A vacation in Jamaica ended tragically last Thursday for a Minnesota
pastor's wife and mother of four when she was killed after a truck
crashed into a tour bus in which she was traveling.
Crystal
Glewwe, 32, wife of Pastor Rick Glewwe who oversees family ministries
at the downtown Minneapolis and Spring Lake Park campuses of Substance
Church, was with her 9-year-old daughter, Kayden, on a mother-daughter
cruise when a truck smashed into their tour bus in Jamaica.
Kayden had to undergo surgery Thursday night in Jamaica and suffered a broken clavicle.
"It
is with heavy hearts that we are communicating about a tragedy that
happened in our church family. Crystal and Kayden were on a
special vacation, enjoying a mother-daughter cruise on Jan. 14, when Pastor Rick got a call that there had been a terrible bus
accident in Jamaica and that Crystal (his wife) had passed away," the
church noted in a statement Friday.
Kayden
was treated at a local hospital and the church's Executive Pastor Bart
Scharrer accompanied Glewwe to Jamaica to assist. They returned to
Minnesota on Saturday with Kayden. Crystal's three other children are
Taylor, 6, Faith, 4, and Bailey, 20 months.
"Obviously, the staff
and I are completely torn up over this. I'm still struggling to wrap my
mind around this. There is a lot we don't know yet. But we will keep you
posted on the details and how you can help. In the meantime, we
appreciate your thoughts and prayers," wrote Pastor Peter Haas.
On Sunday, Haas remembered Crystal as someone who would "just love on people."
"She
knew the names of every family, and she knew the names of all their
kids. And would just love on people," he said. "This whole trip was so
she could love on her daughter, make an incredible memory."
In a series of posts to his Facebook page, Haas also
revealed that scores of people gathered at the church to pray for the
Glewwe family and explained that the bereaved family has been receiving
an outpouring of support.
"In this life, there are tragedies that
truly make the heart sick; but thank God, there also churches that truly
make the heart well. Thank you everyone for your overwhelming prayers
and support for @rickglewwe2 & family," he wrote.
"We will
hopefully post links to the memorial fund tomorrow and will provide
updates as soon as we have them. I wish that everyone could experience
the type of fellowship and encouragement that I've felt in the last 48
hours. It may not remove pain; but it definitely transforms it. I have a
renewed compassion for anyone who has to face a crisis without it. Love
you guys. You are truly the best."
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