Sunday, June 10, 2012

Church Raises Nearly $16,000 To Send Body Of Teen Home

(Jun 10, 2012, CLARKSVILLE, Tenn)--It seemed an impossible task for a Clarksville church. They needed to raise nearly $16,000  to help get the body of a deaf teen, who drowned this week, back to his home country of Ethiopia.


18-year-old Yafet Yoseph is remembered as an inspirational teen. He was a leader in national organizations for deaf and in is his mother's words, he was her 'whole world.'

Yafet was a football and track star at the Tennessee School for the Deaf with plans for college. One year from graduating, His mom, Meley Siltan, said Yafet's future was looking bright. "He is amazing; he is amazing and amazing heart, he is a hard worker and nothing stop him from doing what he wants to do (sic)," said Siltan.

Church members at the Holy Protection of the Virgin Mary in Clarksville watched Yafet overcome the challenge of being an Ethiopian immigrant and a deaf teen. "It wasn't a disability to him. He would make you understand what he was saying. He had no problem hugging anybody," recalled friend and church member, George Parhas.

But Yafet's bright future turned dark last Tuesday when he went missing in rough waters off the Florida coast while swimming with friends. Rescue crews found his body 24 hours later. "My son is my world. I am empty without him, I am," said his mother. Read more from News Channel 5 »

No comments:

Post a Comment