Fire Victims on the path to recovery Part 2

Justin trying to salvage anything they could find from their burned out apartment. (photo Caree Gordon)

Yesterday, I introduced you to Justin and Caree Gordon. They are a young newly married couple that lost their home to the December 12 fire that also took the apartments of 4 others and the business of Precise Imaging.

Oskaloosa has really rallied to help them, and their neighbors, land back on their feet.

They are now living in a temporary apartment awaiting their opportunity to move into a home in Cedar. The couple attends Fellowship Bible Church here in Oskaloosa. Justin told me, “They have been very supportive. They have given us gift cards, checks, material things.” The church along with Mahaska County Outreach has been allowing the couple to store things. “Ken and Ilene Ward, they run that Mahaska County Outreach, have allowed us to use their storage facility up top, so any big items can go up there, and they are also letting us park our vehicles back behind so that they are protected from the snow and stuff like that. We have really appreciated that.” stated Justin.

Other examples of kindness expressed to the couple have come from unexpected places. “We got a call from Valley Bank, which is our bank, and they said we have a gift card here for you. We didn’t realize at the time, basically this wasn’t like the bank bigshot, this was the girls that work at the window who don’t necessarily make a lot of money. They had seen me coming in and doing business and new we had been effected by this, and they had gotten some money together.” Caree explained that things like this have really meant a lot to them.

The office of Justin and Caree's apartment, notice Justin's books scattered around the room. (photo Caree Gordon)

“My work”, Carrie goes on to explain, “South East Iowa Case Management has been awesome. They have a whole list of stuff from different offices; we have 9 different offices in South East Iowa. The day, or maybe 2 days, after the fire they had sent me a text of all the different things that were coming from the Mt. Pleasant, Sigourney, Washington, Fairfield, and Ottumwa offices. So they, as far as employers, have been very understanding. They have just really bent over backwards to make sure we are OK.”

Justin, a theology student in college, is preparing to teach at the seminary or at the college level as a professor. He has just lost all of his books in the fire. “Word was spread around the churches and some of the pastors have stepped up and said, ‘I have some duplicates, i have some other stuff, i have some gift cards for ya’, ummm, clothes and stuff, not just books. Central Reformed stepped up on that with a very generous amount. I thank pastor Don De Glopper with that. Pastor Daryl Martin.. (from the) Free Methodist Church gave me a lot of books; some of which replaced my lost, some that was actually on my book list of things to get. I really thank him for that, A few other pastors have been doing the same.”

The view from their front door into what was once their kitchen. (photo Caree Gordon)

“I have an old college professor who moved back, Jerome Van Kuiken, and he’s got some stuff to give me that I lost. And his father is a retired pastor and he’s got some books for me too. So, that’s really an added blessing because some of those books can’t be replaced cause they are out of print. Some of these things are being replaced. I probably have more books, especially from pastor Daryl Martin. He gave me more books that were probably printed in the 1800’s than what I use to have. stuff you cannot find. He was just so generous to give me some of those things.” Justin said about his library collection that is coming back together.

Caree explained about the Indian Can Country drive that was held in the fire victims behalf. “Indian Can Country; that was huge. They did the can drive for us. They also sold raffle tickets to give away a nativity that was donated by Mahaska Drug. When they called us [they said], ‘we’re doing this, we want you to come. We have money to give you.’ We were blown away by how much. That’s a lot of pop cans.”

Tomorrow I will go into what they have to say about protecting yourself from the damages that a fire can bring to your life.