We as a family have gone through what every parent fears: Our teenage daughter was missing for weeks and was in a dangerous situation. We thank God that she is now safe, and we very much want to also thank all who brought her home and supported us in the interim.

First and foremost we must thank our church, Living Hope Foursquare in Coupeville. We cannot put into words how blessed we are to have a family of faith. The love we received was overwhelming and it gave us so much peace to know how much everyone was praying. Living Hope did and always has lived up to its name. We also thank our island church community as a whole. We felt your prayers.

We are so appreciative of law enforcement: Marshal Dave Penrod who never gave up looking for our daughter, and whose frequent phone calls reassured us that we would get her back. Dave is a brother in Christ and we are so lucky to have him. Detective Rick Felici went above and beyond. We know we would not have our daughter back without his dedication and hard work, and we are immensely grateful for all that he did. We also thank the Island County Sheriff’s Department, Detective Laura Price and the Oak Harbor and Kirkland police. We especially want to thank Cathy Snowden from Juvenile Court Services who has been unwavering in her support. Cathy is a treasure. We thank all of the businesses who agreed to hang missing child flyers and especially all of the people who called with tips and leads. Many of them were right on and helped lead us closer to getting our daughter back. We are in awe of the devotion of those at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and also thank the parents who volunteer at Team Hope. We are grateful for all of the Island Transit bus drivers, many of whom know our daughter, expressed concern and searched for her as they drove their routes. Those at Prairie Center, where our son works, of Marv’s coworkers at Pacific Woodtech in Burlington. Last by never least, thanks to Central Whidbey Fire and Rescue, including Kim Harpe, Chad Michaels and Ron Yount, who are like family to us.

We have called Whidbey Island home for the last 10 years. It’s true that there is no place like home. Everyone pulled together in our time of need, stranger and friend, and helped. We are overwhelmed and humbled by the care that you showed us, and forever grateful.

Marvin and Luanne Raavel

Coupeville