Julia is with the Lord

We just received this email from Barry Secrest about Julia:

Dear Prayer Supporters,
Thank you so much for your three months of prayer on Julia´s behalf. It was almost as if she had planned it, but three months to the exact date of the accident, Julia is with the Lord this afternoon, 9th of February, 2009. We know, of course, who planned it this way. It gave Jonathan and Ana, her children, a little time to adjust to the idea of her death. It is a blessing to see how God worked out all of these things. Now, we have a new set of prayers to raise:
1. Pray for the family in this time of grieving.
2. Pray for Jonathan, Julia´s son, as he begins his pastoral studies in March.
3. Pray that Ana, not a saved young woman, will not try to take us to court over this accident. This is a real possibility and would be hurtful to all. Jonathan and Paul will both side with Barb and I, but it would be awful to have to go through the process. Pray that God will calm her heart.
Thank you, again, for your financial and prayer support over this emergency. Everyone else is well.
Barry

Another update on Julia

Thank you all for your continued prayers for Julia. Please also remember to pray for the Secrest family. Below is an update received today:

Julia is worse. It did not seem possible that she could still be alive and be worse. She had five focal points of infection that have now augmented to 15. She is now on dialisis, as well. She has one focal point of infection behind the pancreas and they say there is nothing that can be done about it. They are saying she is not responding to the antibiotics of late. I talked with Cacho just a little while ago and he is calm. He said that the psyichologist wanted to know how they were coping and he told them that they were trusting in the Lord and that they had daily help from their Pastor, as well (myself, although technically, Cacho is not a member of our church, we have grown close in these months). The family is resigned to her death. Barb and I are at peace, as well. I thank God for my dad. Possibly the best advice I have received came from him. He told me to get a sort of tunnel vision in which I would focus on Christ and get through the situation as one gets through a tunnel. He mentioned that I should put it all in God´s hands and keep the emotions under complete control. I know nothing is an accident. The other two funerals which I administered this previous week have given me some help to maintain strength if Julia is to pass on. God knew. I have imagined trying other ways to slow down that van. I have imagined so many times... God knows... He always knew, even before it happened.Barry for Barb, Thomas, David and Anthony

Update on Julia

Below is another update on Julia. Thank you for praying.

Dear Praying Friends,

To update you, Julia slipped into a coma yesterday and has suffered one
heart attack. She is not breathing at all on her own. The doctors say that if
she suffers additional heart attacks, they do not believe that she will survive.
Barry has gone to accompany Cacho at the hospital. It's not over yet. God is in
control. Unless and until He calls her home, we will continue praying for her
healing. Please continue to pray with us.

Thank you,

Barb Secrest (for all)

Update on Julia and Pablo

We just received an email form the Secrests that says that:

Julia took a turn for the worse on Thursday night. She has bacteria in her lungs causing her blood pressure to go up.

Pablo has a fever.

Thank you for praying for them.

Secrest Update

We are about ready to head out on a day trip with the other BWM missionaries (we are in Mar del Plata, Argentina for our S. American family conference) but I wanted to give an update on the Secrests before prayer meeting.

Julia ia doing better but is still in need of much of our prayers. With over 80% of her body burned there is a lot of recovery ahead.

Pablo is doing much better and has received skin grafts.

Thank you for praying for them. Pray for the Lord to continue to assist Barry and Barbara with the many things involved in caring for the people in their church. They were supposed to be here with us this week and so we miss them and Sharon Clark, but we know their place is in Las Piedras with their people.

I´ll write more about our trip later. Sorry for the blog silence lately.

Secrest Accident - Report from Barbara Secrest

Thanks to all who have been praying about the Secrest accident. Below is a report from Barbara that we received last night:

Dear Brethren:For those of you who don´t know (and to fill in details for those of you who do), our family along with three others from the church were involved in an automobile accident on our way home from the Sunday evening service here. At approximately 9:15 pm our time, we were finishing up with the transportaton of those who attended the church service. We were traveling toward a T intersection, ready to enter Route 67 about three blocks from our home.

Barry applied the brakes with absolutely no result. As we entered the route, two motorcycles passed in front of our van, narrowly missing collision. Slowing down some with the help of the emergency breke, Barry executed a wider left turn onto the route in hopes of avoiding turn over. The right two tires, however, went off the pavement onto the gravel shoulder. The surface of the shoulder was several inches lower than the road and the police say that contributed to the turn over of the van. We made two quarter turns and the van ended up on its roof. Being an older van, the metal was very solid and there was very little compression of the chassy.

