In Memory of Kirsten Elizabeth Wolcott

On Wednesday, December 2, 2009, I attended the memorial service for student missionary Kirsten Elizabeth Wolcott at the Collegedale Church. She was a junior liberal arts education major at Southern Adventist University serving this year as the second-grade schoolteacher on the island of Yap, which is a state in the Federated States of Micronesia.

The tragic story unfolded on November 18 when Kirsten was jogging by herself as she always did down one of the roads when she was suddenly attacked and stabbed to death....the reasons why, we may never know. When she didn't arrive back to the Yap SDA School in time to teach classes, a search party was sent out, and her body was later found in the woods.

When I heard the news from a mass email sent out to all the Southern students, my heart sank. I didn't recognize her name at first, so I went to the SAU student directory known as the Joker to see if I recognized her. Sure enough, upon finding her picture I remembered seeing her in a couple of my classes this past year, including the student mission orientation class which met during the second half of second semester.

Its always a major shock when an individual loses their life in a sudden, tragic way...but what really made it difficult for me was how she was a student missionary. Kirsten was on a mission for God, serving Him with all her heart. The questions racing through my mind were probably very similar to the questions racing through the minds of many others as well. Why would God allow something like this to happen to one of His children...especially someone sacrificing a year of their lives in service to Him? It still does not make sense to me, and quite honestly, we may never know the reasons why until we get to Heaven. I do believe that God has everything under control, and we need to continue to trust in Him through it all 

The memorial service painted a very beautiful picture of how loved and respected Kirsten was by her friends and family. She had a fun personality with lots of smiles. She valued her friendships, she went out of her way to encourage her friends, and to put their needs before her own. She had a special talent with children. The love she displayed for her Heavenly Father radiated off of everything she did.

I never had the opportunity to meet Kirsten, but the news of her death packed a hard blow for me. I remember the months of February - April was an exciting time because I, along with Kirsten, was going to be a student missionary the following year. Every Tuesday and Thursday, the future missionaries gathered in Hackman hall for our orientation class. The atomosphere in this class was very different from traditional classes because we were all taking a major step in life. We shared laughter, we shared excitement, we shared nervousness, and at times we even shared tears. I noticed something very different about this group of Southern students. It was almost as if the chosen few were sifted from the masses, and brought together under one roof to embark on the biggest adventure of our lives.

My absolute favorite part of the entire orientation class was the retreat to Gatlinburg, TN located in the Smoky Mountains. This weekend extensive involved many hands-on activities aimed toward making the transition to becoming a student missionary smoother. Some of us were in for a major culture shock associated with moving to an entirely new country, while others were not as much because of task force work in the United States. Through the activities, the socialization opportunities, the worships, and a powerful foot-washing service on Sabbath, this group of quality Southern students bonded in incredible ways. I remember making so many friends that weekend, and by the time we were packing up to go home, I was saddened to be saying farewell to these incredible people. Even though we had only been together in the Smokies for 48 hours, it was as if we were a graduating class from highschool

When I heard of Kirsten's death, even though I did not know her, it was hard because she was one of us. It was as if we had known each other for a long time. I can only imagine what her close friends and family must be going through with this tragic loss. However, it is a comfort to know that we will once again see her on that glorious day when Jesus comes to take us Home.

The country of Yap has been going through some very hard times as a result of this event. Gorden Beitz, the Southern Adventist University President, described this as a major deal in that country. In response to this unheard-of crime in Yap, the government officials have met and declared November 18 as a national day of memorial for Kirsten Wolcott. They have also renamed a stretch of the road Kirsten was killed in her name.  

I have learned that Kirsten Wolcott was very passionate about life and service for God, and she is definitely someone to look up to and has a character worth striving for. I want to be more like Kirsten in my life.