Church raising money to bring home local injured women, stranded in Africa

SANTE FE, Texas – Church members at the Sante Fe Family Worship Center on FM 1764 in Sante Fe are praying for a miracle. Two women, who were part of a mission trip to Niger, Africa, were critically injured in a car crash.

One woman died in the accident but her name has not been released. 

"They just said she was in a bad wreck and the vehicle overturned," said Henry Ochoa, his daughter Ruby was thrown from the car when it went off the road and down a ravine.  She suffered a serious back injury and has damage to several vertebrae. 

Stephanie Clawson was also hurt in the accident. 

"She has a fractured pelvic bone and a bruised spleen," said her husband, Kirk Clawson.  His wife also hurt her shoulder and has internal bleeding.

Clawson's concern is the medical care the women are getting in Niger. He told Local 2 they are only being given Tylenol for the pain and are being cared for in a clinic, not a hospital. 

"There's not adequate electricity, it's run on a gas powered generator," Clawson said. "The generator had run out of gas for a time and there was no electricity for awhile."

"Where they are right now, they're not getting the proper medical care they need and they're in severe pain," said Julie Gregory, whose husband is the pastor at Sante Fe Family Worship Center.  He is on the mission trip but was not injured in the car accident. 

There is a medical plane available to bring the women home to Houston but it costs $105,000. The insurance company is picking up $30,000. The remaining funds needed to be raised by 7 a.m. Friday in order to reserve the plane.

As of Thursday night, the church had raised about $17,000 in donations.

Organizers told Local 2 Friday morning that they had raised more than $46,000. While it was not enough to reserve the plane, the church planned to talk with the company to see what can be done.

To make a donation, please visit the church's website.