When I woke up this morning, the disbelief I felt the night before had given way to grief. I started to get ready to go to our new church where no one knew of the loss. I desperately wanted to be with my Hickory Grove family. I felt helpless. As I felt tears well up in my eyes, I turned on worship music to get my mind off the thoughts racing through my mind. I turned on Bethel Worship and pressed shuffle. The song "Forever" came on. As I heard the words, " Now death where is your sting? Our resurrected King has rendered you defeated," tears rolled down my face. Death has no power. Jesus went to the cross and bore the wrath of God on our behalf to defeat sin and death once and for all.
O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:55-57
Through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ we are victorious over death. While the enemy will attempt to steal our joy, we have eternal joy knowing that this life is not the end. Our frail bodies will give way and we will be united with our Savior in heaven forever. Our joy will be complete. This is the hope we must look towards. If this cannot be said of loved ones, friends that you treasure, now is the time to share this news. Do not wait until tomorrow. I pray this tragic accident brings about an urgency within this community to share the Gospel with those who are perishing.
To all of the precious students and families who are grieving the loss of such a beautiful soul, we love you and are praying for you continually. It pains us that we cannot be there to give you a hug or pray with you in person. The one consolation we can truly rest in is the knowledge that Sheyenne is with Jesus. Death has no power. To our Hickory Grove family, although there may be ten hours between us, we are only a phone call away. We love you.
Please pray for the Marshall family and those who have been impacted by this tragic loss.