Lupo Family Testimony | Malibu, California
“This thanksgiving, I think back to the same Sunday last year — Malibu had been devastated by the Woolsey Fire two weeks prior, which had destroyed over 600 homes. A few families that either stayed and fought the fire, or came back after the evacuation orders were lifted, gathered for a Sunday service.
We met at a friend’s home — it was situated on a mountainside that had a vast view of the of town. We sat outside with a few chairs in a semi circle overlooking Malibu.
We sang songs of praise over the miles of blackened earth, over the ashes of hundreds of homes, ours included. The earth had a grey mist rising up from it — a pungent burnt smell hung in the air. But beyond this visceral scene was a sparkling ocean too grand and too bright for words.
I closed my eyes. The dark and the light of the image before me burned in my eyelids. I let the tears of it stream down my face. The contrast pierced my soul and I let God wash over me.
In the weeks to follow, it was all we could do to say “God, help us. and thank you”, at every turn. Growth happened. We learned to navigate heavy conversations in our family — they were carefully streamlined and balanced with humor & hope. 150% increased tenderness & grace towards our kids surfaced. As non-huggers, we started full-on hugging “acquaintances” at the grocery store. We sent finger-cramping amounts of texts to check in with the people we walked alongside in the community. The worldly distractions were sifted out and the stuff of legacies kept rising to the top. We learned that ultimately, only relationships matter.
And God showed us that He is faithful. Help came in at every point we were in need. Pastors providing warm beds to sleep in when we came back to town with no home, no plan. Clients slipping money in John’s hand when we found out our insurance wouldn’t cover our losses. Money for clothes from our local church. A bag of insanely perfect children’s toys left at the door of our business. A church in Wichita sending a check when we didn’t have enough to cover the free pet medical care John offered our community for months after the fires. Cards stuffed with target gift cards for our teen-aged girls. A pair of combat boots that made me feel powerful as I walked over our home’s burnt remains.
Since we lost our home, we’ve moved several times over the last year: hotels, a garage, a corner of a house filled with porcelain dolls, and a one bedroom guest house. It’s been a year filled with inconveniences, and then there are also the nuances of difficulty at the heart-level with every move.
A ‘tour de force’ is defined as “an impressive performance or achievement that has been accomplished or managed with great skill.” God has gently shown us that our family’s ‘tour de force’ began the moment we drove past the police barricades into a town laid bare in ashes. This is our ‘tour de force’ of contentment in all circumstances, of peace that surpasses all understanding, of powerful human connections, of purpose & fulfillment beyond what our minds can fathom — fueled only by God.
We still live in a one-bedroom guest house with a family of seven. And every day we wake up to a view of a sparkling ocean too grand and too bright for words.”
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Thank you New Life Covenant Church for your part in our journey.
— Evelien, John, Frankie, Coco, Madeus, Levi, Vienne Lupo