Tears are falling around the world over the deaths of 11 Youth With a Mission (YWAM) missionaries and eight others injured in a grisly crash near Arusha, Tanzania, says Darlene Cunningham who co-founded YWAM with her late husband Loren Cunningham in 1960.
“I am personally reeling from the weight of this news, as I knew and loved many of these individuals personally. But I am leaning into the character of God for what I know to be true about who He is!” said Cunningham in a statement to The Christian Post that was also published on the ministry’s website on Monday.
The 11 missionaries who died in the accident were “long-term” leaders, who had “significant” responsibilities. A total of 25 people were killed in the accidents when a truck’s brakes failed and it collided with several vehicles, including one of two buses taking missionaries onr a field trip that was part of an intensive for a master’s level leadership programme in YWAM’s University of the Nations,
YWAM released a list of first names with last initials of the dead, including Claire M, Zebulon T, Emmanuel D, Vicent K, John M, Blaise G, Ime E, Andrew D, Chimene D, Lova R, and Lordienne N. Those in critical condition include Mathurin B and Joelle Z Those in stable condition are Paul Dav, Isaac B, Janet F, Cyrille A, Benjamin N, and Paulo M.
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Among the killed was a prominent African leader named John M., a man who “changed cultures” in Africa, said Jon Matas, an American YWAMer and friend. John M. built schools for girls as an alternative future from marrying men in their 50s and 60s who practice polygamy with girls as young as 13, Matas said.
Many of the missionaries who died in the accident had “sacrificed for years,” leading ministries among unreached people groups and vulnerable populations and engaging in compassion projects, like digging wells and medical missions, said YWAM spokesperson Johnny Gillespie.
He said: “There’s a staggering loss to our mission, in terms of depth of leadership, especially in African nations.”
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Gillespie said YWAM isn’t currently releasing the nationalities of any of individuals because many work in Muslim countries where security for missionaries is a concern.
YWAM estimates the related costs, after insurance, of caring well for those involved in the tragic accident, to be $350,000 (R6.7 million). It has set up a fund to take donations.
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