Behind the Darkest Hours: Where Hope Lies

By Edward A. Teague and Sylvie R. Teague

No one is immune to crime. Behind the Darkest Hours is the realization that the road back into living a new life is a process. Victims lives arent neatly wrapped up in a one-hour drama and a myth called closure. You never forget the loss. It is a true inspirational and powerful story of prayer, faith, and forgiveness that brought us from personal tragedies to public triumphs.

The general public only gets a glimpse of real-life tragedies from media visualization and media sensationalism, without a real understanding of daily living for the families involved. When bystanders turn off the news, they go to sleep and forget, while those families weep.

Behind the Darkest Hours is a source of encouragement and strength to victims and their families to survive beyond the pain and agony of victimization. Its an encouragement for everyone to hold on to hope.

Even in the most horrific circumstances, we can still survive. Most importantly, God is still present. Readers should be encouraged to know that God is trustworthy and he honors faith.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jan 9, 2015
• ISBN: 9781490864327

Edward A. Teague

Ed and Sylvie Teague currently serve on the board of directors for Victims of Violence, Canadian Centre for Missing Children. Since the murder of their daughter, Jennifer, they have dedicated their lives to helping other victims of crime, fighting for increased rights and services for victims in Canada, and supporting victims in dealing with violent crime. Their efforts and appearances at Senate committee hearings have helped changes to Canada’s Criminal Justice Act. Their desire for positive changes has led to talks at post-secondary institutions, churches, and television interviews. They have been honoured among those highly distinguished with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. They currently reside in Spencerville, Ontario, with their two dogs, Jazze Kasia and Lucky Tiger.

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Copyright © 2014 Sylvie R. Teague and Edward A. Teague.

PMO Photo by Jill Thompson

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All scritpture verses or references are taken from the King James Version.

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ISBN: 978-1-4908-6433-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-6434-1 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-6432-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014922738

WestBow Press rev. date: 01/05/2015

Contents

Acknowledgements

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1    No Warning Signs

Chapter 2    Jenny Didn’t Come Home

Chapter 3    The Command Post—Who’s in Charge?

Chapter 4    Friendship amidst the Chaos

Chapter 5    The Final Surrender—Complete Trust

Chapter 6    The Voice of Angels

Chapter 7    Changing the Direction of the Search

Chapter 8    A Vigil for Hope Not of Fear

Chapter 9    Attitude Is Everything

Chapter 10    Waiting in Apprehension

Chapter 11    The Farewell Celebration

A Reflection Of Jenny

Chapter 12    Life after the Death of a Loved One

Chapter 13    When God Answers

Chapter 14    Angels in the Courtroom

Chapter 15    A Reflection of Time

The Hall Of Thanks

References

To Reverend Raymond Roach, whose love for people, love for God, humility and selfless approach to life exemplified what it was to be a true friend and follower of Christ. We knew you only for a few short years, but what we learned from you was worth more than a lifetime of experience.

To Gary Rosenfeldt, who passed on in the line of duty, thank you for fighting for families like ours and for caring. You came into our lives at a crucial time and left your imprint. You were a true friend who will remain precious to us.

To Icilda Fraser, who stood with us in our darkest hours, experiencing the pain and loss together. Your heart broke for us. You shared our tears. You loved us when there was nothing else left to do. You cried with us and for us and never stopped praying. Your encouragement and prayers helped to keep us focused on and trusting in God for the answers. May you always be blessed!

To Ezemenda Connell, who laid the foundation for my faith, belief and trust in God. You led by example. You helped me believe I could hope for the impossible until it became a possibility. Mom, thank you for your years of prayers that I would stand strong when trials and hardships would come. God heard you! Now I can trust Him for myself. God bless you!

To our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, without whom none of this is possible. Thank You for Your protection. To God be the glory!

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

A special thanks to all our family and friends who took the time to support us during a period of life unimaginable for most. Your love and your prayers helped us survive. We thank all the law-enforcement personnel who participated in the search whether on or off duty. Your work did not go unnoticed. To the members of the various communities who came together to form search teams, we appreciate all your efforts. To all the businesses in the community that gave us assistance where possible, your kindness is overwhelming. Thank you. Our greatest thanks we give to God, who cradled us and loved us beyond measure.

