>> UPDATE 6.13.2007 2:35 p.m. EST << The statement I mentioned in my first update has just made available. Here’s SWO’s statement:
To whom it may concern:We, at Snowbird Wilderness Outfitters, have experienced a tragedy that is unfathomable. On the night of June 11, 2007, we had six summer staff members involved in a single-car accident on I-575 at Bells Ferry road headed north bound. The accident took place around 11:30 p.m. directly following a Braves game that several staff members had attended together on their day off from camp. At this point it appears that the car had mechanical trouble involving the steering. Cara Holland was driving the vehicle and Roy D. Padgett was in the passenger seat. These two were both wearing seatbelts and sustained serious injuries. They are currently recovering in ICU’s in the Atlanta. Michael Mabry, and Daniel Branson were pronounced dead upon arrival, and Suzanne Cranford and Ashlee Kraft were pronounced dead at the scene.
We are all experiencing a great since of loss, but we take hope in the fact that these four counselors were faithful to the calling God placed on their lives. They were devoted to seeking God’s glory above there own, and had given their summer to lead teenagers to a real relationship with Jesus Christ.
The staff at Snowbird needs your prayers. They unanimously asked to continue with our summer program, but the grieving process has been challenging with 400 students on the property. The funerals will be Wednesday and Thursday of this week. Feel free to call Eagle Pointe church at 1-770-421-1643, for funeral arrangements.
>> UPDATE 6.12.2007 5:15 p.m. EST << I have been given information about the funeral arrangements of the SWO counselors. Please pass this information on to others, especially if you are in the area.
>> UPDATE 6.11.2007 4:15 p.m. EST << I just got off the phone with Shawn and Brody from SWO, and they have informed me that they will be making a public statement tomorrow. Taking a quick look at the Googling and traffic to this page reflects the interest of the wider public and perhaps the impact this ministry has had on young people across the country. Once the update is available, I will post it here on my blog.
This morning I was awakened by an early phone call by one of the closest brothers in my life, Shawn Clark. He is part of a full-time staff (year-round) that make up what I consider the best Christian youth camp in the country – Snowbird Wilderness Outfitters. Never in my life have I seen or been around a bunch of Christians more deeply devoted to Christ and more committed to one another. Many of these full-time staff have enriched my life immensely, and I feel a deep sense of indebtedness to them for their encouragement and friendship. Therefore, I am making a prayer request that I am asking you to make your own, a prayer request that supersedes anything I have written in a long time.
Last night, a group of the summer staffers (part-time/summer help) from Snowbird went to watch a Braves game in Atlanta. As they were coming back, one of the vehicles lost control and ran off the road. Two passengers died immediately on the scene, and two others later died in the hospital. In all, four summer staffers died last night with others still critically wounded.
Those of you who attend Southern Seminary might know Zach Mabry, who like Shawn, is part of the full-time staff. As you know this time of year, summer camps are in full swing, and Snowbird is having kids come through every week for the rest of the summer. While I do not believe there is another group of believers more spiritually and theologically equipped to handle such a tragedy, they deeply need our prayers. Please make a point to pray for them and remember them during this time.
John Piper has warned our generation to not waste our lives. Those who passed away last night gave theirs in service to Jesus and reaching young people with the gospel. When moments like this occur in life, it reminds us that our lives are but a vapor that appears for a moment and vanishes away, and that each vapor, however long it lasts, is only redeemed when it is entirely given to the Redeemer, Jesus Christ. As we pray for Snowbird, let us pray for ourselves as well, that we would consider the brevity of our lives and resolve to not waste a day, not a minute in giving our all to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
As you pray, here are some names of specific people to mention (see staff page for more info):
Steve Coleman – camp founder
Brody Holloway – camp director
Also, please remember to pray for the families who lost their loved ones in the car accident, the churches who will be ministering to them, and the Snowbird staff who are grieving and counseling others during this time.
Thank you.
Thanks Timmy, I got the call, too. Here is a brief article chronicling the accident details (although it does not mention Snowbird). I was talking to my dad (who runs SWO’s kitchen) and mom (who runs the finances for SWO) and reminded them of the Piper clip I sent them earlier this week on what makes Jesus look beautiful (using a car wreck illustration). May our prayers be that Kahuna (aka Steve Coleman) and Brody can make the Savior beautiful through this tragedy in the coming weeks. (BTW and FYI, the aforementioned Zach Mabry is my little younger brother.)
