Anna Wright

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to:
Bethel Foster Home for Blind Children,
Beijing China, BethelChina.org

Belleville Fire Department
7981 State Route 289
Belleville, NY 13611.

Send cards to:
Jonathan & Marty Wright
PO Box 312
Pompey 13138

People have expressed peace and closure when visiting the place where Anna was swept out into Lake Ontario. This is a beautiful place.

Keep in mind that this is about a 5hr activity with drive, hike and spending 1/2hr there. Here are some tips:

• From Syracuse to Souhwick Beach State Park, take Rt 81 N to exit 40. Take a left onto Rt 90. Follow signs. Map


• It takes about 1 hr and 15 minutes to get there from Syracuse

When hiking to inlet:

• Take a look at the maps listed below in the Location section


• It is 3.2 miles from the boardwalk at Southwick Beach to the inlet


• At a brisk pace it takes about an hour to walk one way


• No bathrooms at the inlet. Stop by the bath house just before the beach


• Take water, sunscreen


• Take a towel to sit on - it's a very pretty place, take time to enjoy it


• Other things to take: camera, fishing pole, sketch book/journal, bible, something to leave for Anna


• Sun sets around 8:30 - give yourself plenty of time to get back


• You can ride a bike down there - the sand near the lake is hard packed. A number of people have done this. Should take about 20 minutes by bike.

Syracuse Post Standard Obituary

July 15, 2007 Anna E. Wright, 17, of Jamesville, died Sunday at Southwick State Park. She was deeply loved by her friends and family. Anna will be remembered for her irrepressible happiness, her wonderful smile and her grace as she reached out to others in love. She loved to dance. She was gifted at the piano and loved to play while others sang with her. Singing with the homeschool chorus was also a great joy for her. More than anything else, Jesus loved her and gave Himself for her. She loved Jesus and was learning from Him to grow in her love and compassion. This is a source of great comfort and hope to her loved ones who miss her so very deeply. "The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?" "For me, to live is Christ, to die is gain." Survivors: her parents, Martha and Jonathan Wright; siblings, Matthew (Dean), Kristin (Corydon) Wright-Bettner of Denver, CO, Daniel, Micah, Alison, Andrew and Timothy; grandparents, Shirley McMillan of Beaver Falls, PA, and Renwick and Maureen Wright of Pittsburgh, PA. Services: 2 p.m. Saturday at Eastern Hills Bible Church, 4500 Pewter Lane, Building 8, Manlius, with a reception to follow. For a guest book, please visit www.SCHEPPFAMILY.com In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Bethel Foster Home for Blind Children, Beijing China, BethelChina.org, Belleville Fire Department, 7981 State Route 289, Belleville, NY 13611. EATON-TUBBS-SCHEPP Fayetteville 637-3214
Published in the Syracuse Post Standard on 7/20/2007.

You are upholding the Wrights in prayer, and I have been able to see God answering that prayer, sitting with our dear brothers and sisters by the shore of Lake Ontario. With the very deep pain one sees the peace that defies understanding. As many of you know from news reports, the search and recovery crews have not been successful in finding Anna's body. Our comfort is knowing that Anna is not with her body, but with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23), more alive than ever. And that faith is a testimony to these crews at the site. Keep the Wrights in constant prayer. Keep praying for those friends that saw but could not help. Pray that they would know that the Lord appointed the timing of Anna's reward, that He was in control. That Anna's life was full and complete, that she finished her mission of bringing joy and light to those who knew her, that she did it well, and she was chosen to enjoy the immediacy of the Lord's presence, spared from the many toils of this life. Thank the Lord that Kristen and Cory were able to fly in from Denver and join the family by the lake as early as this afternoon. Pray for Daniel who is endeavoring to arrive from Africa as soon as Thursday. Pray that the army would allow Matthew to take leave from his active duty in Seattle and that he too could join his family soon. Many of you are asking what you can do to help. Prayer is priority number one. After that, talk to each other (1 Thessalonians 4:18) and listen to one another - to every member of our church family. These really are the most helpful things you can do. Michele Evertz is coordinating meals - please contact her if you wish to help in that way (gvertz@verizon.net). Beyond that, there may be need for hospitality for people coming from out of town. Contact Kathy Donath if you can be on call to provide housing (kathy@kurtdonath.com).

Pastor Andrew

Interestingly, the site on the shore of Lake Ontario 3 miles south of Southwick Beach where Anna Wright was taken from us Sunday afternoon is called "The Sanctuary". The Wrights, joined by Marty's mother, Shirley, returned there today. As divers and helicopters searched the waters, friends joined together on the shore to talk, to be quiet, to weep, to laugh, to embrace, to pray, to sing. Young people added rocks, sand, sticks and flowers, to a photo of Anna at a lakeside memorial. Shortly after 6:00 p.m., right about the time others from our church family were gathering at the church building in Syracuse to pray, Anna's body was found by divers and taken to a facility in Watertown. After the family heard this news from a state trooper and spent some time praying together, the whole group - by this time around 45 people - formed a circle to pray and sing the 23rd Psalm.

