Loving God, please help them to find Cile.

Amen.

I pray that God would grant Cile's family knowledge of where she is. If it is His will to allow her body to remain as the body of Moses, I pray that He would grant them comfort and closure in some other way.

Around 9 months ago, close to my neck of the woods (and within a few miles of one of the churches in our camp association), a five-year-old boy with autism tragically passed away. Soon afterward, his father had a heart attack (or something like it), probably related to his emotional turmoil over what happened, but after being resuscitated he posted the following on social media:

My testimony is that I crossed over and saw my son and Jesus Christ on the other side. I wasn't judged I only felt love and compassion. I couldn't stay. I was told "you got to go back". As I handed my son to Jesus I popped back in my body. Everything is going to be OK. Our savior is real and I met him face to face. This is the single most profound experience I've had in my existence.

If you Google this and find his Threads profile, you'll see that he posted two pages he'd written out by hand describing his experience in greater detail. I've heard some other stories--not always related to a medical emergency such as a heart attack, some just dreams and visions--where people were comforted by seeing their loved ones in heaven, and I pray that if such a vision would bring comfort to Cile's family, I ask that God would provide it (preferably without a heart attack!) so that they can rest easier knowing that even if the body is concealed, they know where the actual person is and that she's happy.

By the way, the line where he said "Everything is going to be OK" lines up very closely with the words of an acquaintance of mine who had a similar experience: He described a feeling of peace that "felt like everything is OK." Not to downplay what they went through in their last moments earthside, but for the girls who drowned in the flood, going straight from drowning to having that indescribable "everything's perfectly OK" feeling in an instant must've felt absolutely AMAZING once it happened. I imagine that that moment must be one of their fondest memories now, maybe even something they'll still be eager to tell their surviving friends and family about when they get there.

In the words of a contemporary hymn from 2014, "We will cross that great horizon, clouds behind and life secured, and the calm will be the better for the storms that we've endured." May that be true not only for the girls, but also for their loved ones who now weather the storms of grief.

Thank you Phil, that was a beautiful post.

I will never understand how some folks don't believe in God and heaven above. How do you get through life's struggles alone?

Amen!!!!

All mighty God, please reveal Cile's location, for her parents sake, Amen.

Jack Squat 83 said:

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Thank you Phil, that was a beautiful post.

I will never understand how some folks don't believe in God and heaven above. How do you get through life's struggles alone?

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Thank you for your kind words. I've had a few things I've thought about posting, but I didn't want to come across as trying to "fix" people's pain and grief with a huge wall of text. I ultimately realized that sometimes words of encouragement can be a blessing even if they can't fix the pain.

As for the second thing you said, I'll admit that I've gone through some seasons of doubt myself, and I can confirm that it was really difficult. I am so thankful to God that He remained faithful even in those times when I wondered.

I'd like to share some lines from a song I wrote some time ago when several of my circles of friends were mourning the loss of two young people (including the 9-year-old cousin of a kid whose camp counselor I'd recently been). I'd gotten the idea in my head--which was later agreed with by the mother of a close friend who'd died at the age of 24--that one of the hardest things about missing someone who's in heaven is that we don't know what it's really like for them. If they were at a camp we'd attended as a kid, we would be happy that they get to have the experiences we remember having, but with heaven our minds draw a blank, so it can sometimes feel like they're just...gone. It makes it tough to feel happy for them like we would if we only knew...

I got to thinking about 2 Corinthians 5:1. I pictured us as a bunch of tent campers who have never seen a house before and don't really have a concept of what one is. We camp together through sunny days and nights of driving rain, but then our fellow campers get called away one by one to a neighborhood full of nice homes while the rest of us don't really even know what that means. Here are some lines from the song I wrote on this theme; I haven't really shared them publicly before (this was my first attempt at writing a song with lyrics), but I hope they will be an encouragement to someone here:

Your permanent dwelling's every brick has been laid
But it doesn't seem quite real to us back at the campground today
You're in a real home, out of the storm and the wind
But to those of us you've left behind, it sure felt like an end

(God, can You please make it just a bit more real to us...
'Cause Lord, Oh Lord you know just how far away heaven feels to us...
Who are still here in the campground)

Forever happy, with no pain and no tears
And the rest of us will join you there within a matter of years...

