Borderline Memorial Prayer Wall

It was almost midnight and the helicopters were keeping me awake, tossing and turning, why so long? These guys were close, so I reached over for my phone and checked twitter. Oh NO, I was wide awake now… an active shooter at the Borderline? One guy tweeted he threw a barstool and broke out the back window to help people out... chaos and on and on and on I read. Sick. I was sick to my stomach. Not the Borderline! I thought I heard people talking outside... what in the world is going on? I looked out my window, and things were happening...then the evacuation alerts on my phone were going off. I got dressed quickly, then my phone rang, what? It was my son, he said to pack up and get to their house in Newbury Park. Still fuzzy in my brain, things seemed surreal. A shooting and a fire at the same time? Is this it? I packed what I could think but my "thinker" wasn't working, holding some bags, I walked out my front door and STOPPED. Oh My Gosh??? I was staring at a Huge Bright Orange-Red Ball of Fire that looked like it was a block away! The entire gigantic hill was on fire and coming toward us over the hill. Tripping down the stairs, I didn't fall as my heart rushed and fear took over. People were in the streets, knocking on doors and my neighbor and I quickly shared cell phone numbers. I was able to get out of my drive way and turn onto the street when the cars stopped. A gal was in front of us on the street trying to pick up huge branches of palm trees with those giant claws on them that would probably pierce a tire. I got out and helped her and we cleared the road.

None of us slept, we just sat closely together on the sofa looking out the huge picture window at flames all around us, checking our phones and looking at each other, wondering what to do next. Fires were burning in all directions, the view was eerie as we looked out toward Sunset Hills where my house was and we were helpless. Details coming in of more tragedy at the Borderline. Numb, We looked at each other, would our house make it? The winds were blowing erratically and I taught my grandsons how to watch the flags to see which direction the wind was blowing, so they would know if the fires were coming toward us. Nothing was real, it was like living in a nightmare. I wanted to wake up.

On March 17, 2019 about 3:30am, I was awakened from a deep sleep, sat straight up in bed, and covered my head with my hands... all I could do was whisper "ok, ok, ok" I will try, but ... ok, I will do it, knowing then I had to make the Borderline Memorial Prayer Wall. Tears streaming down my face thinking about those 12. I couldn't imagine being one of the parents...my heart couldn't take it. Best friends lost their homes, with all their treasures and memories. Maybe a prayer wall would help us all.

I finished the wall and had it in the back seat of my car. I had no idea what to do with it, but I knew I couldn't keep it. It was in the back seat of my car, when I dropped off my grandson for youth group at Monte Vista Pres. on my way to my son's house. When he got out of the front seat, Matt walked over to my car window and said he wanted to order a prayer wall for a couple he had married. I told him to text it to me and I would take care of it... thanked him and he looked in the back seat. I forgot it was there, and told him to open the back door. I can't remember the details, but he said, I need to put this in my office. Carol, you don't understand what is going on here, but Pastor Tom needs to see this." Matt put it in his office, and that was the last I knew about it until I got a call from Dawn with The Acorn. I was at the San Francisco airport on my way home. I answered the phone. "I put my prayer in your Wailing Wall at my church on Sunday, and wanted to talk with you about your prayer wall for the Borderline Memorial...

“It's not mine,” I remember telling her. Our community is in so much pain and if this Memorial Prayer Wall can help us heal, I was only a conduit in the process. May God help us hold on to each other and heal together weaving us in a blanket of love and compassion. May God Bless Thousand Oaks.

Carol C.