The prayers of God's people are powerful, and the need for continued prayer remains very great. At this point, a memorial service on Saturday afternoon looks likely, but details of time and place need to be confirmed, and I will pass along that information as soon as possible. While we all want to convey our love and concern to the Wrights, we should also be sensitive to how tired they all are right now. Pray that, as people arrive from out of town, the family would find the rest and quiet they need before Saturday comes.

Pastor Andrew

Precious Family of God,

Through your faithful prayers, God continues to sustain the family and friends Anna Elise Wright left behind. As you pray, may you too taste the peace of entrusting your friends, your cares, questions, and pain to the sympathetic High Priest who bore our griefs and carried our sorrows, to whom has been given all authority in heaven and on earth - "the God who raises the dead" (2 Corinthians 1:9-11).

We thank God that He is answering our prayers to reunite the Wrights from across the country and around the globe. While the army usually gives four days' leave in such circumstances, Matthew got eight and was able to fly home from Seattle this morning. Daniel left Uganda this afternoon - Pray that he will arrive safely tomorrow afternoon as planned.
"Anna" means "gift", "grace". "Elise" is a form of Elizabeth, which means "God's oath." A memorial service celebrating God's gift of Anna, and the grace and promises He has given us in His Son, will be held this Saturday, July 21, 2:00 p.m., at Eastern Hills Bible Church in Manlius. Those not able or inclined to share memories and prayers publicly at that time will be able to leave their written remarks with the family. Jonathan and Marty pray that the service will be a time of healing and grace for many. Eastern Hills can accommodate large numbers, so all are welcome and are encouraged to welcome others. Nursery care will be provided for little ones. The Wright family will regather for the burial some time next week.

Pastor Andrew

There is now a page about Anna on our church website (www.syracuserpc.org)
containing prayer requests and information (including info about the
memorial service), and on which people can leave messages, comments, and
thoughts. It may be a useful place to direct others to.

I am up watching the sunrise. Jordan Manwaring was doing the same thing on
Wednesday and took the picture below.

Remember my affliction and my wandering,
the wormwood and bitterness.
Surely my soul remembers
and is bowed down within me.

This I recall to my mind,
therefore I have hope:
The LORD's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
for His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
Great is Thy faithfulness.
"The LORD is my portion," says my soul,
"Therefore I have hope in Him."

The LORD is good to those who wait for Him,
to the person who seeks Him.
It is good that he waits silently
for the salvation of the LORD.

For if He causes grief,
then He will have compassion
according to His abundant lovingkindness.
For He does not afflict willingly,
or grieve the sons of men.

The Lamentations of Jeremiah, iii, 19-26, 32-33

"Divers searched unsuccessfully Sunday for a Jamesville teenager whom authorities fear drowned while swimming in Lake Onatrio near Southwick Beach State Park.

The search for Anna E. Wright, 17, ...was halted at 6:35pm due to high waves and limited water visibility, state police said. It is scheduled to resume today at 8am.

Wright was swimming in 6 to 8 foot waves with a friend, Sheralyn Wellman, 13, of Syracuse, at 3:50pm about 3 miles south of the state park in Jefferson County when they began having trouble, state police said.

Josiah Thompson, 15, of Syracuse and Michael Lasalla, 16, of Jamesville swam out to assist.

Annalise Lasalla, 14, of Jmesville, swam to the shore and alerted Peter J. Benedict, 33, of Cicero, who was operating a fishing boat.

Wellman was rescued, but Wright could not be found, state police said.

Wright's parents were notified by authorities"

"Jason Byrnes was sitting along the shoreline of Southwick Beach Sunday afternoon, spending time with his family and friends.

"Then we saw this commotion on the other side and we couldn't really tell what was going on."

From a distance, he noticed a woman yelling hysterically. So he and his friend Pete ran over to her. She told them five teenagers were trapped in the wavy-waters of Lake Ontario.

"I couldn't see any of them. At that point there were 4 to 5 foot waves and I ran out to probably knee deep and I saw one of the kids but at the same time I could feel that under current pulling at my legs."

So instead of going any further, Jason pulled one of the teens to shore and ran over to his father's boat.

"We picked up one kid and then looked around to see if we could see anyone else and then I saw somebody waving their arms thru the trough of the wave and we boated over to them and we got one of those in and threw a life-jacket to the girl. I could tell she was in rough shape."

