Fellowship of Christian University Students hosted a memorial service to help students cope with Saturday’s tragedy, in case Wednesday’s service wasn’t enough, said Nathan Pyykkonen, FOCUS president.
“There is a time for everything, and God is seeing that through,” Pyykkonen said. “We can look forward to the future and what God has in store.”
Vicki Rockey, Will Rogers Elementary School teacher, said she came to the FOCUS memorial service to pay her respects to the family and friends of the fallen Cowboys through prayer.
“I had to pull myself away and give myself some time to pray for the families and everyone that’s hurting,” Rockey said.
Saturday’s tragic accident has taken a toll on Oklahoma State University and its students, Pyykkonen said. Since the plane crash took 10 members of the OSU Cowboy family, the campus has been somber, looking for answers and asking why.
“We felt that we should just let go,” Pyykkonen said. “As a student body here on campus, we’re a part of it and it hurt us, too. This is our way of dealing with the accident and reaching out to others.
“This service isn’t just to reach out,” he said. “It’s to reach within.”
To cope with the accident himself, Pyykkonen said he looks to others to talk with, especially his wife.
“We can ask why and get angry,” Pyykkonen said. “But it won’t help.”
The service was put together to continue the healing process at OSU, he said.
“I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to go back to the dorm seeing all their stuff and realizing they’re not there,” Pyykkonen said. “Sure, we don’t understand what God’s doing; we don’t know God’s plan.”
Ryan Claborn, former FOCUS president, said fewer tears were shed today than in previous days.
“People have begun to reach a place of peace,” Claborn said.
After the speakers conveyed a message of hope and peace on the road ahead for OSU students, the room was once again filled with songs.
“God is ready to give us the peace we need, not to forget what happened, but to move on,” Claborn said.
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