With their lives tested and support desperately needed, the DeHoyos family arrived at Turning Point Church Sunday morning — their place of worship the past five years.
"Let's pray for the DeHoyos and ask God to help them and to minister to them," Pastor Jeff Wickwire told the congregation.
There's the pain in the form of grief you can see on Gloria DeHoyos' face two days after her sister, Elvea Arriola and one of her nieces, Gabby Segoviano died in a house fire on Friday, Jan. 24.
And there's another kind of pain you can't see.
"I was diagnosed last September that I had leukemia," said DeHoyos. Her fallen sister was the one who helped pick her up when she was down. And now that sister is gone.
"I was ready to give up and she pushed me,” said DeHoyos. “So now I'm going to proceed with my chemos [chemotherapy sessions] and therapies for her."
Family members said Elvea Arriola got 6-year-old daughter Abby out of the house and went back to save twin daughter, Gabby. But they never made it out.
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"My niece, she's a girly-girl. She was my baby. She was a joy, she would light up a room,” said DeHoyos. “They would both light up a room. My sister was one of those that everyone could be sitting down and be sad and she could make everyone laugh. She's just really gonna be missed."
Church leaders are well aware of this family's tragic story and the congregation's making sure the DeHoyos' understand they'll never be alone.
"We've known them,” Wickwire told NBC 5. “We've ministered to them. It's a large extended family. It's just a real tragedy but we're going to look up and trust God to carry us and them through this."
"We're all strong and I know we're going to get through this with all the prayers that we're getting,” said DeHoyos. "We're getting a lot of support from everyone."
Besides prayer, Turning Point Church is helping raise money for the mother and daughter funeral that will happen at the church Thursday.
