Two German women murdered in Yemen were Brake Bible College students. Anita G. (24) and Rita S. (25) were working at the Al-Dschumhuri hospital in Saada, Yemen as part of their summer internship. The hospital is run by the Dutch humanitarian organisation Worldwide Services. The women were taken hostage north of Saada on 12 June along with a German couple, their three children, a British engineer and a South-Korean woman. (At the time of writing, the fate of the others was still awaiting official confirmation.) The two women came from a Russian-German Baptist Church in the Gifhorn area near the city of Wolfsburg in Germany.On Tuesday evening, the German TV news networks had this as their top story. The principal of the Bible College featured on many of the reports. While there is shock and sympathy in the secular media there are also many aspersions being cast which are only adding to the pain. The college has stressed that the women were not involved in evangelism but only in humanitarian work in a local hospital. If you understand German you can read the statements from the Bible College here.
CEF Europe has had a close relationship with Brake over many years. Many former Brake students have taken our Leadership Course at Kilchzimmer and are serving the Lord across the globe. As former students ourselves, we are also deeply troubled by the news of these murders.
Now the photographs of the women have been released to the press – their faces are very familiar! Through several visits to Brake Bible school in the last few years, I have gotten to know many of their classmates. I remember speaking for a long time to Anita in 2007. Now I am trying to remember the conversation... but I know I shared with her how God had led in my life and encouraged her to trust God for each step in her own life. She listened intently and seemed to soak in every word I was saying. She struck me as a young lady with a real deep desire to serve the Lord. Now she has paid the ultimate price. Today Anita and Rita are in the presence of the Lord. We don't understand why but our God knows best (Phil. 1:21).
Please pray for all affected, especially the families, friends, school colleagues and staff in Brake.
------
News report from the German Evangelical News Agency IDEA in English
You may click on the comment link below to express your condolences. To avoid abuse your comment will only appear after moderation.