Instead of leaving the girl there, Pete jumped in to help her, while Jason brought the other swimmer to safe-ground. By the time he returned to get them, they saw another swimmer, and picked him up also.

"We bailed out the boat again for a third time, and we began taking on water again, so we couldn't stay out there."

So they flagged down a jet-skier, who was able to deal with the rough water. He stayed out there for about thirty minutes, before conditions got worse.

"We never saw her, I guess the girl's name was Anna, we never saw her out there." "

http://www.9wsyr.com/content/news/breakingnews.aspx?content_id=c13c7529-3a81-4b44-a22e-8d0b07dbd229

Psalm 121
I lift up my eyes to the hills-
where does my help come from?

My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip-
he who watches over you will not slumber;

indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD watches over you-
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

The LORD will keep you from all harm-
he will watch over your life;

the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

This is the psalm we taught the children of our church this May. Isaac often requests that I sing it at bedtime. Beth Southwick suggested I meditate on it Monday when she called to see if the Anna in the news was the Anna Wright at my church.

How could I meditate on it, share it

'He will not let your foot slip'- Anna died

Didn't she stumble?

Didn't those with her stumble onto their faces with grief?

Aren't her siblings, her close friends, her church community stumbling in their pain as they long to see her contagious, beautiful smile again?

Lord, is it true?

Is Your word true?

How do I comfort my children with this psalm that You gave me?

Yet I know Marty and Jonathan believe it is true.

The told me- Sunday night when their precious child was taken.

They told of the peace they had from the time they first heard.

Yes,

The LORD is the one,

The One who made

The beautiful sunrise,

The chirping birds,

The beautiful blue sky,

The lazily floating clouds ,

The trees barely fluttering in the soft breeze

on this morning of Anna's memorial service.

He also made the Great Lakes- so beautiful and yet so dangerous-

Peaceful on one day, choppy on the next, rolling breakers on another.

Michael says Anna had a faraway look on her face as she was serenely called to heaven. She was called, she didn't stumble.

God could have taken all five in the water that day.

He could have taken all ten in the group with them.

He could have waited and had 20 of his precious children had the others from our church found the original group before he took Anna.

But God in his mercy took one- the one most like him?

The one, who so many loved because although she was shy by nature, she encouraged her friends and smiled a gorgeous, loving smi

MEMORIAL CELEBRATION

Saturday, July 21, 2:00 p.m.

Eastern Hills Bible Church, Manlius, NY

OPENING REMARKS

by Martha Wright

SCRIPTURE READINGS

Psalms 93; 113:1-6; 147:1-3

Isaiah 42:14-16; 49:13-16a; 54:10; 61:1-3

John 6:35; 8:12; 10:7,9; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1

Romans 8:38-39

1 Thessalonians 4:13-17

Revelation 21:1-4

PSALM 102 A

sung by men's quartet (Jacob Hays, Bruce Trexler, Rick Wellman, Ron Zorn)

PSALM 145 C

PRAYER

DOWN IN THE RIVER TO PRAY

sung by friends from the Christian School for the Performing Arts

YOU RAISE ME UP (Josh Groban)

sung by Daniel Wright, accompanied by Kristen Wright-Bettner

IN CHRIST ALONE (Getty/Townend)

sung by several of Anna's siblings, cousins, and friends

LAMB OF GOD (Twila Paris)

sung by friends from the LEAH Homeschool Choir, accompanied by Sue Greenman

HOW DEEP THE FATHER'S LOVE FOR US (Stuart Townend)

sung by Ron Zorn, accompanied by Sue Greenman

BLESSED BE YOUR NAME (Matt Redman)

sung by the congregation, led by Rick Wellman

MESSAGE

from Pastor Andrew

Summary

1. You had the honor of helping make Anna's seventeen years happy ones.

2. No regrets - You could do nothing to make Anna happier than she is now with the Lord; Whatever you wish you could have done for Anna, do for someone else.

3. Anna's life was complete. Every day of her life was ordained by God, including her final day (Psalm 139:16).

It is better to be in the house of mourning than in the house of feasting (Ecclesiastes 7:2-4).

(a) In the house of mourning, you have an opportunity to confront your own mortality. Through faith in Jesus Christ, Anna had received the forgiveness of her sins and the gift of eternal life. In their grief, her parents have the comfort of knowing she did not perish with sins yet unpaid for, but dwells in heaven with Christ. Is this true for you?

(b) In the house of mourning, you have the opportunity to realize that there is a final day appointed for you as well, so learn to "count your days" to "gain a heart of wisdom" (Psalm 90:12. See also Ephesians 5:15-17). Why are you on this earth? Are you extending Christ's kingdom by doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God? (Micah 6:8)

(c) In the house of mourning, you have the opportunity to understand loss and show compassion to others, passing on the comfort received from the Lord (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

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