(BP) — Recent separate car accidents claimed the lives of Baptists serving overseas.
Kim Foreman, a pastor’s wife from San Lorenzo, Calif. and professor at San Francisco State University, died of injuries sustained during an Aug. 3 automobile crash in Rwanda, where she was serving as a missions volunteer.
Foreman, 59, and her husband Chris, pastor of First Southern Baptist Church in San Lorenzo, direct Come & See Africa International, which they established in 2005 to promote missions interest in Rwanda. She had been engaged in Africa missions efforts since 1998 and was on her 10th trip to Rwanda when the crash occurred.
Foreman had been in Rwanda since July 19 and was traveling July 31 from Butare to Kigali when the accident occurred, the California Southern Baptist reported. Foreman was thrown from the vehicle and was rushed unconscious to a hospital in Kabgayi. From there she was transported to King Faisal Hospital in Kigali, where she was treated in the intensive care unit. She died Aug. 3 without regaining consciousness.
Robert “Bob” Finck, a 51-year-old missions volunteer from Fellowship Community Church in Salem, Va., was killed early Aug. 9 in an automobile accident in Zambia, west of the capital city of Lusaka.
International Mission Board missionary Melissa Frady of Tennessee, accompanied by church team leader Tim Rogers, was driving Finck to a hospital after he reported experiencing severe kidney stone pain. The truck went off the road in Kafue National Park. Finck was thrown from the vehicle and died at the scene. Frady and Rogers received bruises and scrapes.
The accident occurred about 2 a.m. in a remote area of the park. Rogers stayed at the scene, while Frady walked along the road until she flagged down a driver to take her toward Lusaka, where she was able to pick up a cell phone signal and call for help.
Finck, Rogers, and five other volunteers from Fellowship Community Church arrived in Zambia Aug. 6 and planned to stay until Aug. 14 to lead a Bible conference and minister to youth and children.