Rise From The Ashes

Melissa lost everything in the Alta Dena fire this past January. Everything literally burned to ashes.

Melissa rushed home after work with just enough time to grab her dirty clothes out of the laundry basket before having to evacuate her home. That’s all she has left. Everything else was engulfed in the flames from the Alta Dena fire. 

She had to move temporary locations ten times in the past eight months. In all this time she could only keep possessions that fit in her compact car. Needless to say, it’s been a long, hard journey but she has endured to rise from the ashes.

The phrase “rise from the ashes” is rooted in Greek mythology of the phoenix, a mythical bird that regenerates or is reborn from the ashes of its predecessor. It’s commonly used as a metaphor for overcoming adversity and achieving renewal after a period of destruction or failure. 

Melissa is starting over in some respects. She finally found a place she can afford to rent but didn’t have anything to put in it. We heard about her plight from another fire victim who told Melissa about the House2Home ministry.  

We are happy to help Melissa turn her empty apartment into a home. She has been collecting a few things from different sources and we jumped in to fill all the gaps with a bed, furniture, bathroom, and kitchen supplies. She was so excited to come to the storage units and pick out things she needed and liked. She felt a little like a child in a candy store. We had to continue to remind her to take anything and everything she needed. She was so thoughtful and appreciative of every little thing, even simple things, like utensils brought her joy.

Please pray for Melissa as she settles into her new home and finishes the decorating. Pray for her emotional recovery from the trauma as well. Pray too, that each day, as she looks around her new home, she might be reminded how God loves her and has helped her “rise from the ashes”!