Carolyn James' Call for Prayer

Carolyn James, wife of Frank James and Kelly's sister-in-law, has posted a plea for prayer on her website, WhitbyForum.com. The text of the message is:

This past Sunday, (Dec. 10), Frank and I received one of those dreaded midnight phone calls. Frank’s mom was on the line telling us his brother Kelly and two climbing partners, Brian Hall and Jerry “Nikko” Cooke are lost on Mt. Hood in Oregon.

Frank left Monday for Portland and has been there all week with my sister-in-law, Karen, and Kelly’s four kids, Jason, Ford, Katie and Jack. If you’ve been following the news, you will know that Kelly is in a snow cave near the summit. The three climbers expected to complete their climb of Mt. Hood by Saturday. But something went wrong (we’re not sure exactly what), so they dug a snow cave to keep Kelly safe, while Brian and Jerry went down the mountain for help.

On Sunday, Kelly contacted his wife on his cell phone and received a second call from his son Jason. These calls were brief and didn’t provide much detail. But at least we knew he was alive. T-Mobile and other organizations are using cell phone signals to pinpoint Kelly’s location. There is no news at all about Brian and Nikko. All three men are believers. All three are expert, highly experienced climbers.

The three families are together, supporting each other, praying and waiting. Brian’s parents, Dwight and Clara Hall, his sister, Angela, and Nikko's wife Michaela are also there. Frank's mother, LouAnn Cameron, and his sister, Traci Hale, are en route. As you can imagine this is an unbearably difficult time for all of them.

The weather has been about as bad as possible—blizzard conditions with hurricane force winds—so rescue workers haven’t been able to climb high enough to get to Kelly. If the weather follows the current forecast, there’s no possibility of reaching him until Friday or Saturday, and time is of the essence.

Please join me in praying for all of them—the three climbers, the rescue teams, the technical experts, the worried family members. I ask you to pray especially for Frank as he supports and cares for family members, works with the media, and waits anxiously for his brother’s safe return. He has had interviews with MSNBC, ABC, The Today Show, Nancy Grace, Larry King Live, Anderson Cooper 360, and others. These are extraordinary opportunities to focus attention on rescue efforts for Kelly, Brian and Nikko, but a grueling schedule for Frank.

To stay informed, go to "Local & Regional News" at: http://www.katu.com.

We believe God is in this. It is a painful, heart wrenching ordeal for everyone involved. But He loves us and knows what He is doing with us. He knows exactly where all three men are and He can still the storm. Our hope is in Him.

Thank you for your prayers.