I was laughing when Rick Joyner called to console us. This may have seemed as though I was in shock, since Albert and I had just lost everything – our home, our car and our dog – to fire. Laughing is not your usual response to such loss.

However, with the destruction I had been given the most extraordinary gift – incomparable to the loss, really. I had been given the actual experience, deep in my bones, of knowing that if you have Christ, you have EVERYTHING! It is rare that we are reduced to what we can carry in one hand – but we were so reduced – and indeed, found Him to be All.

Let me start at the beginning.

The Day Before The Fire

There was an after Christmas sale at our local electronics store, so Al and I and the dog drove into the shopping center so that I could get batteries. Everyone else in town read the ad also, so the place was a crush. I went in alone.

As those of us inside the store politely waited our turn to check out, one woman began shouting over our heads. She was looking in the phone book for a Christian retreat center. I called to her past several people and gave her the number.

Suddenly – she pushed her way to stand front of me, she was joined by equally pushy, large men dressed in black. Needless to say there was a lot of jostling to accomplish this. But the alarming thing was that they were filthy and stank. I mean – really stank.

She fixed me with a snake-like gaze and almost hissed: “Are you Anna Rountree?”

I swallowed hard and dryly choked out: “Yes”.

She smiled as though a snake’s tongue would slip through her lips, and said: “We have come for you.”

When she said this, the putrid aroma increased. The men beside her did not speak; but hung their heads and stared down at me like great, hungry raptors. They, too, radiated noxious fumes. (Later Bob Jones helped me to understand the odor was from demons.)

While still crushed within the store, she began to address a subject that was extremely private – which made me wonder “how in the world she knew about that and how she knew I was in any way involved in the project?”

They were from out of town, it seemed, and actually were from out of state. According to her, these three were traveling all over America to find those who were a part of this particular type of Christian ministry. They heard that I was helping to establish such a work in Moravian Falls: therefore – they wanted to come to my house. I told them that we were, indeed, interested in the type of ministry she mentioned but it was my husband’s birthday and I needed to get back to our plans for the day. However, I would step outside and talk to them for a few minutes. (I needed to check out.)

Still, I was fascinated, for as far as anyone in Moravian Falls knew, we were writing – period. However, it was true, a couple had asked us to help them look at some property for their Christian ministry – and we were doing our best to help them. Since my husband and I never discussed this, and I knew the couple did not know anyone to tell about their plans, I was amazed that these people seemed to know all about it in some dark and oily way.

Once outside the electronics shop they did not talk about the subject they had broached. Instead, they began to question me about my daily schedule – my daily life, when I was at the house, etc. They continued to press me to be allowed to visit my home. There was something predatory about them – like birds of prey sitting on a dead tree waiting to pick my bones clean.

Also, they said odd things like: “We’ve read your books. They’re true, you know…” speaking as though they had some secret – but dark – knowledge. As they moved closer and closer I moved back and back away from them.

Finally, after about twenty minutes of being asked personal questions, I said I needed to leave. The woman flew into a rage (causing quite a disturbance outside).

I was genuinely saddened to have upset her – so – amid a thousand Christian apologies, (I’m a bit of a Pollyanna). I hugged each one of them and I left with every demon in hell hanging on me like bats. I returned to the car.

Once Home

Once at home from the electronics store, both Albert and I had to go to bed. We felt very ill. Of course, we did not realize it at the time – but the demons were causing the dizziness and nausea. We went to bed in the early afternoon and remained in bed until 12 noon the next day.

We only got up at that time, because we had a luncheon appointment with a family that lived on Pore’s Knob.

The Day Of The Fire

As I walked through the house I had the fleeting impression that the house was going to catch fire.

I stopped in my tracks in the middle of the living room. The dream and vision of eleven years before flashed through my mind – so I quickly made a mental check of all the heating units I had turned off in the house.

“No,” I said to myself, “nothing has been left running.” I chuckled and actually said out loud: “What? You think you’re prophetic?”

