Church of God News has this up about the tragedy of the murder of Naomi Irion. Naomi's father works for the State Department and is currently stationed in South Africa.
Miraculous Birth and Tragic Death of Naomi Irion
“I believe most of you are aware (from social media and local prayer requests) of the tragic situation that has developed in Nevada with the kidnapping of 18-year-old Naomi Irion. Her mother and father, Diana and Hervé Irion, are Church members who live and work in South Africa. I have a special connection with the Irion family, having been their pastor when young Naomi was born. I have been in contact with Naomi’s mother, Diana, to offer encouragement and help from the Church.
Currently, the family members in Nevada include Hervé and Diana Irion and Diana’s daughter, Tamara Cartwright, and son, Casey Valley. They also have with them their three adopted sons from Ukraine. As you can imagine, a family of this size needs a lot of help just taking care of their daily needs. I am very pleased to report that our congregation in Reno has been actively involved in caring for the family.
Members there not only found them a rental home, but fully furnished it within a matter of two or three days. It was amazing to see this unfold from a distance. I want to thank all the members in Reno for their outstanding work and example.
I mentioned a special connection with the Irion family from our days together in Houston, but I need to explain more, to let you know what happened when Naomi was born. I performed the wedding for Hervé and Diana, who brought her two children (Tammy and Casey) into their marriage. Not too long after they were married, Diana became pregnant with Naomi. Then, well into the pregnancy, they received some very bad news. The baby’s lungs and other organs were not developing as they should. Diana was told that there was a good chance the baby would be stillborn. This remained the same diagnosis throughout the pregnancy, and as she got closer to her due date, it was more and more obvious, from the doctor’s perspective, that the baby would not be born alive. Diana and Hervé asked me to be present at the hospital at the time of Naomi’s birth, in order to anoint her right away. I agreed and was waiting outside the delivery room, not knowing what to expect.
To everyone’s amazement, upon birth, Naomi let out a shrill cry! The doctor declared it a miracle since the last ultrasound had shown very little lung development. In order for her to cry, her lungs clearly must have developed, and her organs were all fine. The doctor was amazed and came out of the delivery room to tell me I could come in and pray for the baby. His message to me was that the baby was perfectly healthy, and that a miracle had taken place. This was not the outcome that had been predicted by the doctor.
I arrived home very early the next morning, and I couldn’t even explain to my wife what had happened! I was as numb as the doctor. Whenever our paths have crossed over the years, Diana has reminded me of this amazing night. Of course, we all learned a great lesson that night – never underestimate what God may choose to do in our lives.
But now, I must announce the sad ending to this story. I am heartbroken to announce that Naomi’s lifeless body was discovered on Wednesday, March 30. She had been murdered. The police and FBI believe they have the perpetrator in custody, but that will be determined by the judicial system.
It is surreal for me to know that I prayed over Naomi when she was born and now I will be praying over her at her death. It is probably the darkest moment in this life to lose a child and especially in such a senseless manner. Please remember the Irion family in your prayers. They are struggling to understand what has just happened to their family. After more than two weeks of searching for her in hopes she was still alive, this news has been devastating.
I have received a number of requests from the brethren wanting to know what we can do as a Church and as individuals. Through a “GoFundMe” account and the generous contributions of members, their financial needs have been met to date. The Church will cover any additional cost to make sure the needs of the family are met. The family can be reached through their various social media accounts if you desire to communicate with them directly about their plans and to receive any updates they may have. Plans are being made for a funeral and/or memorial service for Naomi. I plan to be at either or both, depending on the timing.
Each day in America several thousand people, mostly children, are abducted and murdered, but when you know those involved, you feel it in a deeply emotional manner.
I believe that with everything that is happening in the world and the various trials among the brethren, we have even more reason to focus on this coming Passover and what it means for all of us.”
7 comments:
We read so many horror stories, and learn of wretched behavior of ACOG officials towards their own, that it's almost shocking to the system when an example of fairly good Christian behavior such as this comes to light. Seems like people were permitted to help out as individuals instead of being commanded to send the money to headquarters, or cautioned not to use their regular tithes and offerings to assist. Looks like the minister involved is going to actually officiate over the funeral services instead of turning his back on the family in their time of need. Nobody is finger-pointing or accusing anyone of being Laodicean.
