Christians in the Los Angeles area keep the faith as they begin the long recovery process.
By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle
PASADENA, Calif. — The pain is still raw.
The sobs are still hard to control.
Nearly a month after wildfires broke out that killed at least 29 people and destroyed thousands of homes in the Los Angeles area, Christians are still grappling with their losses.
“The media have moved on to something else, but we’re still experiencing this devastation and this heartbreak,” Keith Gibbs said after worship Sunday at the Lincoln Avenue Church of Christ — just across the 210 Freeway from the ravaged community of Altadena.
Gibbs, a retired U.S. Marine Corps staff sergeant, narrowly escaped the flames with his wife, Jenifer, and three young grandchildren.
“We got out by the grace of God,” said Gibbs, whose family fled about 3 a.m. Jan. 8 as the fast-moving inferno, which began the day before, raced toward them.
“Ashes were all over the car,” he recalled. “I didn’t think we were going to make it. I looked in the rearview mirror, and the house was already burning.”
While in the military, Gibbs served in the Gulf War and other combat zones.
To the 66-year-old veteran, the destruction in Altadena — unrecognizable houses, businesses, schools and churches — looks like a bomb exploded.
“There’s no words that can heal the pain that I feel, right?” said Gibbs, squeezing his eyes shut as he tried to control his emotions.
“I’ve got PTSD from the military, and this only adds to the PTSD,” he added, referring to post-traumatic stress disorder. “This hurts to the core. But I’m not the only one going through this. There’s a lot of other people going through this.”
Pamela Gasper is one of them.
This story appears in the online print edition of The Christian Chronicle.
Photo by Bobby Ross Jr.
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