Nathan,
So you are Zach’s big brother? Well, Zach, Brody, Shawn, Spence, and the rest of the Snowbird crew are “near and dear” to me, and this has my heart really heavy for them. That Piper clip could not have been more timely. Thank you for pointing to it. The article you mentioned is not linked, so I am going to put it below. Please keep me/us updated on how we can pray.
The article:
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/cobb/stories/2007/06/10/0611metcobbfatal.html
Thanks Timmy, I can’t tell you how much we appreciate this. God is pouring out his grace on us as his people are coming together to support the families of those who died and the staff here. Pray for healthy mourning and continued confidence in our all-loving, all-gracious Father.
Zach
We will be praying! SWO is just 45 minutes from me and one of our homeschool group grads is going to camp there this summer. Trusting God that He will move mightily this summer and will use this for His good.
This is the article I intended to quote. Furthermore, to clarify, Zach is my younger brother, but I’m clearly not his “bigger” brother (although I once was). The previous comment was, in part, my attempt to use what I thought would have been an HTML
strikepattern; however it did not take (which begs me to question why Wordpress does not have the option to “preview” comments.)The Snowbird family has become an extended family for us. My brother and parents are both on year-round staff, and my grandparents are also residents in Andrews, NC. When we go to visit family, we go to Snowbird.
Camp season is well underway for the SWO crew, as they begin to welcome a new group of students this morning. The schedules have been made and there is little time to grieve. May God give the staff the grace to continue with sincerity as they begin to befriend, mentor, and disciple this mornings new arrivals; and that God would open windows of opportunity to mourn appropriately.
Here are some further web links pertaining to the accident:
Fox Carolina
Tuscaloosa News (focusing on Michael Mabry)
Savannah Morning News (focusing on Ashlee Kraft)
also Savannah Morning News (focusing on Ashlee Kraft with picture)
News-Record, Greensboro, NC (focusing on Suzanne E. Cranford)
Channel 13 / WMAZ, Macon, GA
Channel 11, Atlanta (with on-the-scene video report)
Access North GA (another copy of the AP article)
Timmy,
Since it appears you moderate these comments, delete this one. However, before doing so, drop me a line (if you don’t mind) and I’ll forward you some more official communication from my mom about the current situation at SWO. It is very encouraging.
If I knew your email (and could probably get it from Zach) I would have skipped this process.
Nathan
nmabry_at_gmail_dot_com
Guys, you are so on my heart here at training. I am praying for you like there is no tomorrow. May God grant you grace and comfort in your time of need.
May the Gospel go forth all the more. I may be able to come out later this summer once my commitment here is done.(they won’t let me leave so instead I will pray for you before God)
My heart and prayers go out Steve, Billy Faye, Brodie, Ginny and all of the staff at SWO. God is in control and will bring Glory to Himself through this tragic accident. Also, may God’s hand of comfort be upon the families whose loved ones were taken in the accident.
Nathan,
I apologize about the comments not being up. Yesterday, my wife and I were on the road traveling most of the day. For some reason, my WordPress deal is hyper-sensitive to lots of HTML, especially when linking to other stuff. I guess this is to prevent SPAM, but it happens that my own comments get tossed into SPAM sometimes. I have retrieved your comments, and they are now posted. I apologize for the confusion and delay.
Zach,
Great to hear from you brother. Dusti and I are praying for you guys continually.
I told her that I believe sometimes God allows such tragic moments to happen to some of his choice people because he can entrust such a huge tragedy to them, that it will in turn bring him glory and be used as a platform to communicate the life-changing message of Jesus Christ to others. May the God of all comforts be your all in all during this time, and may God’s people be a sweet consolation as well.
Please keep us updated on how we can pray. I know you guys have kids already there this week for camp, and it will be hard to have time to mourn, meditate, and minister. May God’s mercies strengthen you, and may His Spirit encourage you each moment of the day.
As I mentioned on the update of this post, the staff of SWO are planning on making a public statement tomorrow, which will in turn be posted here on my blog. Check bag on more infmoration and how we can pray, encourage, and comfort all those affected by these recent events.
