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By Narayan Mitra
PASTOR Terry Stauffer shows no sign of defeat in
ministry. Neither is he disillusioned about the pitfalls of life in
general.
On a recent family holiday visit to Kamloops, the
pastor of Edson Baptist Church in Edson, Alberta bared his soul about the
murder of his second child, Emily. The incident is still fresh in the mind
of many Canadians.
Before moving to Edson, Stauffer spent some 14 years in
B.C. He graduated from Northwest Baptist Theological College in Vancouver;
he also attended ACTS Seminary in Langley; and he then pastored
Bethany Baptist Church in Barriere, for five years.
Last September 27, 14 year old Emily was on her way to
babysit, just a few blocks away from her home in Edson. She was accosted,
and strangled to death.
“Upon hearing the news, I went to my bedroom and,
on my knees, asked God to help me. At that instance, the gospel I had long
preached felt more true than before,” said the mournful father.
Emily’s alleged murderer, a civic employee, has
since been apprehended and awaits trial.
The relationship between Stauffer, his wife Juanita,
and Emily’s three other siblings, continues to be strong. Stauffer
attributes it to Emily’s strong love for the Lord and her family.
Romans 6:4, which is inscribed on her baptismal
certificate, has become more meaningful to Terry now than the day of her
baptism in February 2007.
“By dying ahead of her time, she has fulfilled
the promise of that scripture.”
Although he is a private person, Stauffer found that he
needed people around him to grieve with.
The community of Edson provided that benefit in
abundance.
Help, both material and emotional, came from altogether
unknown places. Many of Edson’s 8,500 people have been touched
– not just by the enormity of the incident, but by the message of
eternal life.
“Of the 700 or so at the funeral, a major
percentage were young people who heard the gospel clearly through words and
song.
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“Emily’s grandfather Al Hern, himself a
pastor, gave the message of surrender to God and his purpose in each
person’s life.”
What lessons have come through this tragedy?
“We are not the only ones to suffer loss,”
said Juanita. “The world is full of trouble.”
“God prepares us, through the big view of his
sovereignty,” said Terry.
“We won’t get all the answers now. But God
seems very big; we [seem] smaller.”
Despite the pain, their children – Josh (16),
Petra (9) and Anne (7) – are still open and communicative, and show
no sign of withdrawing.
A big part in the healing process of the Stauffers is
taking place through Christian music.
“When we sing the songs, there’s power in
confessing the words,” said Terry.
Stauffer also has new appreciation for the work of the
RCMP, the police force and emergency workers.
“Having them to comfort us in our loss has been
surreal.”
Post-tragedy and current news about the Stauffer family
can be found at: newlumps.blogspot.com.
February 2009
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