A tragic loss: Belen is now in heaven

The Zacharias family: Moises, Fernando, Travis, Rosey, Zipporah, Belen, Paloma (front) (submitted photo)

EMC Missions, Paraguay

On Thursday, May 16, 2024, Kiara Belen was crossing the highway on her bike five blocks from our home as she was coming home from school at 5:30 in the afternoon, when she was hit by a pickup truck and immediately was in the arms of her Saviour.

Kiara Belen Gonzalez Ojeda was born on July 15, 2004, exactly 9 months and 4 days after we were married. We called her our honeymoon baby, only she wasn’t born to us.

She grew up in some of the most difficult circumstances for a child and spent seven years of what should have been her childhood caring for her mother who battled cancer. When her mother passed away on May 13, 2020, she lived with us as our daughter in our home for most of the four years after that.

Belen loved Jesus and had a sincere faith. That is our greatest comfort.

Our hearts are so broken and hurting, it feels so unreal, but we have a peace that is so deep.

When I (Rosey) arrived at the highway and looked for my daughter in the ditch, she was no longer there; her body was there, but her soul was gone. God put the words “Lord I need you, oh, I need you, every hour I need you” in my heart. He has spoken to me every day telling me to worship him, to worship him, and to worship him! I will sing with all my strength of God’s love and power all the days of my life.

We had planned a missionary retreat for the coming weekend. It is in the countryside at a camp that is one of our favorite places to relax. We have come as a family before and spent a few days here by ourselves before returning home. Fernando (Belen’s biological brother, who is also our heart son) stayed with us for a week before returning to his Bible school.

Please pray for us that we will be able to be a family held together with love and unity. That we can support and love one another. That God’s grace will uphold us and that we can worship him.

Please pray for our church family. This is so hard, pray that God will uphold us as we grieve as a church. Belen was very loved by everyone. She had such a charisma and a great smile.