IMB worker in Brazil dies after brief illness

Elaine Lambach, 49, a Southern Baptist representative serving in Brazil through the International Mission Board, died after a brief illness July 14.

Lambach, a mother of five, was serving in church and home outreach evangelism in the seaport city of Belém in northern Brazil. She died after being rushed to a hospital in the city.

She and her husband, Paul, served on the missions field together 10 years. Paul Lambach is a church planter who teaches at the Agulha Baptist Bible Institute and Equatorial Baptist Theological Seminary, where he is the head of the missions department.

Elaine Lambach’s death was the second to impact the South America region in just over a week. Gregory Gomez IV, a student missions worker serving in Peru, was killed in a bus accident July 5.

Born Elaine Samples in Morristown, Tenn., Lambach worked in Memphis, Tenn., as a physical therapist at Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center, the Special Kids Program and Les Passes Children’s Rehabilitation Center.

Lambach attended Walters State Community College in Morristown and Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tenn. She graduated from the University of Tennessee in Memphis with a degree in physical therapy.

In addition to her husband, Lambach is survived by her children: Joseph, serving in the military; Jonathan, a student at Union University in Jackson, Tenn.; David, a recent high school graduate; Rachel, 12; and Hannah, 9. (BP)