Todays is : Sunday, 21 March 2010
Christian News Headlines
| Couple starts ministry to help families who have lost a child |
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 Children aren’t supposed to die first. Parents expect to see their children grow and mature. Ultimately, parents expect to die and leave their children behind. On October 19, 2001, however, this unnatural life cycle is exactly what Wichita residents Rick and Tamela Unruh experienced.“Few people expect to get ‘the call,’” Rick Unruh told Christian Press. “I always figured it happened to others, but wouldn’t happen to me. Yet, there I was screaming in the phone ‘No’ - as my dad had just told me that my son, Landon, was in an accident and might be dead.” Unruh says Landon was visiting at his grandfather’s home in Great Bend, Kan. While riding four-wheelers, Landon, who was 12 at the time, lost control and ran through a barb-wired fence. It is believed Landon instantly died from the crash. Counseling experts say the death of a child is different from all other previous loses. “Parents often express that the loss of a child is not something you recover from, but rather a pain with which you learn to live,” said Gayle Peterson, PhD. “Seek wisdom from other parents who have traveled this road. The more you can take care of yourself, the greater your energy and patience will be restored for parenting your children who are living.” Time in the Desert The Unruh’s admit it took time to find the wisdom in advice like Petersons. Following the accident, they moved to Springfield, Mo. “We pretty much went into a shell,” said Unruh. “I covered my pain with the distraction of work. And buying things became my coping mechanism.”  Unruh, who was a traveling evangelist in the ‘90s, says over time they found themselves far from God and their church attendance slowly faded. Immersed in corporate America, life became all about making money. Selling loans for a living, Unruh says he saw both the highs and the lows of the mortgage loan industry. “The day came when we couldn’t pay our bills,” said Unruh. “We were hard-headed and running from God.” Healing Hope But he recalls when the day they stopped running in February 2007. “God was getting our attention,” says Unruh. “We let our guard down and turned back to Christ.” With family in Kansas and encouragement from life-long friend Marty Freeman, pastor of Believers Tabernacle Church, they moved to Wichita, Kan. in June 2007 to pursue a new ministry. Established this past year, Dream Again Ministries seeks to coach and council others through various life challenges. In recent weeks the ministry also developed a web site established to be a resource of hope for hurting parents and family members. Never-4Gotten.com seeks to open communication with others dealing with similar issues. Unruh says the site is about sharing their story and hearing the inspiring journeys of how others have walked a painful path of grief. “We hope to use the site as a networking tool to help those that are drowning in grief to find inspiration and a reason to dream again,” said Unruh. “We named our ministry Never-4Gotten because when you lose a close loved one, your life is crushed and many times your dreams die with them.” “God has turned their situation around bringing beauty from ashes,” said Pastor Marty Freeman. “They stopped running from the pain and ran right into it.” Few Know How to Respond Freeman also says pastors, if they will admit it, often feel frustration and inadequacy during times of loss. “I am excited for others to learn about the ministry because the Unruhs can relate with those who have lost a child. There is a huge need.” Unruh points to Proverbs 13:12 as inspiration and the biblical foundation for their efforts. “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when dreams come true, there is life and joy.” “We want people to know that they can dream again after loss,” Unruh said. “There is hope of having true joy again and that there are people out there that want to help.” For more information about Dream Again Ministries or Never-4Gotten.com call 316.684.4006, email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or see www.Never-4Gotten.com.
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