Burning Piles and Blazing Trails

"Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle about thee. For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour:

Isaiah 43:1-2

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Our land looks a lot different since last fall when the driveway was cleared. It looked like we were on a safari rather than just driving back to where our house would be built. If anyone likes poke salad, we have a plenty pokeweed to share! : )

Our main objectives on this trip were to pull the good logs out of the piles of brush, burn the piles, and get the perk test done.

We were wondering how many snakes we would run in to....and what kind. We are building in a region with all five varieties of poisonous snakes, but to our relief, this guy is harmless. Mr. King Snake was nice and fat, so we figured we didn't have to worry about any poisonous snakes in that pile! : )

Smile for the camera!

The driver
Instead of wearing ourselves out, we decided to pull the piles apart with the truck. Just attach the strap to the hitch and then to the log, apply the foot to the gas pedal, and.....HANG ON!!!

Takin' a break and surveying the work

Back to work!

Never could get along without our trusty helper!

And, yes, the driver did get stuck...ONCE!

Moving on to the next pile. Sara had to do some weed whacking so they could see what they were running over. : )

This was quite an adventure! Ray, Sara, and Valerie continued until they almost ran out of gas, and then headed back to the camper for lunch. The rest of the family had gone to Elizabethtown to get all the necessary paperwork done for the perk test. After lunch, the threesome hopped in the truck to get a part for the water pump (one that you put fires out with) so we could begin burning.
At this moment, we weren't aware that just less than 15 minutes later, we would see the Lord's protecting Hand in a greater way than just everyday life. Upon leaving the campground, Valerie fell asleep, but Ray and Sara were very much so awake as they traveled toward Roseboro to get the part. As they crossed the Cumberland County line, both fell asleep simultaneously. You can pretty well imagine what happened. The truck went off the road, hit a mailbox, hit a culvert, went airborne, threw the water pump through the air, hit the pump on the front driver side corner, traveled a short distance off-road, and finally came to rest back on the road...all at about 60 mph. Sara woke up as soon as the tire went off the road, and Valerie woke up with the WHAM! of the mailbox, but Ray (the driver) didn't wake up until the truck was coming back onto the road...even with two frightened females screaming at him. There were no serious injuries ~ Praise the Lord! We weren't as stunned at what happened as we were with what could have happened. They came within a tire width of a guide wire ~ the Lord kept them from flipping. Brick columns were nearby ~ the Lord kept them from crashing. The Lord is in control, and He guided the vehicle to safety!

The next day, some of us took turns helping Daddy burn some of the piles. Although we weren't able to get near what we had hoped accomplished, we still were able to come a little closer to our goal. The land is marked, ready for the perk test. We are hoping to hear from that any day now.

...and we got to try out a tip from our Pa Paw...vinegar works GREAT for mosquitoes! : )

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"But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap: And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness."

Malachi 3:2-3