Heroes
Delphine and Brianna
Dear
Friends,
The 11th
of January marked one month since the accident in Port Harcourt, Nigeria
occurred where we lost the lives of eight young YWAMers.
As I
have walked through the grief of their loss personally I have been
asking
myself the question “How did these
young
people live?” Mine is a personal answer having a more
intimate knowledge of both Delphine Lemaire and Brianna Esswein, staff
and
student respectively at YWAM Perth:
- They both had an intense
desire to make God known among the marginal people of the world.
- They loved expressing
God’s love through mother and child health in caring for mothers and
loving little children. Seeing redemption come to whole
families.
- They had an urgency in
prayer, understanding that young lives were at stake. Delphine
had prayed over stillborn babies and seen them come back to life.
- They took great delight
in seeking God on names for the little boys and girls that were born
while they were assisting the mum during the birth – a privilege often
given to them by Moslem families.
- They lived a dream as
young people that their lives could and would make a difference, so
every moment counted!
- They were great friends
and “family” to hundreds of people.
Delphine
and Brianna have left a legacy, a platform, something we can
springboard from
as we move forward as a mission to pursue those things God has called
us to -
just over the horizon!
Pete
and I are so grateful for all your prayer and support during this
time. Our larger
family has been remarkable.
For
continued prayer:
Dagmar
Sippel, our team leader, is still in critical care. Dagmar has
shown some very
positive signs, her eyes are opening and she is observing her
surroundings.
Dagmar has moved her leg and is squeezing the hand of those that are
caring for
her. Dagmar has been taken off a respirator. A concern is
lack of movement on
her left side and very minimal communication. Please pray for a
complete
recovery and continued healing of her body from her many and extensive
operations. God is doing miracles in our dear Dagmar’s
life. Please
continue to pray.
Sarah
White (an Australian) has now been moved to a ward and continues her
recovery
process. Sarah has improved greatly since moving to Johannesburg.
Erin
Cothran has also been moved to a ward. In the near future she
will need a hip
replacement, the doctors are still waiting for her to regain
strength. Could
you please pray for both of these girls. They are doing
remarkably well and we
know that they are being sustained by your prayers and the body of
Christ
worldwide.
From
YWAM Perth there were seven who were injured in the accident plus one
Nigerian
lady and one Nigerian young man. Please continue to pray for
their physical
and emotional healing. A number of them have a mission call upon
their life
and want to continue in that when they are well enough to do so.
Remember
to pray for the families and friends who have lost their loved
ones.
In the
midst of this tragedy, over 120 YWAMers have just made their way to Cairo to commence
work
with megacities. They left with a zeal and faith in their hearts
for the
purposes of God in that land. The Birth
Attendant School
was leaving Nigeria
to join
them in Cairo
in
late December and continue their work with mother and child health
until June 2006.
God
hasn’t forgotten their steps of faith and obedience and I believe He is
ready to unleash his power in this great city of Cairo. Please continue to pray.
We are
greatly strengthened by your prayer.
Pete
and Shirl
YWAM Perth
