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When the Aguilar family lost their home to fire, the community responded.
The fire, which destroyed the Shiloh home, left no one injured, but left the couple and their three sons without much in terms of possessions.
They were able to find lodging quickly and several local groups have helped with food, clothes and other aid. On the morning of March 1, a platoon of local volunteers showed up to clear the fire damage.
Bringing a dump truck, two trailers, rakes, shovels, pitchforks, and strong backs, about 20 volunteers showed from two religious groups and three companies. Hillscape Landscaping and Foothills Landscaping and a third company that wishes to remain anonymous contributed talent and equipment along with Salem Church in Bostic and Sacred Ale, a Tuesday night discussion group which meets at The Twisted Pear on East Main in Forest City.
Salem's minster, Rev. Sam Burleson said if God would incarnate his love in the person of Jesus, church folks could incarnate theirs with a project like this one.
The Rev. Travis Smith, who leads the Sacred Ale group, was ill the morning of the project, but recruited the four Sacred Ale members who showed up to work.
The lead mover and shaker was Andrew Norville, who ran his Foothills Landscaping mini-excavator to not only pick up tons of debris, but also to push his dump truck out of the mud when it got stuck. Rain peppered the crew for about three hours until thunder and lightning and heavier rain delayed action.
Chris Hill runs the Hillscape company and attends Salem. He brought crew members from his company to the action.
In addition to Rev. Burleson, one of Salem's members, Keith Greene, ran the operation and moved around the work site like a buzzing bee.
Insira Aguilar, whose husband Ernesto works as a project manager for Servpro, was over the moon in her gratitude. Her fellow postal workers, the congregation at the family's church, Father's Vineyard in Spindale, Salem Church and others in the community have gifted the family clothes, food, funds, and toys to soften the blow of the fire.
"We believe everything happens for a reason. If God allowed it to happen, he has a plan," she said of the fire. "It has changed our lives. We were sometimes even forgetting to talk to God. We have learned to trust more. It has brought us closer as a family. It has helped to break our pride and put our focus on what is important. We only see what is here. God sees the eternal."
The many gifts the family has received have come from employees of post offices in Bostic, Ellenboro, where Irena works, Forest City, and Mooresboro. She said, "It has been unbelievable."
The family had no fire insurance on their home and Irena said, "God is bigger than any insurance."
Contact Pat Jobe at patjobe13@gmail.com.
