Dear Chiara Natasha

Faith, Sanctity of Life, Suffering & Weakness 3 Minutes

Update: Chiara has gotten in touch with me, thank you for your help in spreading the word!

Dear Chiara,

My name is Karen, and I’m a 23-year-old Indonesian girl. I read about you in stories covering the recent AirAsia tragedy. My heart grew heavy as I learned that you have so suddenly lost the people I imagine had been closest to you. I was filled with an overwhelming urge to get in touch with you, but I didn’t know how, so I started emailing the editors of Singaporean newspapers. But I realized I didn’t want to waste any time. To people who aren’t in deep pain, another day is just another few hours that invariably tick by. But for those in agony, time stalls and you find yourself in an abyss where past, present, and future meld together. And so I’m writing to you here, and I hope you see this. I don’t have magic words or any big promises. To be honest, I don’t know how I can help you, except to tell you that you are not alone. Maybe you have many strangers trying to reach you with a word of comfort right now, or maybe they, like me, don’t know how. Maybe you will read this and you wouldn’t be able to take me too seriously because I don’t know your pain, but I just need to do something and I pray I can help in some way.

Before I say anything else, I want you to know that I am and will continue to pray for your father, your mother, as well as your brothers, Nico and Justin. I believe in a God whose love and mercy is unparalleled, and I pray that He, with the intercessions of the saints and angels, will lead your family members’ souls to heaven. And I know I’m not the only one praying for them.

I don’t know much about you other than the few details I could find in those articles. If I gather correctly, you are an Indonesian studying in Singapore. If so, we have at least one thing in common. I was also born and raised in Indonesia. In 1998, my parents sent me and my older sister to Singapore to get a better education. We lived apart from the rest of our family for quite a while, before they were able to join us more regularly when our youngest sister got older. Between then and now, we’ve relied on airplanes to take either our parents to Singapore, or us to Indonesia. Once or twice I’ve imagined the possibility of a disaster, but never too seriously. Words cannot express how sorry I am that this has happened to you. As I thought about you, I couldn’t imagine anyone feeling more alone than you must have felt when you received the news. But at the same time, I also thought, wow, that this girl is somewhere out there right now, wow, she is strong.

Dear Chiara, I don’t know your pain, and I don’t know your fears. All I can offer is any empathy or insight that could come from having been clinically depressed a few times in my life. Each time, reality and facts would become so distorted in my mind that I believed with every fiber of my being that I was alone, and that I had nothing left. I pulled through with the unsolicited help of some very unexpected people in my life. For example, a friend of my ex-boyfriend’s parents reached out to me and became a listening ear and a constant source of support. Who would have thought? Well, God intervenes in our lives in very unexpected ways. Dear Chiara, I hope during this time you will be open to even the most unexpected sources of support. Dear Chiara, this must sound most contrived, but how I wish I could give you a hug.

I am and will continue to pray for you, my sister. Many things may not make sense right now, but have hope in a God who knows and sees more than we do. Where we see no open doors, He sees one that we don’t even know exists. You are very strong, and you are very loved.

Chiara, please feel free to contact me anytime at all. You can email me at: karen.zainal@gmail.com. If you’re not Chiara, feel free to share this with her, or anyone who might potentially know her.

With love,

Karen

holdinghands

Published by Karen Z.

Published

16 thoughts on “Dear Chiara Natasha”

  1. If we ever wonder how God will be with us through pains and sorrow..through the shadow of the valley of the dead.. through people like Karen and through people like all of u who cares. My thought and prayers for you Chiara and to all familes who are now suffer for the loss because of this tragedy. God has given us His only beggotten Son Jesus, whom we call Immanuel.. God with us!

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  2. I am a mother of a two teenage sons. I was cryng when the first time I read chiara’s story at internet. May Gbu Chiara God will always protect you. I am cryng again when I read this mesege, I hope she always surounding by so much love.
    I love you too Chiara…..hug

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  3. Karen, a good soul you are. I hope now that Chiara has emailed you she finds consolation in God through you.
    Please support her all the way. Two tough girls against the world. Im sure there is nothing you cannot overcome.
    The passing of her family touches me in a way because my grand parents and her mom happened to be in the same flight quite a few times and they said her mom took care of my grandparents during those flights.
    I hope in 10 years or so I would hear about the two of you being the tough and successful ladies.

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  4. Hi Karen, I’m Christy and I’m also Indonesian like you and Chiara.
    I salute your initiative and love for Chiara. I believe she would feel the love of God through you and another people that care for her. Please send my greetings to Chiara and say that she is not alone. I and my family also send our empathy and prayers for her and her family on board. God loves you Chiara. Please be strong.

    And for you Karen, I really hope that no one would send you fake/spam emails since you wrote your email and this blog became viral. I prayed that God would bless you for what you’ve done.

    And through this comment I also want to offer my help, in any ways that can help Chiara/you (in helping Chiara). I may not live/raised in Singapore like you both, but I feels the pain (I also have 2 siblings). And I think, to have an empathy for someone else, we don’t need anything in common as requirement. We simply feel it. So here I am, humbly offering my help. Maybe through direct prayer, care, or anything that able to encourage and strengthens her, now and later. You can contact/know about me through email/website that written in my comment details. Thank you, Jbu.

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  6. Humanity restored! Thank you for writing this @karenzai .
    Chiara, I hope that you will get the chance to read this one day and we just want you to know that we are all with you, holding hand during this hard time. Words can never be spoken to heal the sadness and loss that you are experiencing now, I pray for a little light of hope and love by millions around the world to put the pieces of your heart together. I can only pray silently, but now I know that millions have done the same. I believe that you will one day stand strong and strengthen other people, you will come out victoriously and become an inspiration by many out of this tragedy. Stay strong little sister!

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  10. I’m not a person of faith, but my heart goes out to all of the loved ones of those lost in this terrible tragedy. I hope your message somehow reaches her. It’s very heartfelt and sincere.

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  11. Lovely note. I hope she gets it. So often with these tragedies, those unaffected go on as if nothing happened. They feel their heart being tugged on when they hear the news, but then it’s gone. Perhaps that is the most devastating part of the experience for those impacted: the seemingly uncaring attitude of others (aside from the actual loss of their loved ones.) I too grieve for the families, and hope God supports them in unexpected ways. Thank you for this reminder to remember the families, and appreciate our blessings, for they are many.

    Love,
    Elizabeth

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