In an incredibly powerful post on Facebook after the memorial service for Laken Riley, the 22-year-old nursing student murdered while jogging on UGA’s campus, Laken’s mom, Allyson Phillips, highlighted her faith in Jesus and called on others to try to build similar faiths, saying that doing so helps add peace, even in times of sadness like these.
Beginning the post, she thanked those who attended the service and introduced the members of the church involved, saying, “Thank you to everyone that attended my precious Laken Hope Riley’s celebration of life on Friday. Many of you in our community attend our church regularly. For some of you, this may have been the first time being there. I wanted to take a moment to tell you about our amazing church family. Samer Massad is our lead pastor. Chris Kim is another pastor at our church. They have been a rock for us during the most devastating time in our lives. They have spent countless hours with us this week planning Laken’s celebration of life.”
Continuing, she then encouraged people to understand the important role played by the church, saying, “Both of them are the true definitions of love. If you were able to attend the service, you know what a beautiful tribute it was to our precious angel. This ceremony would not have been possible without our church community. They spent endless hours planning every detail so that we could show our family, friends and community the remarkable life that Laken lived. We will forever be grateful for the hard work, love, support, prayers and effort they all put into helping us navigate this tragic time. We could not have gotten through this without them.”
That’s when she got to describing Laken’s deep faith in Jesus. Doing so, she wrote, “Laken loved to invite people to go to church with her and share her faith. Her love for our Lord, Jesus was infectious and helped many people develop or expand their relationship with our Lord and Savior.”
Then, Phillips used that moment to encourage others to come to church and to explain how she could help them do so if they wanted to learn more. She said, “If you are curious about furthering your faith walk and are looking for a place to call home, I would like to invite you to attend Woodstock City Church. If I know you and you would like to go with us, please let me know. If I do not know you, I would love to meet you and you can come sit with us. If walking into church is too much to get started, you can view our services online. We will be here if there is anything you need. Our Lord, Jesus loves you just the way you are. He does not judge based on life style or sin. We are all sinners and He welcomes and loves each and every one of us unconditionally. He has a place for you in His home.”
Turning back to her experience and Laken’s death, she encouraged parents to help their kids find faith, as doing so helps with finding peace even when tragic events occur. She wrote, “To all the parents out there, I want to lay this on your heart. I can assure you that there is no greater gift that you can give your children than to walk along side them and help them develop their relationship with Jesus. It is the most important relationship they will ever have. I know my sweet Laken knew Jesus personally and she will live eternally in His home. He never left her side until the very last second she was here on earth and He will take care of her now and forever in heaven.”
Explaining how her faith helped her and why she wants to help others find such faith and peace, she wrote, “I find peace during this devastation in knowing that. If there is anything I can do to assist you or your family in developing your relationship with Jesus, please reach out to me. There is no way to honor my precious Laken more than to give your life to Jesus. I love you all and I pray we all feel God’s peace that goes beyond our understanding and healing as we move forward. 🙏🏼”
Featured image credit: Laken Riley GoFundMe