It is with a heavy heart I write this morning. Our dear friend and IMB Missionary colleague, Elaine Lambach, a missionary serving here in Belém, Brazil, died Monday evening, July 14th after a brief illness. Elaine and her husband Paul have been our mentors since Tara and I arrived in Brazil. Recently, Elaine became sick and went to the doctor. She was diagnosed, I believe, with pneumonia (or at least symptoms like this illness), she was treated and went home. She return with breathing trouble very early on Monday morning and was hospitalized. She was diagnosed with septic shock, a massive bacterial infection, placed in ICU and we were hoping all would be well. We soon found out that her kidneys had shut down. Later that evening, we were told things were much worse than we thought and she was not expected to live through the night. One by one, her organs were failing. Last night, just after 11:00pm Elaine Lambach passed away. Services here in Brazil will be held today and arrangements are being made to take Elaine home to Knoxville for burial.
Please be in prayer for her husband, Paul, as he deals will all the emotion and the many details this all involves and sudden loss of his wife. Please pray for each of their 5 children – sons Joseph (serving in the military), Jonathan (at Union University in TN), David, (who graduated from high school this year), and two young daughters, Rachel (age 12) and Hannah (age 9). Pray for God’s peace and grace to permeate the lives of this family during this difficult and unexpected time. Also, please continue to pray for her extended family in the states, her mission family here in Brazil, and her dear friends.
3 comments:
My name is Kay, and I am Kellye Hooks sister. She wrote us in the middle of the night (for us) about Elaine, and then when I got up she had left the message that Elaine had passed away.
Our family has been praying for you since you left in October, and we have kept up with your blogs as well. I just wanted you to know my heart is so heavy for you today. Losing a close friend, especially someone who has helped through such a transition as yours, is almost unbearable. Especially for you as a mother seeing her children lose their mother sooooo unexpectedly.
Know that you are in the thoughts and prayers of so many all over the world. Give our sympathies to Elaine's family as well.
Kay Svetina
My family and I knew Paul and Elaine and their three boys from our home church in Memphis, Bellevue Baptist, and my father and Paul went to seminary together. I baby-sat the three boys a time or two when they were very small, and for an even further connection, I'm an alum of Union University. We were shocked and saddened to hear about Elaine this morning. She was a precious person and we grieve for their family, but rejoice for her.
I will be praying for her family and you all as you grieve her loss! So sorry.
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