I know. This is just one example in one splinter as opposed to the mountain of badness coming in from the Armstrong remnants that we've seen in the past, but I do believe in praising positive behavior on the rare occasions that we see it.
Certainly a heart felt and tragic note from Jim Franks, and all of us feel the pain of this horrific event.
Jim Franks concluded in his note: "Each day in America several thousand people, mostly children, are abducted and murdered, but when you know those involved, you feel it in a deeply emotional manner."
According to crime statistics quoted in Wikipedia which sourced Reuters with FBI stats...
Fewer than 350 people under the age of 21 have been abducted by strangers in the United States per YEAR (not day) between 2010–2017.[5]
The federal government estimated about 50,000 people reported missing in 2001 who were younger than 18. Only about 100 cases per year can be classified as abductions by strangers
This is far less than SEVERAL THOUSAND each day, as quoted by Jim Franks. If the numbers were as high as Franks quote here in the USA , you better have your kid armed and ready! Again, not trying to take away from his heartfelt pain and commentary by Jim Franks, but correcting for the sake of accuracy.
Add this to the list of why I no longer believe in a god. To what purpose would there be in granting a "miracle" birth only to have that child brutally (raped?) and/or murdered 18 years later? Would it not have been more merciful to both the baby and the parents if the child had been stillborn? The free will argument is horseshit. Was her free will not violated?
I've seen parents killed in a car accident on the way to the Feast, leaving 3 children orphaned. Why? We all saw Terry Ratzmann murder 7 people in cold blood during Sabbath services. God couldn't maintain a safe space on his holy sabbath? I had to comfort my teens at their church camp when a freak boat accident demolished a beautiful 18 year old daughter. Didn't we ask you in prayer every single day during camp to protect our children? A lovely mother of 4 survived breast cancer once only for it to cruelly return and leave behind grief and devastation. You couldn't see through the fasting and prayers of so many people on this one either?
As a Christian, I did indeed expect a hedge around people who love you. It would have been nice to have seen a shred of evidence.
I can no longer understand it any other way than to accept that there is no god and this has wrecked me to my core. My heart goes out to all those mourning.
While I understand where you’re coming from SSS my faith in God and His promise to raise the dead to life as demonstrated by Christ’s healing the incurable, raising the dead to life and God raising His own Son to life is what I find of comfort. We will see our loved ones again.
To what purpose asks SSS. Time and chance happen to us all. Even you SSS. Even you.
May young people in COG's think about her story very carefully - including the part about the birth, which I didn't know until reading this.
God was close to this young woman from the beginning. May we all stay close to Him at all times, no matter our age.
Stoned Stephen,
Your namesake may well have been thought a still birth and then God saw fit that he be born alive. Perhaps at an age a few years older than Naomi he was stoned. The Lord allowed this and with Paul’s approval. For what purpose? Or for something less than a direct purpose? For the overall Christian experience that knows highs and lows but is going headlong toward death but still saved by more blood, the Blood of Christ?
You know, as do we, that sometimes we simply can’t make sense of it all.
Paul in Romans 11 writes how the Lord did something very strange in order to bring the jews and Gentiles to Christ. He made the Jews a special people and excluded others, and then He removed them (the natural branch from the root). And He brought the gentiles to Him (the wild branch). He knows seeing the flourishing of the Christian gentiles will produce “jealousy” among the jews and they will want to flourish too. Then He places the Jews (the natural branch) back on the root with the gentile branch and great will be the flourishing.
So, as Romans 11 says, the Lord has dealt with severity and goodness with both Jew and Gentile that He might give mercy and finally bring them together with Him.
In rom. 11:33 Paul marvels at the wisdom of the Lord in all this.
“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!”
This resonates with me because I realize I cannot understand the unsearchable depths of God’s ways and as Christ told Peter (who learned he would be martyred) regarding John, “what does it matter to you if he should live till My return? You follow Me.”
I want understanding of these things, but I suppose I’m learning that faith matters more.
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