From a FEMA trailer to a new house

Greg Bradford, president of Merced, Calif.-based Envision Homes, took a team of his to look over the damage from the recent California wildfires. According to the North County Times, God spoke to Bradford while he was there:

'I took a team down to evaluate what happened (after the fires) and looked at all the devastation, and it touched me,' Bradford said. 'God spoke to me and said, 'Build a house for a family that has no insurance.''

Bradford put together a committee to review applications from fire victims. The committee ended up selecting John Oleson's family of nine, who have been living in Federal Emergency Management Agency trailers since their house burned down.

Understanding the California wildfires and other natural disasters

The California wildfires already have caused more than $1 billion in damage and consumed 1,500 homes. An editorial ran in The Christian Science Monitor yesterday from a resident's perspective on how to deal with the wildfires and other natural disasters: prayer.

Perhaps the best answer any of us can come up with is: We can pray! I don't pretend that my prayers alone are going to stop the fires in their tracks. As the brave firefighters and rescue teams work to contain the blazes, many individuals are praying in their churches, mosques, and synagogues – or, like me, at home – affirming the presence and wisdom of one universal God. And I've learned through a long study of the Bible and of 'Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,' written by Mary Baker Eddy, the woman who founded this newspaper, that prayer is truly 'doing something.' Prayer can lead to practical solutions.

I hope that God helps the affected residents through this time and that they hear his "still small voice".