Wow, my heart goes out to those involved. I read of this accident over the weekend, as it was only a few miles from my house, on a stretch of highway I travel almost daily. Timmy and all, if someone contacts you and needs anything from someone in the area of the accident, please get in touch with me. Until then, this will be a matter of my prayers.
SDG,
Nathan White
hey im so sorry to hear about ya’lls loss . i will be praying for the familys that have suffered such a great loss.
I just want to give my sincerist condolences to all of the staff of Snowbird. I know how attached to these people you can become. I have been to SWO 7 times now and I know how amazing these people are that work there. I just want to say that I am praying everyday for the families and friends of these staffers and that I am so sorry to hear about the loss. My heart goes out to you all.
Love in Christ,
Mallory Schonder
I just wanted to write a note and extended our thoughts and prayers to you guys! I work at a christian summer camp in Texas called Sky Ranch and an all staff e-mail was sent out for ya’ll. I just wanted to let you all know that all of us here at the camp are thinking and praying for ya’ll. We have a lot of people praying for you guys and I hope you feel comfort in that! Trust God with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding…someone just shared that verse with me and it seems appropriate for ya’ll. May you feel the love and security of the Lord as he wraps his arms around you!
Be Blessed,
Brittany McMahon
Please see the new update on the top of my post as I have provided information about the funeral arrangements of the SWO counselors. Please remember them in your prayers.
The statement mentioned earlier has now been posted as the most recent update on my post. Please see the top of this page for a statement by the staff of SWO, and as they have asked, please continue to pray.
I am the Administrator at Snowbird Wilderness Outfitters. We are all overwhelmed by the prayers and support from those of you on this blog, as well as countless others from here in our hometown and across the country.
Today, two of our local newspapers hit the stands with stories about the tragic incident. I am posting links to those front-page articles here. Tomorrow, the Andrews Journal will be published and you can find their story at http://www.theandrewsjournal.com.
ARTICLES:
http://www.thecherokeescout.com/articles/2007/06/13/news/doc466f0959a5a0d244446745.txt
http://www.thecherokeescout.com/articles/2007/06/12/news/doc466f08ff3a23c364981577.txt
http://www.cherokeesentinel.com/news/2007/0613/Front_Page/003.html
just wanted to let you guys know that I am praying for you…. My heart and prayers go out to all those in the SWO family. I attended camp last year as a youth leader for temple baptist church in simpsonville sc. I was greatly touched by the ministry and heart for Jesus that I experienced. I pray God’s peace and grace will be with you all. I Praise God for who he is….much love to all my brothers and sisters in him
bruce
My thoughts and prayers are with the Snowbird Staff, the families, and the 2 that are in the hospital. I don’t personally know any of them but our youth minister son at our church is a counsler at Snowbird and was with the group that came down to Atlanta on Saturday.Our Youth is actually at Snowbird this week.
I want to offer up my prayers and condolences to SWO and all those touched by this earthly trajedy. My family church group and I offered up prayers as well yesterday evening.
When my son Greyson Painter (previous counselor) told me what happened, my heart just broke and I grieve for the families. As a mother/grandmother, I can’t imagine. You never want to hear this kind of news. Stu is very dear to me. I treat him like a son. Brody and the staff are very special to me as well. The consolation is knowing Michael, Daniel, Suzanne, and Ashlee are home now. May Cara and Stu feel Gods love and warm embrace.
Even though we know there’s a greater purpose in this,they’re in a better place, God gave us human feelings to love and with that comes the sense of loss, grief, and heartache.
May GOD bless all of you.
hey people, i’m on the servant team here at SWO and i just wanted to thank all of you for your prays….
I am sorry to hear about your loss. I have been out of touch for the last 6 months. I just found out today. This hurts. JP
I was at the camp the week before, we had just seen them leave and next we get phone call at church saying there was an accident… Suzanne talked to me the night before and helped me work out my problems…i will never forget her, and the diffrence she made in my life. Thanks Snowbird… Thanks Suzanne. yall made a diffrence in my life.
psalms 73:28
Oh my goodness, I remembered this happened just a few days before I came to camp there. I remember the heartbreak and sorrow that was felt through out all the staff members. The things that I so easily forget.