The Words of the Hanna Family
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The Words of the Hanna Family |
Our dear sister, Sarah Hanna, passed peacefully into the spiritual world at 5:00 am on Tuesday, 13th April. She was twenty-five years old and had fought bravely against a rare form of cancer for almost a year.
At the time of her passing in Livingstone House, her father and mother, one of her sisters and one of her brothers were all with her and it was a beautiful and holy moment as they held her hands and prayed. The rest of the family could soon join them, as could Rev. Song.
Sarah is free of her pain now and is no longer wheelchair-bound. She can dance and sing, and be involved with people in a way we can't even imagine.
While Sarah was with us in this world we got to know her as someone who very naturally thinks of and takes care of others. She always encouraged and reassured others right up to the end of her physical life, asking about people -- how they are and what they are doing. Many feel her presence now and she continues to support and encourage.
Please feel very free to visit the room on the ground floor of Livingstone House that was her home for the last three weeks of her life. It is open day and night. A prayer table with her portrait, picture albums of her life, cards and gifts of flowers, etc. have been placed there. People who have already visited have felt greatly helped and comforted by the beautiful spirit present, just spending time with Sarah and the family.
We will be keeping a prayer vigil there leading up to her Seunghwa ceremony which will take place on the morning of Friday 23rd April in Livingstone House at 11 am.
There is a request to ask you to not bring flowers which will be arranged by the local Bromley Church community. However, any donation towards the cost of the event would be greatly appreciated by Sarah's family.
Donations can be made to:
D A Hanna,
Barclays Bank,
Bromley
branch,
Sort Code: 20-14-33,
A/C No. 20469491
OR a check can be sent to
'David Hanna'
Livingstone House,
13
Beechcroft, Chislehurst, BR7 5DB
OR alternatively, you can bring a donation with you to the Seunghwa.
Everyone from our different communities around the country is welcome to attend the ceremony and there will also be many people from abroad coming over. We will do our best to accommodate everyone by organizing audio visual links to the main room in as many other rooms as possible.
Please do not be disappointed if you are not able to get a seat in the main church hall. We will send any further details by email soon.
Let us celebrate her amazing zest for life, her creativity and beauty of heart, and really wish her well on the next stage of her eventful life.
Take care,
Simon Cooper
To all who have given help and support to Sarah and our family, be it through prayer, guidance or practical assistance over the time of her illness:
We cannot thank you enough. Spontaneously, so many people, including many of Sarah's young friends came together to pray for her recovery -- here and around the world; we have had so much support. That knowledge kept Sarah going through the most difficult times, and as a family we would like you all to know that this support was of such benefit; it had the very real effect of helping her to keep an extraordinary, positive mind, to deal with great challenges, and to find an inner peace. During these last three weeks, all her anxieties, so present at the beginning, had lifted. Also her brothers and sisters have been able to deal with this loss in such a serene and astounding way. No one should feel that this effort, even one single moment was wasted. Our family is of one mind in encouraging you to think this way. "Prayer", our True Father has said, "is the concentration of sincerity." That sincerity is a powerful force for goodness and if it has not fully borne fruit already, it will do so in the future. We will miss Sarah deeply, of course, and have shed many tears, but we are very sure that God has some special plan for her life, and time will reveal this to us.
With deep love and gratitude,
David and Kyung-Ja Hanna