Remar Australia

If you are considering rehabilitation or are just going through a difficult time in your life, we would like to encourage you not to give up because God can use even the most devastating situations to bring about something that you could never imagine.

Our experience after the Black Saturday bushfires has left an indelible mark in our lives and we can honestly say that all things are possible with God.

On Saturday 7 February 2009 we became concerned about a huge cloud of smoke that was approaching the Melbourne Water property we occupied in Kinglake West. In the beginning it appeared that the fire was too far away, but we soon received calls from Melbourne Water that the fire had entered the catchment and was travelling at unheard of speed. The conditions on that day were extreme with temperatures of 47.6°C and winds up to 100 km/h.

We decided to evacuate after 4pm and drove to the Kinglake West CFA. We were told that the mountain was completely surrounded and we could not get out, although they were unsure about the route to Yea. We debated our situation for what seemed an eternity as we saw the fire jump from tree to tree a few kms away. We finally decided to take the route to Yea and arrived there slightly before 6 pm thinking that the worst was over. However our rest was short lived as a huge cloud of smoke and embers enveloped Yea and we soon found ourselves on the run again, this time in direction to Seymour, where we finally spent an uneasy night wondering whether the fire would reach us there too. The next morning we woke up to horrific tales of a fire that would not be stopped. I will never forget a lady who could not stop crying – she had stayed to defend her home, but her home was gone and someone had died in her arms. In spite of everything we heard, we had hope that our home had been spared; after all it had remained untouched by fire for more than 125 years. It wasn’t until three days later, on Tuesday that we found out that it had been completely destroyed. Amazingly, two geese and one peacock had survived.

This was just the beginning of what was to become a long ordeal for us. It only took a few hours for everything that we had to turn to ashes, and yet the process of rebuilding has taken more than two years.

A few weeks after the fires, we relocated to a property in Nyora, which after many trials we have been able to purchase. There were times when we wondered if the ministry would survive and it seemed that we were holding on by a thread, but looking back we see that God was always there. If there is a lesson that we have learned it is to persevere – to hold on even though everything seems to be against you.

First and foremost, we would like to thank our Lord for saving us from the worst bushfires in Australian history. His grace and mercy has brought us through some of our darkest hours. Despite our mistakes, God was so patient with us and gave us small victories along the way so we would not become discouraged.

We have experienced the full gamut of emotions from sadness to joy, despair to hope, anger to peace. Those close to us know of what we speak and our gratitude goes out to them for all the prayer and support they have given us along the way. There are too many to mention, but we would like to list a few of them:

• Miguel and Mari Carmen Diez, founders of Remar International
• The board members of Remar Australia
• Calvin Miller, Susan Fetherstone, Des Carroll and the Board of Southern Cross Youth Initiative
• Catherine Robb

A special thanks to Teri Konstantinou, Michael Bearman, Theo Kalyvas and Michael Touhey for believing in us and for their generous gift of time and expertise. We have been humbled by your tireless work and dedication.

We have come through the fire in more ways than one, and although we would not choose to go through it again, we are certain that the lessons learned will stand us in good stead in our future endeavours.

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, therefore I will hope in him. The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him”. Lam 3:22-25

Never lose HOPE.

In His service,

Luis and Karina Brito