On July 16, 2026, firefighters arrived to contain the fires that surrounded Prineville, Oregon. A major command center and a fire camp were set up on Main Street just down the road from Les and Cindy Stuckwish’s home, which sits right off the highway.
Les and Cindy, Prineville Adventist Church members, thought this was a great opportunity to show the firefighters gratitude and love, so they made two posters that said, “Thank you, you are our heroes,” and they displayed them outside their house.
Hundreds of firefighters passed by every day, morning and night. The fires grew and intensified, and the number of firefighters also grew. They came from other parts of Oregon, other states and other countries, even as far away as Australia.
As the fire grew bigger, Les prayed for rain. Instead, winds came and more firefighters arrived. God spoke to Les in a small voice and said, “Les, show them who I am. I am who I am.” For the next three months, Les sat outside, morning and night, waving to the first responders and holding a sign that said, "Thank you, firefighters, our heroes." Some days he was out in the smoke and heat for up to 12 hours.
"Attitude of gratitude" is Les’s motto. The experience affected both Les and Cindy in a mighty way. It strengthened their relationship with God greatly. The impact of this attitude of gratitude toward the firefighters was overwhelming.
God took an ordinary man who was willing to do as God asked — to let them know who He was and that He was with them every day. Every morning at 5 a.m., Les was outside with his beautiful warm smile, waving to the firefighters and greeting them with his sign, letting them know how much they were appreciated. When their shifts ended, Les was there again, waving, smiling and thanking God for their safety.
After the fires were contained and the firefighters prepared their final briefing before leaving Prineville, one of the incident commanders said that in his 36 years of fighting fires, this was the first time he felt support and appreciation from a community. Les was asked to pray at one of the briefings. That had never happened before.
The firefighters gave Les a notebook filled with notes from so many, telling him how much his daily support meant to them. One note said, “Thank you for your support. You made each day brighter and worth it.”
Prineville Church is very proud to know God chose its members to show the community who God is and encourage the 1,700 firefighters who came through the city. The church family and community will forever remember one man who believed and surrendered to God’s plea, “Show them who I am.”
Les is recognized by a commander at a morning briefing for his acts of kindness.
Les holds signs like this for encouragement.
Firefighters write notes in a notebook for Les, expressing their gratitude.
