What can I say at this point. We had hoped and prayed for the best, even while fearing the worst.
This morning Brenda was found, but unfortunately not alive.
She is free from the depression she endured. She is free from the anxieties of this world. We will mourn, for sure, but we rejoice that she is with her Lord and Saviour, and that for those who believe in Him, we WILL see her again some day.
PTL!
It’s been two days since I last wrote anything on here about Brenda’s disappearance. That’s because there really is no news.
I wish I was able to write that they have found her and that she is okay. I wish that I could write that it’s all been a big misunderstanding. I wish that I could write that this story is just a dream. But I can’t.
Some of you know that Nancy and her brother, Steve, spent the last day searching through Niagara Falls for their older sister, Brenda. Why Niagara Falls? Well, that’s a good question.
God sometimes speaks to His people through dreams and visions and one of HIs people had a vision. During a time of prayer and devotion, they saw Brenda in a car, at a 2-story hotel along the Niagara River at the lower end of the Falls. It was clear, and it was repeated. When she went through Google Street View she indeed saw the motel that she saw in her vision. So they had to check it out.
Unfortunately, it didn’t pan out.
They searched all over in Niagara Falls; talked to the police; talked to motel/hotel owners along that route; talked to waitresses; showed Brenda picture and told her story.
Nothing.
Does that mean the vision was wrong? Maybe, maybe not.
Does that mean we’re going clutching at staws? You bet.
Does that mean we’re going crazy with worry? Most definitely.
We can only continue to pray that Brenda is safe somewhere and that she’ll be found soon. We can only continue to pray that she will come home. We can only continue to pray “Thy will be done”.
Well enough of my 6am ramblings. Please continue to pray.
TTFN
Google Definition: WAITING: the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something); “the wait was an ordeal for him”.
Obviously there’s no word on Brenda yet – nothing, nada, naught, nil, zero, zilch, zip, goose egg! No sign of the car. No sign of her. No sightings, no tips, no leads. The only “new” information is that it appears that she called in sick at a time when she must have been at home, and then she left home.
Sitting and waiting, scouring the internet, reading the same news stories over and over, praying, emailing, answering the phone, watching message fly by on Facebook, watching people post their wishes and prayers and scriptures, trying to do work, and crying. All of this sucks, but especially the waiting.
Someone just sent me a message on Facebook with 2Corinthians 1:3,4 in it. In The Message, it reads…
All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us.
That’s what’s getting us through this at this point.
I know it sounds trite to say “Thanks for your prayers,” but that’s exactly what we need right now, and it’s the only thing that is keeping us going.
So, once again…. Thanks for your prayers!!!
TTFN
PS. I just read the second part of the definition… “being and remaining ready and available for use”. Name it Lord!!
TTFN again.
This morning I realized that I’d never picked up yesterday’s mail, so out I went to get it. My heart nearly stopped when I realized that there was a letter from Brenda in the pile. It turned out to be a Thank You note for the Christmas gifts etc that we’d exchanged on Dec 25th, however, your mind plays tricks and you worry that it might be a note explaining what she was thinking and where she’d gone. I seached the note for clues, but nothing. We’ve heard nothing more from the police or from Brenda.
Then I got to the next couple — two letters from two of our sponsored children.
The one was from Khadiza and we her usual cute letter, but it was the one from Lukas, our child in Tanzania, that had me in tears. There in letter was written in part (remember he’s 7 years old and has someone help him write it and then it’s translated)…
He says likes the biblical verse from Matthew 5:3. He asks you to go and read it b’se it’s all about our needness to God our creator. Lord is powerful to satisfy such demands. [sic]
So… dutifully I opened up my iPod Bible software and looked up the verse. The last version I had been using on it was The Message and there in Jesus own words were…
“You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.”
“At the end of you rope.” That describes me perfectly today. But the second part of the verse, “With less of you there is more of God”, is the only thing sustaining me right now.
