The Eric Rasmusen family...

(Tim) Friends, the last two days have brought a blow to Church of the Good Shepherd and, despite the ephemeral nature of this forum, personally, I'd like to ask your prayers.

From Baylyblog comments, some of you will recognize the name, Eric Rasmusen. Monday evening, Eric and his wife, Helen, lost their second daugther, Elizabeth, as well as Eric's parents, in an automobile collision. Here's the statement Eric released...

In His love and wisdom, God has chosen to take home our dear daughter, Lizzie and my parents.

On Monday, July 13th, we were visiting my father and mother in Leland, Illinois, and took a day trip in two cars to Rockford to visit a relative. On the way home, Lizzie, Amelia, and Ben rode with their grandparents. The car collided with a train and my parents, along with Lizzie, died instantly. Amelia and Ben have required surgery, but both are stable. Amelia's suffered a ruptured spleen and other more minor injuries. Ben's suffered a broken femur and bruised lungs, along with other cuts and bruises.

Please pray for us and our other children, Lilly and Faith--that God will comfort us all in the loss of Lizzie and my parents, and also that He will heal Amelia and Ben.

We are very thankful to our Father in heaven for preserving the lives of Amelia and Ben. Their survival is a great blessing and a wonder of God's power.

We are blessed. We have four wonderful children, and we had Lizzie for nine years.  My parents lived their threescore and ten and more, and  died quickly, and I was able to share 50 happy  years with them. The Lord God has been good to us, and we are selfish to want more, when we have had so much. Lizzie was so sweet, helpful, and affectionate, that we worried about how people would hurt her when she grew up. She loved God better than any of us, and He has saved her from care. So many are so blessed to have known her, and we got to know her best.

Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen and help thee, and cause thee to stand
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.

When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of woe shall not thee overflow;
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

"Remember my affliction and my wandering, the wormwood and bitterness. Surely my soul remembers And is bowed down within me. This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. The LORD’S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. 'The LORD is my portion,' says my soul, 'Therefore I have hope in Him.'" (Lamentations 3:19-24)

By God's grace,

Eric Rasmusen

Further information has (and will be) posted on a blog the family has set up for that purpose. I'm trusting our readers understand my absence from the blog the past few days. With Pastor Stephen Baker and several others from the church, we've been with the Rasmusens in Rockford where their other two children are in the hospital, recovering.