Support for Mario, Krista, and Oliver After Palisades Fire

Mario, Krista, and Oliver are safe but have been evacuated from their home in the Pacific Palisades for an unknown amount of time by the devastating Palisades fire. This campaign will help Krista and Mario with critical expenses that aren’t covered by other forms of assistance.

From Mario:

“We remain fine. It’s just so unbelievable! To see Pacific Palisades almost completely wiped off the map. The number of friends who have lost their homes, and everything in them, continues to increase. And those of us who are just completely uncertain about the future, whether the housing structure is sound, and then how much smoke damage or remediation will need to be done. Will the toxic fumes and ash linger? Will there be anything to come back to? Where will Oliver go to school? His school burned down. Who will he play with? His friends’ houses have burned down and his friends have been displaced. Where will he play? The parks burned. The churches, the restaurants, the library, and the grocery stores are all gone. The once vibrant community Grandpa Martini spent his entire life building is now gone as we know it.

“The day the fire started, Krista was able to get our dog and one extra set of clothes for Oliver and me, and just the clothes she was wearing for herself. She picked up Oliver, as they were evacuating the school and walking these babies down Temescal Canyon to the beach. Everything in the house is probably destroyed from the smoke damage and we won’t be able to go get any of it for some time. We need the necessities: clothes, toiletries, shoes, toys, baby supplies, dog supplies, food. Temporary housing is getting hard to find, as so many need it, and the cost of it is getting expensive with the increased demand.”

If you are able to support my brother and his family in any way, it is so appreciated! They are such a hardworking couple and are in need of financial, emotional, and spiritual support right now.

Here are prayer requests from Mario and Krista:

- We need a home; we are looking at rentals, but the impacted market makes it hard to find anything good for the long term. We likely won't be able to go home for a long time if at all, as structural integrity is uncertain. Please pray for a good living situation for us.

- Although I've been in the Palisades since 2011 and Mario's dad grew up there, and we have many friends in the Palisades, we only recently started to put down family roots. We've been a part of our church family for over a decade and we consider many people in that community our actual family. Community is so important and we pray that our living situation allows us to keep our community somewhat close by.

- Prayers that insurance will be fair, providing what we need to live and recover. It seems that it will be challenging to get what we need. Prayers that we can get enough from insurance to replace our clothes and things we may no longer have receipts for (they want receipts for replacements).

- Prayers that we can find a new preschool for Oliver to help him return to some normalcy.

- Prayers that Mario and I are able to bond through this, and that Oliver doesn't experience trauma.

- Prayers that we are able to help others while seeking help for ourselves and that we can claim some of the donations made available, to fill our own need.

- Prayers that we will hear God's voice and be led by Him in our next steps. Mario and I have doubted our faith in different ways lately, and we just want to feel close to God.

- Prayers that I'm able to care for my back, my knees, and my body while we go through this; some days I can barely get out of bed and walk. I'm having a hard time doing toddler running with Oliver because my knees hurt so much.

Finally, please pray for our community. So many friends have had a total loss, some of them have had a partial loss, and for those who miraculously still have homes standing, there are serious questions about moving forward.

When will the air and water be clean? Where will the kids go to school? Where will they worship, where will they play? What will life be like moving forward?

I know I speak on behalf of everyone who lives in our community when I say we are extremely humbled and grateful by the generosity of Los Angeles. When I think about it, it makes me hold back tears.