“Lord…We’ve Seen Fire and Rain”

“The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire.”                                   By Ferdinand Foch

On Saturday, a large local fire helped contribute to the enormous smokey conditions from various fire locations originating from western and central Washington, Oregon, and California. These smokey conditions stretch all the way to the east coast according to today’s weather reports. Eastern Washington has not had rain in several weeks and with temperatures in the 100’s at times, this is a near perfect recipe for more fire and smoke. I hope “Friends” east of Washington state are having better weather conditions. However, I suspect there will be a lot of smoke in the near future since many of the active fires are not yet contained.

Our local fire reached and destroyed several homes but mostly it was a dry-land fire that burned rapidly with the help of strong winds. All in all, our community was very lucky given the weather conditions and the shortage of resources available to fight the fires. No fatalities have been reported to the credit of quick responses and reactions. In Copey, I believe the weather conditions are much better although Copey is likely experiencing a daily rainfall since its region is now in the wet season.

It was August 2017 when the horrible fire caused the total destruction of the Copey community church. This was a devastating blow to the small community and little progress has been made to rebuild. We suspect available financial resources is one of the key reasons for the delay. The site continues to stand as a sober reminder to all those connected in the community who have strong historical and family ties to the church. This is our latest photo of the church location taken during the Utah team’s visit to Copey in March nearly eight months after the fire. 

In the near future we will begin reporting on the annual “Spelling Bee” competition. The Copey Learning Center has been represented the past several years with students doing well competing against stronger opponents from more urban areas of the country. This could be the year for a national champion from Copey.

As we now move into the final months of school scheduled to end in late November, keep the students in your thoughts. We are hopeful the support provided by “Friends” this year will be a major contributor to a fully successful year. Scholarships, supplies, and other various types of financial support will allow this to be a fully successful year.

“Thanks to all the Friends!”