But it's so hard to imagine a place that we've never known
To us this feels like tragedy; to you it feels like home, sweet home
But one day will come when there'll be no more waiting
We'll be reunited in a place of peace and joy and love so welcoming
Oh, what a homecoming!

p.s. I originally intended the word "campground" to refer metaphorically to this earth, the place where we all dwell in "tents" (as in 1 Corinthians 5:1), but it's not lost on me that the word takes on a more literal double meaning here.

Did anyone else here go to the benefit concert at Moody Center last night in Austin?

I was told that after Lyle Lovett performed they played a clip of Roger Clemens talking about Kellyanne Lytal? If so, I can't believe I missed it and would be crushed. Kellyanne was very close to my family.

Lyle was one of the main people I wanted to see and I wouldn't have immediately gotten up and left my seat after he performed.

ETA - It was actually towards the end of the show and he actually came out on stage - not recorded. We left right before he came out. No idea it was going to happen. But I found it on Youtube.

Phil the Platypus said:

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I pray that God would grant Cile's family knowledge of where she is. If it is His will to allow her body to remain as the body of Moses, I pray that He would grant them comfort and closure in some other way.

Around 9 months ago, close to my neck of the woods (and within a few miles of one of the churches in our camp association), a five-year-old boy with autism tragically passed away. Soon afterward, his father had a heart attack (or something like it), probably related to his emotional turmoil over what happened, but after being resuscitated he posted the following on social media:

My testimony is that I crossed over and saw my son and Jesus Christ on the other side. I wasn't judged I only felt love and compassion. I couldn't stay. I was told "you got to go back". As I handed my son to Jesus I popped back in my body. Everything is going to be OK. Our savior is real and I met him face to face. This is the single most profound experience I've had in my existence.

If you Google this and find his Threads profile, you'll see that he posted two pages he'd written out by hand describing his experience in greater detail. I've heard some other stories--not always related to a medical emergency such as a heart attack, some just dreams and visions--where people were comforted by seeing their loved ones in heaven, and I pray that if such a vision would bring comfort to Cile's family, I ask that God would provide it (preferably without a heart attack!) so that they can rest easier knowing that even if the body is concealed, they know where the actual person is and that she's happy.

By the way, the line where he said "Everything is going to be OK" lines up very closely with the words of an acquaintance of mine who had a similar experience: He described a feeling of peace that "felt like everything is OK." Not to downplay what they went through in their last moments earthside, but for the girls who drowned in the flood, going straight from drowning to having that indescribable "everything's perfectly OK" feeling in an instant must've felt absolutely AMAZING once it happened. I imagine that that moment must be one of their fondest memories now, maybe even something they'll still be eager to tell their surviving friends and family about when they get there.

In the words of a contemporary hymn from 2014, "We will cross that great horizon, clouds behind and life secured, and the calm will be the better for the storms that we've endured." May that be true not only for the girls, but also for their loved ones who now weather the storms of grief.

---

Thank you and we are assured Mary Grace is with my sister and Jesus and we will see her again. And for eternity. Oh happy day!

[This is not a warning toward this poster we just want everyone to know that we are going to keep this thread in the spirit of what it was when the flood happened. If posters want to discuss lawsuits or responsibility it needs to be on a new thread or another existing thread. We ask that all posters read the latest edit in the OP. Thank you for your help. - Staff]

https://texags.com/forums/16/topics/3552957

This is Cile's mom testifying in front of the Texas Legislature. Fair warning... it's pretty hard to watch. Please keep this family in your prayers.

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/16hmeGLMUJ/

[Edit was a mistake. -Staff]

I don't know how she did it and remained as composed as she was. Incredible.

