While taking a break from their STUDIES and MISSION WORK, Ron and some of his classmates went SWIMMING in the SURF off the north end of Luzon Island in the Philippines when a SHARK ATTACKED. Ron’s leg was SEVERED below the KNEE. He was carried to SHORE by his friends.
Emergency crews tried various methods to apply ARTIFICIAL RESPIRATION. Frantic effort was put into SAVING the young man’s life. But Ron Arney DIED from loss of blood in spite of all that was done to SAVE him. Charles Selby, a MISSIONARY in the islands said, “In my 26 years here I cannot recall anyone being injured or killed by a shark.”
This, of course, raised a lot of questions: “Why now?” “Why Ron, of all people?” “What GOOD can come of this?” “Where was God in all of this?”
The untimely death of a young MINISTRY student forced upon Ron’s loved ones LESSONS that were difficult to learn. But Ron, even though he was BLEEDING to DEATH, wasn’t FINISHED TEACHING. As two of Ron’s Traveling College companions, Bill Watkins and Dean Summers, stood by him, he LIFTED his EYES to HEAVEN and said, “God, I LOVE you. This is the MOMENT I have been WAITING for.”
He taught more in those SENTENCES than he might have in years of PREACHING. Then, Ron CLOSED his EYES and DIED. For those left behind, a TRAGEDY—for Ron, ETERNAL VICTORY.