God’s perfect timing… The words of a 7 year old Tanzanian boy, who has nothing but God’s word, writes a letter back on Nov 10th and quotes the scripture I needed to hear today, Jan 13th.
Thank you Father!
TTFN
Thank you to so many of you for your prayers for my sister-in-law, Brenda. I wish I had news — any news — but unfortunately today has been quite dry with news. The police are still searching, the media has been amazing at picking up the story, and people around the world are praying.
I know of at least three churchs here in Toronto that are praying, and I’m sure there are at least three others in London/Woodstock that are praying as well (I’d bet that number is even higher). On top of that, through the beauty of the Internet, Facebook and Twitter, we have people praying in:
… and even …
I know that our family has REALLY appreciated the prayers. It is amazing to feel the prayers of others being lifted up to God and to know that the Father is listening and responding with love and grace.
Keep praying, and we’ll keep you updated.
TTFN
It’s not really an update, but here’s the story that has been running on CTV.ca and AM980.ca.
Woodstock Woman Missing; Police “Concerned”
Woodstock Police are concerned for the well being of a 57-year-old woman missing for more than 24 hours.
Brenda Duncan was last seen leaving her home for work Tuesday morning between 8AM and 8:30AM. She hasn’t been heard from since.
The case is being treated as a missing person investigation right now, although Police say the woman’s absence is ‘uncharacteristic’. Family and friends are also very concerned for her safety since no contact has been made with anyone.
Duncan is believed to be driving a 2008 Mazda 5, red or burgundy in colour, bearing Ontario license plate BCSJ 791.
She’s described as white, 5’7, 115 lbs, blue eyes and long straight shoulder-length brown hair with bangs, possibly wearing a red velvet blazer and black pants.
If anyone has any information regarding the location of Brenda Duncan they are encouraged to call Woodstock Police Service at 519-537-2323 or their local police to assist.
My wife has gone to London to be with her family, and there is no further news at this point.
TTFN
What a day the last 18 hours have been. Yesterday right after dinner we received news from Nancy’s brother in London, that her sister in Woodstock has gone missing. I posted this update this morning to our prayer email list.
Brenda was last seen yesterday morning before leaving the house to go to work. She has suffered from bouts of depression and anxiety in the past, and had been working through one recently.
She apparently headed off to work yesterday morning, but never arrived, and the system at work showed that she had called in sick (it’s an automated system). When she didn’t arrive home by 6pm last night, David realized that she was missing. Police in Woodstock have searched all the places they/we thought she might go but have come up with nothing and have expanded their search. Her cell phone is off.
Obviously the family is in a state of shock and bewilderment. Please pray for safety and comfort for Brenda and especially that she would contact her family. Pray for the police as they search (they have been wonderful in starting their search so quickly) and for comfort for the families.
We are clinging to the hope that coincidentally we sung on Sunday morning…
Oh no You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no You never let go
In ev’ry high and ev’ry low
Oh no You never let go
Lord You never let go of me
Updates to follow…
TTFN
Well, I promised I’d post our Christmas letters, and so I’ve done just that. They’ve actually been posted on our full family site (http://TheLahnFamily.com) so if you go to http://www.thelahnfamily.com/christmas-letters/ you can see the page with all the Christmas letters on it — at least all the ones that I have saved over the years.
TTFN
Well, by now, most of you have woken up to the fact that 2011 is upon us. Some are still on holidays, but most have gotten back into the routine of life again — school, work, church, etc. 2010 was an interesting year for us as a family, to say the least, but through it all, God has been very good (for details, I’m hoping to post our Christmas letters here sometime this week), but I wonder what 2011 will bring.
Here’s a few things that I’m sure will have impact on our family’s life over the coming 12 months…
2010 was a little unsettling for us — too many changes and stressors — so I’m hoping that it won’t be that way in 2011, but I know that God is in control (even if I have to keep reminding my brain of that fact) and so my prayer for 2011 is that He’ll continue to use me in whatever way he wants to glorify Him and to build His kingdom here on Earth.
TTFN