I just want to let you know that I just received news that Bill Hyde passed away as a result of the bombing in Davao. Also, Nathan Stevens, the 7 month old is still in serious condition. The blood is clotting in his liver where the shrapnel hit him so they are just watching him and waiting to see if he needs surgery. Please continue to remember Lynn Hyde in the loss of her husband, Nathan Stevens and his parents Mark and Barbara as well as the mission family there in Davao City, Philippines.
Our prayers go out for little Nathan Stevens and the family of Bill Hyde. May God grant you comfort.
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Barbara Stevens, a missionary from Willard, was slightly injured. Shrapnel hit her son Nathan, 10 months, in the liver. Stevens, a church and home outreach worker, said her daughter Sarah also is injured but was released after treatment. Her husband, Mark Stevens, who also works for the mission board, escaped injury.
Barbara Stevens said in a telephone interview from the hospital that her family had just arrived from Manila when the bomb went off.
“I just heard it explode to my side,'' she said. “I was carrying my infant son so I grabbed my daughter and picked her up and ran away. I was afraid there could be more bombs.''
Word of what happened to the Stevens family spread quickly in Willard, especially at First Baptist Church, where Barbara Stevens grew up and is well remembered.
"She has a fantastic sense of humor,” said the Rev. Tim Warren. “She is tremendous, one of the most enjoyable ladies you'll visit with."
Warren has known the Stevens family for years and followed their missionary career in the Phillipines. At first, no one knew exactly how bad the family had been hurt.
"It was very difficult not knowing and praying," Warren said.
The missionary family had just landed as the explosion ripped through the airport. They were coming back home from a conference in another part of the Philippines. Hyde was a colleague and friend who was there to pick them up.
When the bomb hit, Mark Stevens was off picking up their luggage.
"I tried calling them on the cell phone," said Larry Stevens of Springfield, Mark Stevens’ father and Barbara's father in law. "For three hours this morning, when I knew something had happened but didn't know exactly what, it was a pretty anxious time."
Larry Stevens, a chaplain at St. Johns Regional Health Center, says his son leans on his faith during this hard time.
“He's fine. He has a great deal of faith and the Lord's helping him get through it," said Larry Stevens.
Prayers and well wishes are pouring in from all over the country to comfort a family struck by international terror.
"E-mails from all over country are offering prayers for Mark, Barbara, and the kids," said Larry Stevens.
Warren says he doubts the bombing will curb the family's missionary zeal.
"We'll continue to support with prayer and telling them how much we love them and are thinking about them," the pastor said.
Larry Stevens says the young missionaries love their life in the Philippines. They met at Southwest Baptist University, married and soon after became Southern Baptist foreign missionaries. The danger that comes with spreading the love of God in a foreign land is something they accepted.
"We've talked about that, especially after 9-11. It does not matter where you are. You can be hit by terrorism," said Larry Stevens. ***
Bomb injures missionary family from Willard
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Hyde had gone to the airport to meet the Stevens family, who had just arrived from Manila when the bomb went off. The family has lived in Davao City for five years doing missionary work with local tribes.
Hyde, a former music teacher, had been a missionary since 1978. He and his wife Lyn have two grown sons, one of whom is a missionary in Cambodia.
David Miller, pastor of Northbrook Baptist Church in Cedar Rapids, called Hyde “kind of the teddy bear type -- kind, gentle and always smiling.''
“The irony of a man that sweet and kind being killed in an act of terror and hatred is just really sad,'' Miller said.
“They knew that it was dangerous over there,'' he added. “They were on our prayer sheet week by week for their safety.''
Miller said the Hydes had been close friends of Martin and Gracia Burnham, American missionaries who were kidnapped in 2001 by another Muslim extremist group, Abu Sayyaf. Martin Burnham was killed and his wife was wounded during a rescue operation in June 2002. ***