Ring of Fire

we spent our valentine's afternoon fighting off a fire at our compound. after a week in uganda, caleb and i had just landed back in mundri a few hours before. as we unpacked and settled in, we could hear fire crackling nearby. its not unusual to see fires around here, especially in the dry season, but this seemed close. we walked outside to see a wall of fire at our neighbors compound, dangerously close to their two tukuls. in our attempts to help, we filled buckets with water and headed toward the blaze. thankfully, the huts were not burned. but, the fire was still not under control and was quickly spreading toward our houses.

with the help of some neighbors, we managed to stop the fire from spreading to other compounds. but it was a stubborn fire and continued on toward the river, burning up everything in its path. what was once our beautiful prayer walk trail is now gloomy, desolate, and covered in ash.

firefighting is exhausting. and hot. i have the utmost respect for those who brave the flames as a career. after the drama came to an end, we all slouched on our couch for a breather, surveying the burn marks on our flip flops and comparing our blackened feet. smoke seemed to linger in the air for hours, leaving us all with a mild case of smoker's cough.

though not exactly a near death experience, it was slightly thrilling to fight my first fire and live to tell about it. never a dull moment around here.