After a few seconds of stunned silence, Julia, a regular attendee in her forties, alerted us to the flames starting up on the passenger side which was now facing the street. After a few unsuccessful attempts at opening the doors. Barry was able to get the front passenger compartment door open where he, Anthony and I were seated. The unusual circumstance was that we were not wearing out seat belts, which made exiting the vehicle easier and probably saved our lives. Because of the turn, Anthony, our 6-year-old, ended up underneath us and we had to get out before Barry could reach out and get him out. Because he was in the vehicle longer, the gasoline-fueled fire traveled down to where he was and he suffered 1st and 2nd degrees burns on the right side of his face, his right ear and the back of his right hand. After overnight observation, he was released.

In the back part of the van, Jonathan, Julia´s 16-year-old son, was kicking at the doors to try to at least break the glass. Thomas, our 11-year-old, has been acting as doorman on transportation runs in the van since the door latches are difficult to operate. Due to that fact, he was sitting next to the door and once he got his bearings, opened the doors enabling all of those traveling in the rear section to get out. This included our 9-year-old David, Jonathan, Julia, medical student and regular church attendee Pablo, and himself. Thomas said that God put him on the right side of the car just so that he could open the doors. Since the gasoline was running out on that side, they all had to pass through the flames.

Thomas and David only experienced singed hair and eyebrows. Thomas´ pants and boots caught on fire, but his beloved cowboy boots that his grandmother gave him saved his legs and he was able to roll and put out the fire.

Pablo´s clothing caught on fire and he sustained 1st and 2nd degree burns over 30% of his body before being able to roll and put out the flames with Jonathan´s assistance. He also suffered respiratory damage from smoke and fire inhalation. The doctors were most concerned about his internal injuries, but today his condition was markedly improved to the doctor´s amazement and he was moved out of ICU. His condition remains serious, please continue to pray.

Jonathan stepped in the gasoline, his shoes caught on fire and his heels were burned. He is staying with the youth director and his family while his step-father, who has also made a profession of faith but was not present that evening, travels back and forth the visit Julia in the hospital. She was the last one out of the van and required my help to get clear and put out the fire on her clothing. She suffered 1st and 2nd degree burns over 80% of her body as well as respiratory damage from smoke and flame inhalation. At the present time, her condition is the most critical and her internal organs are affected. Pray for her, please.

Barry suffered some burns and a cut to his right hand. Tomorrow (Wednesday) he goes back to the doctor for a redressing. Anthony has an appointment for Wednesday afternoon to see a plastic surgeon in Montevideo for an evaluation on how his wounds are healing and where to go from there. I suffered no burns or serious injuries with only the bumps and bruises from the roll-over.

Many are the things that we have thought of where God´s hand kept this from being a worse experience. Several who were normally in the van were not and so there were no children seated in the space in the very back over the motor. The fire progressed very quickly and would not have given sufficient time for more occupants to vacate the van before serious injury or death. As far as the police investigation goes, Barry gave his statement yesterday afternoon. Their forensic findings confirmed his account of the events. He has another appointment with a forensics officer Thursday afternoon.Thank you for your prayers! God is at work. The church folk here have rallied around all of us and we are proud to be a part of the Cornerstone Baptist family here in Las Piedras.

Please pray for Julia, Jonathan and Pablo.

Last night we received news that fellow BWM Uruguayan missionaries, Barry and Barbara Secrest, had an accident in their Volkswagon "Combi" van. The vans brakes went out near a T intersection. Barry attempted to make a wide turn and the van tires went off the pavement, casuing the van to roll onto the roof. They thought that was the worst until they heard someone in the back yell that the van was on fire. Everyone was able to get out.

Though they have some injuries - Barry's hand is cut, Barbara's feet have small cuts and their youngest son Antonio has burns on his ear and hand -the Secrests are all ok. They are extremely concerned for those injured last night.

• Julia has 2nd degree burns over 50% of her body. She also inhaled the flames. She is stable but in critical condition.
• Jonathan -17 year old son of Julia - has burned ankles, was released from the hospital last night, but is going back today because he can't walk.
• Pablo - 21 years old - has 2nd degree burns over 25% of his body. He also inhaled the flames. He had to have a tracheotomy.

We know they will appreciate your prayers. We will do our best to keep you updated.