People often “fall through the cracks” and it’s always very sad. They’re not connected to others, so nobody misses them when they go missing. The story of Pia Farrenkopf is an extreme example of this reality.
She went missing for six years before anyone noticed….
Pia grew up in Boston, but as an adult, she moved to Pontiac, MI where she worked in the international department of her company. She was well-compensated for her efforts, and would often take extended vacations in concert with work-related trips overseas. In addition to being gone a lot, Farrenkopf was also a bit of a loner. Intentionally or not, she was often isolated from co-workers and neighbors. Even her own family said it wasn’t strange for them to go several years without hearing from Pia.
Farrenkopf had more than $87,000 in her bank account when she resigned from her job in May of 2008. To make life easier, the introverted frequent flyer had always used automatic bill paying for everything, including her home mortgage. For three years after her resignation, monthly expenses were simply drafted from her account. But in 2011, suspicious neighbors began to think that Pia had abandoned her home. They notified the proper authorities, and as a result, the US Postal Service stopped delivering mail to her address.
Two more years went by, and then on March 1, 2013, the last mortgage payment was electronically drafted from her ever-shrinking bank account. The constant barrage of “insufficient funds,” along with an unpaid mortgage, eventually put her home in foreclosure. Almost a year later, the bank sent a couple of representatives to inspect her house, but it wasn’t until repairmen showed up in March of 2014 that her dead body was discovered.
Farrenkopf’s “mummified body” was found in the backseat of her car which was parked in the garage. Medical examiners who investigated the scene estimated that she had died a full six years earlier!
Think about that. Pia had been dead for six years…and nobody knew it. Nobody missed her. Nobody knew to even mourn her.
Too often, Christians are just as isolated as Pia. Sure, they might go to church on a somewhat regular basis, but they’re not truly connected to anyone. They’re good at “doing church together,” but they aren’t good at “doing life together.” And there are consequences for that isolation.
The lifestyle Jesus had in mind for His followers is built on fellowship and intimacy. We need to have a close enough relationship with our brothers and sisters that we know when to celebrate with them, or mourn with them.
At the very least, we need to know when they’re missing.
Click here for the online report.
Topics Illustrated Include:
Alone
Death
Fellowship
Isolation
Life
Lifestyle
Lonely
Relationship
Surprise
(Resource cataloged by David R Smith)