Phat32 said:

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[This is not a warning toward this poster we just want everyone to know that we are going to keep this thread in the spirit of what it was when the flood happened. If posters want to discuss lawsuits or responsibility it needs to be on a new thread or another existing thread. We ask that all posters read the latest edit in the OP. Thank you for your help. - Staff]

https://texags.com/forums/16/topics/3552957

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I agree with you staff

Badace52 said:

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This is Cile's mom testifying in front of the Texas Legislature. Fair warning... it's pretty hard to watch. Please keep this family in your prayers.

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/16hmeGLMUJ/

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Damn that was hard to watch.

Gut wrenching to watch.

But that is exactly why we should continue to pray not only for Cile to be found but for all of the families affected.

Pray without ceasing.

Yesterday's pleas from Heaven's 27 is why our prayers will continue, and our pink ribbons are on our oak trees. Letting everyone know we haven't forgotten and won't. God bless them and all of you!

One of my grandson's best buddy was lost in the flooding. There was a balloon release a few days ago for Jack's birthday. My grandson said "he is always my friend and always in my heart." Cannot imagine any of this, particularly five year olds.

one safe place said:

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One of my grandson's best buddy was lost in the flooding. There was a balloon release a few days ago for Jack's birthday. My grandson said "he is always my friend and always in my heart." Cannot imagine any of this, particularly five year olds.

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I can't either, but I'm so glad he said it out loud (I assume at the balloon release?); it must mean a lot to Jack's sister to hear people talking about her family in that way.

Watching the testimony was just heartwrenching. Dermdoc's nephew was also there. My young tfriends quietly asked for the ribbons to come down now. School has started. Life is supposed to go on; football season is here, but grieving continues. Praying they find Cile and for all of these families.

Tonight at the PBR at Moody Center, the Coast Guard, Scott Ruskan, who rescued so many girls, was honored. The capacity crowd rose and gave him the recognition he so deserves. It was wonderful. Tears flowed and the applause was loud and long.

Phil the Platypus said:

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one safe place said:

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One of my grandson's best buddy was lost in the flooding. There was a balloon release a few days ago for Jack's birthday. My grandson said "he is always my friend and always in my heart." Cannot imagine any of this, particularly five year olds.

---

I can't either, but I'm so glad he said it out loud (I assume at the balloon release?); it must mean a lot to Jack's sister to hear people talking about her family in that way.

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I think it was after the balloon release when he was in the car with his mom. His mother later told my wife that after he said that about Jack, he looked at her and asked "but he will be coming back when he is ten years old, right?"

I have not seen Jenna since the memorial service. She has a pretty large support group. As bad as everyone else hurts in all this, she will deal with it every day for the rest of her life. Her whole family gone.

I have been very careful with what I say around my grandchildren. Every year, after the first few days of school, I generally ask have they met any new friends, and who of their friends are in their classroom this year, and that sort of thing. I have not done that this year and likely won't ever again.

My heart aches for all of you so very close to those impacted the greatest. The depth of loss and grief.
We have walked through the loss of a child, one of my daughter's friends, tragically at 5 years old, just months before they started kindergarten. Same daughter is now 22. There was an awareness for all 13 years of school that she was absent - all the way through graduation.

Prayers for comfort and peace as you all walk this difficult road with your kids and grandkids who will miss their friends dearly. Prayers for the moms and dads, and siblings who will feel the sting of this loss deeply - continued prayers for peace and comfort. Prayers for Jenna. May she be surrounded with support and find comfort and peace.

The pain never goes away.

I think of and continue to pray for the parents who didn't get their daughter ready for school in recent days as well as the siblings, the neighbors, the friends who all have holes in their heart.

agcrock2005 said:

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Badace52 said:

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This is Cile's mom testifying in front of the Texas Legislature. Fair warning... it's pretty hard to watch. Please keep this family in your prayers.

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/16hmeGLMUJ/

---

Damn that was hard to watch.

---

Understatement of the century.

"But he will be coming back when he is ten years old, right?"

