pay for hotel lodging, give to charities, etc., all help is needed. People have not only lost their homes and belongings but many have lost their pets. They’ve lost irreplaceable items, wedding pictures, family artifacts, etc.

My friends, let’s take a moment to reach out to those truly suffering. Our personal problems and the political debates will be there next week. Right now our fellow Americans need our help and prayers.