[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 35 (Thursday, March 18, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E408-E409]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING LARRY AND JEAN ELLIOTT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DAVID E. PRICE

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 18, 2004

  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute 
to a couple from my district, Larry and Jean Elliott, whose lives 
tragically ended in Iraq this week.
  In life and death, the Elliotts saw service as God's calling. 
Missionaries for the Southern Baptist International Mission Board, they 
intermittently stayed at the mission house of First Baptist Church in 
Cary when they were in North Carolina. Long stationed in Honduras, they 
were watching CNN one day when they saw a broadcast of an Iraqi man 
pulling dirty water from a hang-dug well. It was a scene that struck a 
chord with Larry. In Honduras, he and Jean had spent years building 
schools, developing water purification systems to provide fresh water 
to rural residents, coordinating visits by medical and dental teams 
from the U.S., and translating for other relief workers. They knew the 
importance of taking care of basic human needs as a ministry of 
compassion and sacrifice.
  Larry and Jean were not deterred by the dangers of Iraq, and they 
went without hesitation. A friend said their courage stemmed from a 
sense of peace and a belief that their destiny was in God's hands.
  They were scouting the best location for their water purification 
project when they became casualties of the war: they were killed in a 
drive-by shooting in Mosul on March 15. It

[[Page E409]]

happened just two weeks before they were scheduled to return home.
  Mr. Speaker, family and friends say Larry and Jean were totally 
dedicated to missionary work. They served without question--not for 
glory or recognition, but simply because they felt it was the right 
thing to do. They were the embodiment of the spirit of Christianity, 
and we are honored to claim them as North Carolina's own.
  Three children, Gina, Scott and Todd, survive the couple, and their 
many friends and admirers grieve for them at First Baptist. The 
Elliotts' deaths leave a tremendous void, but they also inspire the 
rest of us to work harder and to practice our faith in ways that honor 
their service.
  We thank God for the joy Larry and Jean Elliott found in their faith 
and honor all the candles they lit in lives around the world.

                          ____________________