Now THAT line was a punch in the gut...I lost multiple friends who were close like that when I was in my twenties, but I can't imagine what it would be like to process that at the age of five without fully understanding it. I've heard that young children sometimes have to grieve "all over again" as they reach different developmental stages and can understand their loss in different ways. I've also seen how the faith of a child can be something to behold, and I suppose it can't hurt to be ready just in case he turns out to be right! (I'm no date-setter, but I'm starting to think we might be kind of close...)

On another note, if anyone wants to see all the parents' testimony in one place (along with the testimony of Camp La Junta director Scott Fineske, which goes into some detail about how their emergency plans played out on the night of the flood), it's available at this link: https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=XKer7EXULbg; the parents' testimony starts around 23:21 in that video, and Fineske's testimony begins around 2:33:20.

I'll join the others in saying that this testimony was incredibly heartbreaking to listen to. Thankfully, I am in a situation where I end up with fairly long commutes 1-2 times per week so I have lots of alone time when I can pray out loud. I feel like listening to that testimony has given me lots of specific things to pray for during those times, both for the families who testified and those who did not.

In my first long-ish post here, I ended with a line from a modern hymn written in 2014. I'd like to share the entire hymn with you all, as it was an incredible comfort to me during the most heartbreaking and anxiety-inducing months of my life so far, and I hope it will be for you as well.

Does anyone know if the flood victims will be honored at the game Saturday?

I would think so. We're wearing helmet stickers

I know this isn't exactly what you mean; nonetheless this is a very nice touch from all Texas CFB teams.

Standing together and wearing our hearts on our helmets.

A green ribbon over the state of Texas in memory of the victims and all those impacted by this summer’s devastating floods. #GigEm x #TexasStrong pic.twitter.com/xuc0cdzXIr

— Texas A&M Football (@AggieFootball) August 28, 2025

Standing together and wearing our hearts on our helmets. A green ribbon over the state of Texas in memory of the victims and all those impacted by this summer’s devastating floods. #TexasStrong pic.twitter.com/QLpcYh7MtW

— TCU Football (@TCUFootball) August 28, 2025

My office is very dusty!!!!

https://thebatt.com/life-arts/thats-what-an-aggie-is/?fbclid=IwY2xjawMdfU9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHrMLFqgvpjmNYA7VsA9-5nItfX69KtQy3zEnUJ4DXcP_JM7soXenTYx4ip6Y_aem_fQ4HuLSq4MbD65-AYgfDpQ

swimmerbabe11 said:

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https://thebatt.com/life-arts/thats-what-an-aggie-is/?fbclid=IwY2xjawMdfU9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHrMLFqgvpjmNYA7VsA9-5nItfX69KtQy3zEnUJ4DXcP_JM7soXenTYx4ip6Y_aem_fQ4HuLSq4MbD65-AYgfDpQ

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If this doesn't hit home, you need to check the 'ol ticker.

I donated at their website as soon as I found out they were going. I encourage anyone able to acknowledge these Aggies and help make up what they lost while making Aggies everywhere proud!

They are living examples of "The Spirit Can Ne're Be Told!"

HeadCiv78 said:

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swimmerbabe11 said:

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https://thebatt.com/life-arts/thats-what-an-aggie-is/?fbclid=IwY2xjawMdfU9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHrMLFqgvpjmNYA7VsA9-5nItfX69KtQy3zEnUJ4DXcP_JM7soXenTYx4ip6Y_aem_fQ4HuLSq4MbD65-AYgfDpQ

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If this doesn't hit home, you need to check the 'ol ticker.

I donated at their website as soon as I found out they were going. I encourage anyone able to acknowledge these Aggies and help make up what they lost while making Aggies everywhere proud!

They are living examples of "The Spirit Can Ne're Be Told!"

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These young people deserve so many blessings. Their parents must be unbelievably proud of them. I already donated to their site for the search and rescue expenses, but I'll do so again to help them make up the funds they lost for Bonfire.

I also donated immediately; I'll make another one, too. Come on Aggjes - this should be like the Kids 1st Fund donations after we beat Alabama. These young people deserve to be honored too.

Before last night's game at Antler Stadium ( Del Rio vs Kerrville Tivy )