PREFACE

Imagine one moment you’re having the greatest time of your life with your wife and two of your children, enjoying the laughter and talks about what lies ahead. One night on your way to bed you get a chilling phone call. Your little girl is missing. Suddenly your world is turned upside down. All of a sudden, the future doesn’t look so bright.

That’s what happened when my daughter Jenny left work after midnight and was intercepted on her way home. Her late-night phone call to lay out her pyjamas is now only a memory.

Although Behind the Darkest Hours is a journey through the troubled times we’ve encountered in our lives, the focus is really about God and His ability to bring peace in the midst of any storm. He has a way of using all of life’s circumstances to prepare us for each difficulty we face. Through sicknesses, He taught us how to have faith and trust—traits we would need to face our darkest hour.

While we endured an exhaustive manhunt and the overwhelming presence of police and the media in our daily lives, it was still evident God was standing with us. Despite the fact that discoveries were made that shattered some dreams, our faith kept hope alive in us to believe God still answers prayers. My wife and I were just ordinary people trying to come to terms with tragedy in an extraordinary situation while placing our trust in a supernatural God who brought about an unbelievable victory in the end.

Living in a world driven by media sensationalism of very tragic situations, it’s easy to lose sight of the humanity of those affected by these situations. We are surrounded daily by visualization of very horrifying and graphic criminal acts that we sometimes invite in our homes and call it entertainment. We become desensitized to the real impact of criminality in our communities and the lives of those around us.

Too often, our compassion for those who must endure through these tragedies, sometimes only last as long as the media clips we see. When the 11:00 o’clock news finishes, many onlookers can go to bed and never have another thought about the torn-up lives they’ve just seen on television. After all, it’s not real, is it? For victims of crime, it could not be any more real. It’s not a one-hour weekly drama with a nice, neat ending. We don’t get to close our eyes and forget.

This is an amazing story of God’s ability to transform lives in the middle of a catastrophe despite pain and heartache. God’s greatness and compassion supersedes any depth of grief imaginable. He can bring people together to perform for you what you are not able to do for yourself. Many people were brought together to aid in the search for Jenny. A combination of law enforcement teams, friends, family and community members gave their time and prayers. God did that.

INTRODUCTION

Too Precious to Forget

The exhilarating, hot, bright days of summer had quickly disappeared, and everyone was anxiously awaiting fall’s grand appearance. September 2005 had just rolled in, bringing with it a new sense of hope and a time of new beginnings for us. During the summer, my husband, Ed, and I had taken time for a family vacation—just the two of us enjoying life again. With some of life’s distractions, it is so easy to forget how to enjoy life, even in the simplest things. We hadn’t had a vacation since we got married.

Ed and I met at a class for the Korean martial art Tae Kwon-Do in the fall of 1989. He was the first-degree black-belt instructor and I the beginner student. He and a friend of his had started teaching tae kwon-do in the government building where we worked. I later joined a dojang (formal training hall) and continued my training until my third-degree black belt and Ed his fourth degree.

Our ongoing friendship led us to marriage on October 6, 2001. We both loved being on the water, so we chartered a local sightseeing tour boat to host our guests for the entire wedding ceremony and reception. We were blessed to find the owner of the boat line, the caterer and our decorator all knew each other. Planning a wedding had never been easier. They worked together to give us a great Canadian Thanksgiving Day in Ottawa, Ontario.

Our vows included the phrase in sickness and in health. Now, here we were, four years later when health challenges I had been facing forced me to take medical leave from work in April 2005 for six months.

The engineering company I worked for in Ottawa enabled me to set my own pace. The management of the work in itself was not stressful, but meeting some of my own deadlines probably was. My physician urged the time off from work as my best option for recovery, so I took time to invest in the rejuvenation of my health.

My wonderful husband thought it would be a great idea to have a change of scenery in an effort to spur the type of renewal my health required. Let’s go on vacation! he said. At the end of June, he spontaneously took time off work to take us on a journey we had never been on before.

Ed worked as a senior technologist for an engineering company on contract to the Canadian Department of National Defence in Ottawa. Leaving me at home while he worked was taking its toll on him. He had grown weary with concern and became increasingly frustrated watching as each day passed without any marked improvement in my health.

