pray for highland

When Brandon and I lived in Abilene, we attended Highland Church of Christ. He taught in the toddlers' class. I worked with the class of 2005 during their 4th, 5th and 6th grade years. I also worked as an assistant to the youth minister. We were blessed with multi-generational friendships, a praying eldership, and the gifted words of Mike Cope every Sunday morning. Because of all this, the Highland family holds a special little place in my heart. Sometimes we talk about moving back to Abilene just so we can settle back in with our brothers and sisters at Highland.

Which is why it's difficult to be so far removed (timewise, geographically, emotionally) this morning, while they are experiencing such grief this week. A vehicle transporting eight members of Highland, seven of them children, was involved in a one-car, rollover accident on the way back to Abilene from a youth gathering in DFW. One child died. The adult driver and six other children were all injured. Most are in stable condition, and a few have been released from the hospital. Brandon and I know several of the children's parents and siblings. Mike Cope's son was among the injured and was flown to a children's hospital in the Metroplex. I also knew the woman driving the vehicle; she is the mother of one of the class of '05 girls I worked with.

We are grateful for all the optimistic news, but we grieve with the Highland family during this time of loss. Please pray for our family in Abilene. Strangely enough, I wish I was there...to help carry the burden.

This morning, after Brandon told me about the accident, he said, "It's not right that a person should go through nine months of pregnancy and years of raising a child, only to have that child be gone in an instant. Children shouldn't die."

No. They shouldn't.