Terry Barringer
Natalee Holloway was a bright, energetic young woman who had just graduated with honors from Mountain Brook High School on May 24, 2005. A few days later, Natalee, along with 123 other graduates, embarked on a graduation trip to the island of Aruba. Then, the phone call no mother wants to receive: “Your daughter is missing.”
Natalee failed to show up for the flight that was to return her classmates to Alabama. She had not been seen since the night before. This begins what Beth Holloway has described as the “never-ending nightmare,” a nightmare that lasted 18 years. At the time of her disappearance, Natalee’s photo and her story were national news, as it was again in October 2023 with a confession.
Upon hearing this tragic news, Beth Holloway flew to Aruba to search for her daughter and for the truth. Truth was hard to obtain. The locals who were with Natalee the last time she was seen spent the next years lying and changing their stories. Many were arrested, only to be released without the evidence necessary for conviction. Over these years, Beth was tormented by one of these men, Joran van der Sloot, who dangled the information and truth Beth sought. How did she cope? How did she continue her search? Beth says, “Hope—I found it first in God.”
The Women’s Ministry of the Community Church at SaddleBrooke invites you to join us as Beth Holloway shares this incredible journey. Listen to her explain that despite 18 years of struggle, roadblocks, misinformation, extortion, and disappointments, she relied on “hope and prayer—these gifts are the evidence of faith.”
Registration for this special presentation begins on Feb. 18. Ladies, you are encouraged to register early, as seating is limited, and a sold-out event is expected. We look forward to seeing you.
Beth Holloway’s Phases of Hope will be held on Friday, April 12, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at SaddleBrooke MountainView ballroom, 38759 S. MountainView Blvd., SaddleBrooke, AZ 85739. The cost is $72, which includes lunch. Register at ccsb.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/2073494.