A change of scenery was exactly what was needed. No doctors, no medicines, no work and no stress. We reviewed several options, but nothing really captivated us. Our pastor suggested Branson, Missouri. Neither of us had ever heard of it. Branson was one of the largest family-oriented places to visit. It was fun, filled with family theatre shows and lots of attractions.

The decision was made! We packed enough for a week and a half, highlighted the route on our map, hopped into our SUV and headed for Branson. Ed was the only able driver of the two of us, so it took two days to make the 22-hour journey from our home in Spencerville, Ontario. We wanted to make sure he wasn’t going to be too exhausted to enjoy himself. This was a vacation for both of us, not just me.

We checked into our resort and it was awesome. That night I went to sleep and woke up feeling refreshed. It was only at breakfast that I realized I had not taken any medication to sleep the night before. I had gone to sleep on my own and slept all night. A monumental achievement for me! We knew then that I was on my way to recovery. Just what we had been trying to achieve!

Things were finally looking up. We had a great time in Branson. The weather was great, and there were so many family entertainment options to enjoy. At first I questioned whether that first night’s sleep was a result of exhaustion, but every night while I was there, I slept without medication. Some nights were not as restful as others, but nevertheless, I fell asleep on my own, and that was the key to my recovery.

When we returned home, the sleep patterns continued, so my dependency on medication lessened. I felt it was in my best interest not to renew some prescriptions and to discontinue the use of others. I was able to think more clearly and to exercise a few minutes each day without putting myself risk. Ed had a security system installed in the basement with a panic button close to the exercise equipment.

I was due to return to work the first week of September and wanted to do so without the influence of prescription drugs. I wanted to look healthy and refreshed.

I looked forward to Ed and I travelling together to work again. Even though he called several times a day to check in on me and provide me with much needed conversation, it just wasn’t the same as being together. I had missed him so much! He was always careful to let me sleep in before he would call to say he had arrived safely at work and then allowing me go back to sleep.

Returning to work meant we would spend an extra two to two-and-a-half hours together as we travelled back and forth. Ed was always reminding me, We got married to spend time together, not apart. Consequently, every moment we spend together is precious and unforgettable. What was to happen next would certainly remind us how precious time spent with family and loved ones can be.

Life can move very quickly, so time becomes a precious commodity in relationships. Spending time with Ed, his son, Carey, and his daughter, Jenny, was very important to us. They didn’t live with us so Ed wanted to make sure he didn’t miss out on time with them. Some of our best memories with them were spent on picnics and outings, which they enjoyed—not to mention every sandwich prepared for those occasions.

One of the funniest things on our picnics was watching them try to eat the large portions of sandwiches I had made. Using freshly baked French or Italian crusty bread, I would slice it horizontally down the centre, load it up with fresh sliced meats and vegetables and then cut it into four sections. The sandwiches were huge, and they were a hit with the kids.

Every picnic, they would ask their dad, Did Sylvie make sandwiches? They seemed rather pleased with his response every time. Ed would always laugh as he watched them try to get their mouths around the large sandwich. He stopped advising them to take little bites because they seemed to enjoy the challenge of tying to compress and bite at the same time.

We always enjoyed our time together. I had become accustomed to hearing Ed say, Carey and Jenny are coming over. Sometimes it was just for a barbecue, other times for the weekend.

Supper at home was interesting, especially as they became mature teenagers. While Carey enjoyed his private time with his dad, Jenny always offered to help with whatever preparation was necessary for supper. Every meal, they offered compliments on both the presentation and the taste. Quite honestly, it felt great that teenagers actually liked the food I prepared. I always suspected they were being coached by their dad. He told me he never had to nudge them even once. They really made being a step-mom so easy.

We’re glad we had those opportunities to spend time together as a family, doing the fun things in life and building treasured memories. With my health challenges diminishing, it seemed like life had begun to treat us fairly.

CHAPTER 1

No Warning Signs

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven … a time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love.

