fbpx
News Articles

A year after husband’s death, Lyn Hyde returns to Philippines


MANILA, Philippines (BP)–The night before a terrorist bomb took the life of Southern Baptist mission worker Bill Hyde, he told his wife he had great respect for single women living on the mission field. One year later, those words continue to comfort her.

Lyn Hyde returned to the Philippines in March to continue God’s work among the Filipinos. Her husband and 20 others were killed March 4, 2003, when a bomb exploded in an airport at Davao City in the southern Philippines.

Before the bombing, the Hydes had served there for 25 years. Since the tragedy, Lyn’s new life has been difficult, but she knows the Philippines is where she needs to be.

“[On the day of the bombing] my life blew up as if it were a 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle,” she wrote in a recent e-mail message from the field. “The Lord has not yet put them back together, but there has been progress.”

“Although a terrorist bomb killed my husband,” she said. “I knew it had not killed God’s call on my life.”

A NEW ROLE

Lyn now works as a member of a missions mobilization team in a different area of the country. She’s partnering with three other couples to challenge Filipino churches to send out and support their own missionaries. The team also provides training for those who answer God’s call to go.

While learning the responsibilities of her new role, she also is leading a group of nationals through the “On Mission with God” study by Avery Willis and Henry Blackaby.

“My previous 25 years in the Philippines has equipped me for this new role,” she said.

It’s those previous years on the field with her husband that Lyn will always hold dear to her heart. She remembers the little things he’d do, like bringing her yellow roses from time to time, but most of all, she remembers his spiritual leadership.

“My most cherished memories of Bill are the morning prayer times we had together before starting each day,” she said. “How I miss not having him to begin the day in that way.”

HEALING AND GROWING

Lyn’s year away from the field has helped her heal and grow spiritually.

“It was a time for initial healing and a time for seeking the Lord’s direction for my future,” she said.

Lyn admitted she wondered if God wanted to send her back to the Philippines at all. She was torn between the place she had grown to love as her home and a new opportunity in a different country.

“I was having difficulty sleeping at night with my thoughts pulling me back and forth between two countries,” she said. “I was fearful I would make a mistake in my decision.”

She prayed that the Lord would clearly show her where He needed her to go and asked Him to do it within a designated time. A few hours before the deadline, a missionary friend felt compelled to call her and told her, “Consider the stewardship of your 25 years in the Philippines.” One of her leaders from the field said the same thing to her a few months earlier.

‘A GREAT SENSE OF PEACE’

“When I heard those words again, a great sense of peace came over me,” she said. “I knew without question that this was God’s confirmation that He wanted me to return to the Philippines. I have not doubted my decision since that time.”

She continues to draw strength from prayer, her hope in Christ and knowing that Bill has gone home to be with the Lord.

“In the midst of the challenges … Bill is among the ‘great cloud of witnesses’ cheering me on.”
–30–
Learn about missions outreach in the Philippines http://www.peopleteams.org/WPco.htm
Day of Prayer coming May 30
http://ime.imb.org/dayofprayer
(BP) photo posted in the BP Photo Library at http://www.bpnews.net. Photo title: LYN HYDE.

    About the Author

  • Shawn Hendricks