Statement from Kayla Mueller’s family
Feb 10, 2015, 8:28 AM | Updated: 2:54 pm
The statement below is from the family of kidnapped Arizona aid worker Kayla Jean Mueller, whose death in Syria has been confirmed.
The statement, released Tuesday, read:
“We are heartbroken to share that we’ve received confirmation that Kayla Jean Mueller, has lost her life.
“Kayla was a compassionate and devoted humanitarian. She dedicated the whole of her young life to helping those in need of freedom, justice, and peace. In a letter to her father on his birthday in 2011, Kayla wrote:
‘I find God in the suffering eyes reflected in mine. If this is how you are revealed to me, this is how I will forever seek you.’‘I will always seek God. Some people find God in church. Some people find God in nature. Some people find God in love; I find God in suffering. I’ve known for some time what my life’s work is, using my hands as tools to relieve suffering.’
“Kayla was drawn to help those displaced by the Syrian civil war. She first traveled to Turkey in December, 2012 to provide humanitarian aid to Syrian refugees. She told us of the great joy she took in helping Syrian children and their families.
“We are so proud of the person Kayla was and the work that she did while she was here with us. She lived with purpose, and we will work every day to honor her legacy.
“Our hearts are breaking for our only daughter, but we will continue on in peace, dignity, and love for her.“We remain heartbroken, also, for the families of the other captives who did not make it home safely and who remain in our thoughts and prayers. We pray for a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Syria.”
