CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx — Jose Lopez lost everything when his house burned down, but he held onto hope even while walking through ash, soot and dirt.
"All this happens for a reason and I know God wants me to think big," Lopez said.
The owner of Chico's Candy Apples saw his home and business destroyed in a fire months ago. Neighbors, including Westside business Candy Andy, helped push his story out so customers could find him again.
Now Lopez says his Facebook is still flooded with neighbors asking where he'll pop up next.
While he's not back in the home he owns, Lopez has sold enough candy apples to move his family into a new apartment. He reminds his wife to stay focused on small goals.
"Don't think about all the money we need to fix the house. Just think about one apple at a time, you know," Lopez said.
No longer having to borrow someone else's kitchen has made a significant difference.
"Way better. Now we can do our apples from here, and eventually we're gonna get back to our home," Lopez said.
Lopez says health issues made the last few months even harder, but he found strength in his faith.
"All the stress and the anxiety… I gave it to God. I said, God help me out," Lopez said.
Most of his support has come through social media, with customers telling him they found him online.
"That's how they go. They go because, 'I saw you on Facebook, I saw you on Facebook,'" Lopez said.
At his table, customer Delma Garza drove from Kingsville after seeing one of those posts.
"It's always good to be friendly to people… to help out wherever you can," Garza said.
Lopez is looking forward to one thing most of all.
"Going back to my home. It's going to be a great… great feeling," Lopez said.
Since starting over, sales have already doubled from around 60 apples a day to now more than 120.
Lopez says his faith in God keeps him moving forward even on the hardest days. As he works to rebuild his home and business, every candy apple sold is one step closer to his goal.
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