Today I'm here at Whitman Academy for the parent/student orientation day. I've already met some parents and kids, and done some work on my classroom, which, let me tell you, badly needed some work. The school was full of chattering children reuniting after summers apart, and of smiling parents meandering around from classroom to brightly decorated classroom. However, this joyful atmosphere was tinged with an unexpected somberness, and smiles and laughter were often interrupted by tearful embraces and whispered condolences.
Juhae Park was a pretty young Korean lady with a huge heart and eyes that laughed when she spoke. She attended Whitman last year and was planning to stop by the event today to see her friends before going to the Black Forest Academy in Germany this fall. I've never met her. I know all this because I just attended her funeral. On Thursday, Juhae was with her family in the nearby Wadi Mujib park, a canyon with a river in it. She slipped and was sucked under a waterfall where she drowned. Her father, attempting to rescue her, suffered a mangled leg and the unimaginable trauma of being trapped a mere few feet from where his daughter was dying.
One minute, so vibrant and full of life, brimming over with plans for the future, loving deeply and deeply loved. The next, an empty husk of a body. I didn't know Juhae, but her death is another reminder (like the 35w collapse) of how fragile a gift life truly is.
Juhae was the Lord's, and is now with Him, but please pray for the Park family as they mourn. Mr. Park, especially, is racked with guilt for not having saved his daughter, and is seriously injured (there is nerve damage in his leg which prevents him from moving that foot, and the massive muscle damage is causing his kidneys to fail.). Pray also for those of my coworkers who knew and cherished her, and who are trying to find time to grieve amid the pressure and stress of getting ready for the first week of school.
Any day, hour, or minute on earth could be your last one. Don't waste them.
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4 comments:
Silas...I miss you, bro. I just wanted to let you know that I'll be praying for the Park family and for you as you start school. Great thoughts, keep them coming...
Hi Silas, it is great to see how God is growing you and teaching you. Thanks for the good reminder for us to be thankful and not to take our lives for granted. I'll pray for strength and endurance for you as you begin school.
Tim
miss you sy. youre gonna do great at the teaching shizzle man, you were born to share information, its what you've always done (to the annoyance of some... lol) I've found that when youre doing what you know youre supposed to do then its much easier to work hard. have you found this?
Miss you, kiddo. I'm so happy to hear how you're growing in the Lord. My prayers and thoughts are most definitely with you and those you minister to.
Your sis in christ,
kar
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