Hundreds honour the life of Christian medicine student Lluna Araguàs

The secondary school “El Castell” in the Catalan city of Esparraguera hosted on Saturday, April 28, a farewell ceremony for Lluna Araguàs, a young student.

Dozens of people remembered the life of the 22 year-old Christian who died after a traffic accident. Her parents and two siblings were in the car as well; they were returning from a Christian conference when the collision happened due to difficult weather conditions.

Sitting and standing in the gymnasium of the secondary school where Lluna used to study, were friends, fellow students, members of evangelical churches and people who came from other parts in Spain.

Lluna’s teachers, as well as members of the music and dance school, remembered her. The music was led by several friends of Lluna,  as songs such as “Ante el trono del gran Dios” (Before the Throne of God Above), “Océanos” (Oceans) and “Más cerca, Oh Dios, de tí” (Nearer, my God, to Thee) were sung.

Afterwards, a biblical reflection focused on a text that Lluna especially liked: Isaiah 40: 38-40. Pastor Manuel Corral explained that even in pain, the promise that God gives new strength to those who wait for Him is a reality. Eternal life, which Lluna enjoys, is possible only because God himself gave his Son Jesus, he pointed out.

“AT THE END OF THE MOVIE, GOD WINS”

Luis Neira, Lluna's boyfriend, introduced a video with photographs, recalling how openly she used to talk about her faith to others. On her social media profiles, she used to say: “At the end of the movie, God wins”.

The father of Lluna, David (also speaking on behalf of his wife Elena) and the older brother, Caleb, thanked the support received after the accident. Thousands of Christians all across Spain prayed for the family in the last weeks, and special prayer meetings were set up in evangelical churches.

Pastor David Araguàs explained that “Lluna loved reading the Bible, she was an authentic woman of God”. He encouraged all those attending the ceremony to consider the need to make a personal decision about God, which will affect our life eternally.

The time ended with prayer.

SERIOUS TRAFFIC ACCIDENT

The Araguàs family had a car accident on April 9, when they returned home after participating in a Bible conference in the Spanish city of León.

The accident resulted in three people seriously injuried and four with minor injuries. Days later, Lluna died in the hospital, after not overcoming the injuries caused by the accident.

Lluna Araguàs studied medicine at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. She had volunteered in children's camps, and was a member of GBU (IFES), where she currently was leding a Christian Union Bible study group.

“It is a very hard loss, but the joy of the Lord is our strength. We continue to pray for the family, for the recovery of the injured and for the loss. May God strengthen them at this time and restore their lives”, a spokewoman of the family said after reporting the news.

“TEARS FULL OF HOPE”

“The sudden death of a young life is the most unnatural thing there can be. If, in addition, it is a life full of faith and service to the Lord, then it shakes our hearts and awakens questions that are difficult to answer”, wrote psychiatrist and author Pablo Martínez in an article published in the Spanish news website Protestante Digital.

According to Martinez, “Only three balms help us mitigate the harshness of pain: the warmth of company, the silence of reflection and the hope of faith”.

“In the hour of suffering, the most important thing is not to understand enigmas, but to find God; The key question is not ‘Why God?’ but ‘Where is God now?’ And then we discover that Jesus in person, the great intercessor, is praying for us and crying with us, in the same way that he was deeply moved by the tomb of Lazarus and wept”.

The Spanish psychiatrist believes that “knowing and feeling that the same Lord who prayed for Peter is praying and crying for me is the most necessary experience in the hour of incomprehensible pain”.

“We mourn, yes, we mourn the death of Lluna, but our tears are tears full of hope. Faith in Christ does not make us immune to the pain of separation, but we do not cry ‘like the rest of mankind, who have no hope’ (1 Thessalonians 4:13) because we know ‘the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself’ (2 Cor 4:14)”.