I continued out the front door. Once outside, I turned again to look at our home and think through the heating outlets. At our glass front door stood our little short-legged, Jack Russel, terrier Cassie (whom we loved). Finally, seeing that she would not join us that day, she turned from the door, and so we too turned to leave. We climbed into the car.

The Fire

At around 3:00 p.m. a call came into the friends with whom we were having lunch. It was for Albert, so they handed him the phone. He listened briefly to the voice on the other end of the line and then sort of shrugged – as if someone was playing a joke on him.

“They said our house is on fire.”

I leapt to my feet. We both ran from the house and jumped into the car. As quickly as I could, I drove home. As I drove I thought: “What would I want to save? Our dog, the journals.” (I was asking myself the same question I asked in the dream.)

At a great distance we could see black smoke rising from our side of the mountain. As we drew nearer, fire trucks passed us coming and going. You see, in the country, there are no fire plugs – so the fire trucks must fill up in town and then carry the water to the mountains.

At the bottom of our small “mountain” our car died. There was no reason for it to die except witchcraft. It just stopped working – never to run again. It was a great loss. Gwen Shaw had given us her old, white Cadillac when she could no longer get in and out of it with ease. Even though old, it meant the world to us, because it came from her.

Fire trucks from several surrounding towns had come to help – with their volunteer fire departments. We got out of the car – leaving it on the side of the road at the bottom of the mountain.

I tried to calm myself. The walk up to the fire was steep and I was so upset that I did not want to have a heart attack on top of everything else.

When we reached the house, the Red Cross had set up a station handing out blankets, coffee and hot chocolate. Someone provided folding chairs.

I asked about our dog. I was told that she would have died early in the fire.

Al and I sat down behind the yellow tape that the fire department had put up to keep people from getting too close to the volunteers.

The first floor of the house had already caved in onto the lower floor and begun burning everything to ashes. I was sure the journals had also been destroyed.

As in the dream and vision, all of us watched in silence as the structure burned.

God’s Salvation

Even though I did not really take full advantage of the dream and vision given eleven years earlier, the Lord graciously saved us.

First of all: The officials said that there was an explosion in the attic of the house – the poisonous fumes from this explosion would have knocked us out and we would have burned to death in the fire.

Secondly: He fulfilled what He showed in the dream and vision. The journals had been put in cheap (Walmart) safes but never locked. Even though they were sitting in water within the safes – the journals made it through the fire. It took them three months to dry out.

Thirdly: No human life was lost.

Fourthly: As in the dream and vision, I lost everything we owned except for what was in my purse and the journals. (Oh, the two children in the dream and vision were the two books we had already written.)

Fifthly: Bob Jones helped pin point the location of the witches’ coven that had sent one of their high members to the area, strengthened by the two warlocks traveling with her.

God’s Solution

Bob Jones had dealt with this coven before. He called them 12 White Wolves… high witches. They had targeted other Christian ministries in the area. Usually they did not come themselves. However, they were trying for a kill. There were two international ministries – in our immediate area – that I did know that had battled them, for they told us about it.

How did the coven manage what they accomplished? Who knows? But Gwen Shaw, Bob Jones and I all had been under attack at the same time. We spoke to one another about this attack that nearly killed each of us. We talked about the enemy trying to take out the older generation before we could impart to the younger. Now, they are gone to be with the Lord… and my husband among them. Who is going to tell you the truth about these things – such as a witches’ attack – if not the only one left to tell the story.

Learning To Truly Listen

It is the duty of the older generation to pass on what we know to the younger generation.

I have not shared this story many times. Usually people say: “But you see angels – you talk to Jesus, nothing like this could happen to you.”

The times are becoming more dangerous and we need to become more sensitive to His guidance at all times and in every way – warnings especially.

I have learned that the Lord warns us before disasters. We are His children. Why would He not? But could this fire have been averted? I do not know. But I do know that the next time He gives such a warning, I plan to listen and act accordingly.

One of the actual journals that made it through the fire.