12/23/2025
A Christmas Miracle in the Fire at the Haven
Not long before Christmas, three years ago, Rev. Les and Diane Kimball endured a devastating house fire (the first ever at Lutheran Haven) that destroyed nearly everything in their home. Over the previous 4 years, Pastor Kimball had crafted the double-sided intarsia nativity which was meticulously made from various hard woods from around the world. At the end of each Christmas season, he and Diane would carefully wrap the figurines in bubble wrap and place them in a box on the floor of their closet.
On September 13th, 2022, the unthinkable happened when their home caught fire. Blessedly, everyone was able to escape safely. When the ductwork above the ceiling burned through that night, the thick, black, highly heated smoke from the garage poured through the ceiling vent and destroyed all their clothing, but NOT the box below containing this prized, hand-made nativity scene and another box of nativity puzzles that Diane made for their many grandchildren.
“What a joy it was when four of our adult children carefully sifted through the charred debris over the next several days looking for anything they could salvage from the ruins and came out with 2 boxes! Inside was the perfectly preserved nativity Pastor Kimball made along with Diane’s nativity puzzles. “This was just one more of God’s miracles for our family in the fire.”
Pastor Kimball reminds us, “Isn’t that what Christmas is all about – God intervening in the lives of His people with a miracle of gigantic proportion? It’s not at all difficult to imagine the joy of those shepherds when the sky bursts forth with heavenly brilliance and angels announcing the greatest gift ever to mankind.”
“Our home at the Haven is now fully decorated for Christmas with this nativity as the centerpiece and it serves as a continual reminder of God’s faithfulness to us, and our thankfulness to Him for His blessings and His miracles both big and small.”
“When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God.” Isaiah 43:2
