Yesterday morning we awoke to the news that missing 13 year old, Jayme Closs, had been found alive.  For three months prior to this, people in the community of Barron, Wisconsin had been searching for the child who had obviously been abducted by the person who killed both of her parents.  It was a painful story to watch unfold, but there was a happy ending.  The child escaped her captor and found sanctuary in the hands of a woman who was walking her dog.  Her hair matted, slightly thinner than she was before and wearing oversized shoes, the young girl approached the woman for help and the mystery of her absence was over.

The perpetrator of the crime was apprehended after Jayme gave the police his description and the kind of car he was driving.  He will appear in court on Monday to face two charges of murder and one for kidnapping.  This thirteen year old child, from a small town in Wisconsin saved herself from who knows what.

As clues about the case come to light, we’ll learn more about the entire situation, but for Jayme, who is now safely in the care of her aunt, the anxiety, depression and fear experienced from this trauma will go on for a long time.

What kind of person would do such a crime? We all have questions which will be answered in time, so we must be patient and wait for the legal system to do its work.  In the meantime, our prayers go out to this little girl, who made her own rescue happen.  Had she not freed herself from this man, who knows what would’ve happened.  We also pray for her extended family as they try to patch the broken pieces together.

Even in these situations, God is present.  Some would question that, because of the heinousness of the crime, but He used this situation to bring a community together.  He brought people from all over to help.  They searched for three months without ceasing.  God was with them.  He gave Jayme strength to release herself from her captivity and made sure that she was brought to safety.  He will continue to protect her and those who love her, because He is God and even in adversity He makes Himself known.

“He will cover you with his pinions,  and under his wings you will find refuge;
    his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
 You will not fear the terror of the night nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.”

Psalm 91:4-6