The mother of Laken Riley, an Augusta University student who was murdered on campus last month, took to social media to encourage people to turn to Jesus Christ.
“My family has faced the most devastating, unimaginable loss that anyone could ever be force to endure. I would like to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for being with me and my family during this heartbreaking time,” Riley’s mother, Allyson Phillips, wrote. “I encourage everyone to have a personal relationship with Jesus. I give Him all the glory for getting us through this.”
Last month, 22-year-old nursing student Riley was murdered while jogging on campus. Jose Antonio Ibarra, a 26-year old undocumented immigrant from Venezuela, was charged with her murder.
“It would be really easy to lose our faith in mankind because of this senseless and avoidable tragedy,” Phillips said. “The amount of love, support and help that we have received during this horrific nightmare is overwhelming.”
In a follow-up post, Phillips thanked those who attended her daughter’s funeral last Friday in an uplifting faith-filled message. She commended her pastors, Samer Massad and Chris Kim, for being a “rock” amid the tragedy and also spoke about Riley’s faith, CBN News reports.
“Laken loved to invite people to go to church with her and share her faith,” Phillips wrote. “Her love for our Lord Jesus was infectious and helped many people develop or expand their relationship with our Lord and Savior.”
“To all the parents out there, I want to lay this on your heart: I can assure you that there is no greater gift that you can give your children than to walk alongside them and help them develop their relationship with Jesus,” she continued. “It is the most important relationship they will ever have.”
“I know my sweet Laken knew Jesus personally and she will live eternally in His home. He never left her side until the very last second she was here on earth and He will take care of her now and forever in heaven,” Phillips concluded.
Image credit: ©GettyImages/Arthit_Longwilai
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
