Photo: Mike Deal courtesy of the Winnipeg Free Press |
Lisa Klassen, member of McIvor Ave. MB Church, Winnipeg, and sister of Olympic speed skating champion Cindy Klassen, survived a horrifying accident Feb. 5 when her Jeep plunged over the side of a Winnipeg bridge and smashed into the frozen Red River below. Dale Kasper and Toby Tutkaluk risked their lives to free the 23-year-old from her vehicle and save her from drowning.
The media says it’s miracle she isn’t paralyzed and suffered no brain damage. Klassen agrees. “I don’t believe in luck,” she said during a news conference. “It was God’s hand, obviously. It wasn’t my time.”
The event has given the family an opportunity to express their faith, not just in the winner’s circle, but during a time of suffering. “The media interest is fascinating,” says pastor Gerald Hildebrand of McIvor. “They’re really curious. They hear so often of people praising God or trying to have a spiritual voice when things are good. People wondered if that’s what Cindy’s faith was all about. Now they’re seeing her express that same faith in crisis.”
The accident also brought out the best in the church as they rallied around Lisa. “We care, support, pray, protect, as we would with any person. That’s just what churches do,” says Hildebrand.
—LK with files from the Winnipeg Free Press
Index details
Category: Manitoba MB Conference |
Previous | Next | | 
