The silence this morning makes me sick to my stomach. I can hear the loud ticking of the clock beside me. Every tick is one second that our beloved daughter Kristi might be suffering. Normally she calls before her feet even hit the floor. ZERO messages.
She lost her job and the apartment where she was living. She was staying temporarily in a homeless shelter. She was supposed to show up at our granddaughter Marissa's graduation Sunday afternoon. This is the kind of thing Kristi absolutely lives for. I was bringing her pictures of her daughter Whitney's graduation and she could not wait to see them.
When Kristi did not show up, we thought there might have been some kind of miscommunication. Maybe she needed a ride. Maybe her friends dropped her at Carrie's, not realizing the party was at the church. The day was very hot and we were afraid of Kristi being left out in the hot sun. But she was not at Carrie's, nor did we see her anywhere along the route between the church and the house.
We went to the shelter where she was staying. They informed us that Kristi was no longer there. No, they could not tell us when she left. No, they could not tell us where she was going. No, they could not relay a message. No, they could not give us any information. I understood their position. They were following policy and protecting those under their care, but it was a sober mama who had to come out and tell Papa John that Kristi was not there. Still, I thought that probably Adult & Child services had moved her to a new location. I could not understand why they would not have told Carrie, who handles Kristi's affairs, since Kristi is special needs.
We went back to the reception. Carrie was also very concerned, because Kristi ALWAYS keeps in touch. She called the emergency number for Adult & Family services who were helping Kristi. They had not moved her to a new place and did not know where she was. They agreed that it was highly unlikely that Kristi would willingly have missed a family event. Kristi is extremely social and places a very high value on staying constantly connected.
I felt we should call the police and report her missing. My training about human trafficking was beginning to make me sick, and I knew that if Kristi was in trouble, there could be a narrow window of time in which to act. Plus, Kristi had no other place to go. The homeless shelter was a last resort, and since she did not pack, she obviously planned to come back when she left in the morning.
The police came out and took a report. They were able to call the shelter and get details. She had not been there since Friday, and her clothes were still there. Now I knew for sure that something was wrong. We believe that either she was abducted or met with foul play, or someone talked her into going with them. If it is the latter, they are also restricting her freedom or she would definitely have called home. Kristi knows she can call home no matter where she is, no matter what trouble she is in, no matter what she may have done. If she hasn't called, it is because she cannot call.
We called friends with whom we knew Kristi kept in close contact. They said they had already been concerned because Kristi always called them every day but had not called since Friday.
Although my husband John & I had prayed together earlier, we asked the church elders & leaders, many of whom were camping on the grounds at Carrie's church to pray with us for Kristi, and we so much appreciated them holding us all up before the Lord.
Dear friends, I know may seem like a short time Kristi has been missing, but we have reason to believe she is in danger. There are three things you can do to help. 1. If you are a praying person, please pray for her. 2. Please put this out on Facebook, email, etc. & ask others to pray, 3. Those of you who know Kristi, if you see or hear from her, please urge her to call home and please let us know if you or anyone hears from her.
Dear God,
You saw Kristi when she still growing in the womb of her sickly, malnourished mom in Africa. You had Your hand on her as she struggled to survive. You love her and have good plans for her life. You know where she is right now. Please keep her in Your care. No matter what her situation, give her an opportunity to call home. We trust You no matter what because You have already proven Yourself Good and Faithful. We love You, God. Convey our love to Kristi. In Jesus' mighty name, Amen.
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