—Ecclesiastes 3:1, 6–8

Monday, September 6, 2005

The first Monday in September has now become an unrelenting reminder of how quickly life changes. For our family, it is no longer simply Labour Day. Looking back, I am eternally grateful we did not allow the summer to escape us unnoticed, nor did we postpone the beautiful moments we spent together on this very day.

It was around noon when we arrived in Ottawa and picked up Carey and Jenny to have brunch at a local restaurant. We sat together at a window booth, as we normally did. As usual, before our meal, we played hangman on the brown paper tablecloth that so lavishly covered each table and was accompanied by the lovely used wax crayons decoratively sitting beside the utensils wrapped in red, blue or green plaid cloth napkins.

Over time, we had learned that in order to defeat Ed at this simple and childish yet challenging guessing game that he so easily excelled at, two or three of us had to team up against him. Only then were we playing on a level field. It always seemed so unfair that he would consistently guess the answer before guessing any letters. Carey and Jenny always moaned when he did that.

Today would become unforgettable! Carey was his usual laid-back self, full of smiles showing off his dimples; Jenny, although showing signs of fatigue, was still full of energy, as she always was. During our discussion, I came to understand why she was sporting the tired look. Over the past week leading up to the start of school, Jenny had been working the closing shifts at work. She was trying to juggle sleep, school and closing duties—and now lunch with us.

While Carey and his dad were engaged in conversation, Jenny and I were involved in one of our own. She enquired how I had been feeling since being home from work and was pleased that I had improved so much. I learned that Jenny and a girlfriend of hers had been going to the beach at Brown’s Bay along the St. Lawrence throughout the summer. She discovered from our conversation that this beach was en route past our home in Spencerville. She was very excited to come visit on her own. But her excitement was dampened when I told her I was returning to work the following day.

Jenny’s recent assignment to closing every night at work allowed the other employees with more seniority to return to school without the late-night shifts. At the end of the conversation, we both agreed she could not continue closing every night and expect to function well at school. We also agreed she needed to be careful walking home since her new place of work, unlike her previous employer, did not offer rides home as a safety measure to the employees who worked closing shifts.

We had a great time that afternoon. We played, we talked, we laughed! Carey was still laid-back, and Jenny … well, she was still full of life and was intending on getting an afternoon nap when we dropped them off at home. She was working the closing shift that evening once again.

Our joyful good-byes filled the air as they exited the vehicle and headed for the driver’s side to give their dad big hugs. After the I love you, Dad!, they slowly walked away and entered the doorway of their home. We always waited until they were safely in the door and for that final wave good-bye.

At that moment, it seemed like we had it all. I was feeling better than I had in a very long time and was returning to work in fewer than 24 hours. Ed and I were loving life together. The kids were doing well and looking forward to their final school year. Life looked perfect. We had a lifetime of happiness ahead.

In a few days, however, life would change direction on us. None of us could have ever seen it coming. There was no warning. We had no way of knowing this would be our last day together—the four of us. Who could have known these happy moments would soon turn to sorrow? For everything, there is a season. The talks, the laughter, the fun—it would all become a distant memory that we would struggle not to lose over time.

That joyful final wave as they disappeared, closing the front door behind them, would be the last time we saw Jenny’s smiling face. It’s the responsibility of parents to protect their children, but it’s impossible to watch them 24/7.

We never dreamed our lives could change so dramatically, but nothing can take those memories away. Not even the darkest hours can shatter our memories. They are much too precious. When our minds drift over the dark moments in our lives, these are the memories God gave us. He uses them to chain those dark hours and release the joy of life so we can have hope and live again.

People talk about the familiar feeling of your heart skipping a beat when you’re in love, or sometimes your heart pounding in your throat at the thought of approaching that special someone for the first time. No one really talks about fear on those same terms, but really, we should. That is how we felt when our hearts were gripped with fear and dread. I believe our hearts were afraid to beat each moment as we struggled to understand in ourselves what was happening.

Fear and faith have often been described using the same words. People describe fear as believing in the existence of something that is not yet visible. Faith they also describe as believing in the existence of something that is not yet visible. Although love and fear don’t share a common definition, they share the same profound emotional effects on the heart and mind. At that point, it’s so easy to be lost in confusion and irrational behaviour.

Truly, only God knows what will happen in our tomorrows. We can only live successfully each day by trusting and believing