Edward Wungmarong Shimray
Edward Shimray Edward was born from a small village in northeast India called Teinem -- one of about 250 Naga villages in the Himalayan mountains. Before giving birth to him, his mother Chonmila dreamt of a golden pen symbolizing high education. She knew great things were to come of her first son. Even in the midst of severe poverty, Chonmila held hope for her son. Edward had one brother and seven sisters, two of whom died at a young age. Even though he only had a few years with those two sisters, he never forgot them. He never lost the sense of duty and responsibility to help his family. He spent his whole life being the best eldest son and big brother he could be. Edward would share his story of coming from the poorest of the poor and what an honor it was to be the first one from his village to not only get a master's degree but also to come to America. He would share his testimony of God's provision throughout his life and how his life had been saved time and time again. There are several stories of how God saved his life. When Edward was only a year old, his breathing stopped for several minutes. His family circled around him, praying fervently and he miraculously bega...[more]View Full Online Obituary and Tributes
reathing again. At the age of five, the Indian Army came into his village, burning and shooting everything in view. Edward watched a bullet hit the ground right in front of him, so close he felt the dust fly up around his feet and thought he had been shot but kept running. He realized later he had not been wounded. His family successfully escaped to another village. When it was safe to return, they found their home was somehow spared from the flames. When he was six, he was collecting bamboo with his father when a pre-cut bamboo shoot slid from above, darting down toward him. It fell, missing anywhere that would have been lethal, instead slicing the side of his calf muscle, leaving a scar that his daughters would marvel at decades later. It was through these instances Edward learned to never take his life for granted. He walked with beaming gratitude. Parents from his village consider Edward to be a beacon of gratitude. When children ask their parents for new clothes, they reply with the tale of Edward Shimray who made it through middle school all the way to college with the same red sweater and one pair of flip flops "And look at him now!" they say. "He is the first from our village to go to America!" Edward came from humble beginnings indeed. He arrived on the doorsteps of Patkai Christian College with nothing but a plastic bag holding one spare pair of slacks. He spent his first year at college in the shadows, scared to showcase his English skills. He didn't dare speak out. It wasn't until he was coerced by jeering peers to compete in a college debate tournament that he spoke publicly. As he spoke -- broken grammar, thick accent and all -- people laughed, doubling over in their chairs. He took that moment of embarrassment and let it fuel him. After that day, he was never afraid to speak again. He raised his hand in class, approached strangers eager to practice his conversational English. His voice became increasingly powerful throughout college. In his second year of college, Edward had a dream he never forgot. It showed his lungs darkened and so dense they felt heavy in his chest. He felt the weight of his pride and his resistance to connect to the God he had grown up hearing about. For the first time, Edward prayed earnestly, "Jesus I want you to be my Lord and Savior, the Lord of my life. I'll live for you from this day forward." In that moment, he felt the weight come off his chest. After that day, Edward began using his voice to spread the gospel. By the end of the semester, he was chosen to be president of the college's Evangelical Union student fellowship chapter. In one year, he had evolved from a mere student to a community leader. Edward always recognized 1979 as the year his life changed. He got his Bachelor's in Education and minor in philosophy. He then left the rural life he knew for Delhi to get his master's. The city was a whole new frontier for Edward. It was a two-day long train ride away from everything he ever knew. It was his first time on a train, the first time he watched TV, or even ate ice cream. He majored in political science hoping he could become a politician, and in doing so, gain enough power and money to help his people and family back at home. His master's degree in political science allowed him to teach at Patkai Christian College. Although his field of study was in political science, Edward found himself drawn to the Bible more than any other text. Dean Dr. Shishak encouraged Edward to apply to universities in the United States. Edward was granted a full scholarship to the Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi. Wearing the single shirt and single pair of pants he owned, Edward boarded his first ever flight with an empty suitcase in 1986. Little did he know he would meet his future wife, Shary, in Jackson, Mississippi and they would get married in 1989. On their first two dates, Edward was already telling Shary he could sense she was a gift from God. Little did he know, she had already had a vision a year prior of serving people who lived in the mountains. Sitting at the rooftop of her Christ College in Taiwan, Shary felt a strong call from God to minister to people who lived in the distant mountains from her window view. She took a picture to document that moment. Showing it to Edward, he was shocked; it looked just like his home in the Himalayas. The mountains that held the people he loved so much. They both believed their marriage was a calling to serve God together. They did just that for many years to come. Even in the midst of having four daughters, they continued their work and education. Edward received his Doctorate of Ministry and Shary received her Doctorate in Religious Education. Edward became an Asian Mission Pastor and Shary became a Children's Minister in Fort Worth. He went on to become a hospice chaplain, serving the greater Austin area. It was in this job that he learned even more so how precious and short life was. For the first year of chaplaincy, Edward came home to Shary telling her how shocked he was that a patient who had come under his care only a week ago had already passed. His appreciation for life and time with others grew over the course of his 15 years in chaplaincy. He was well-loved by his coworkers and patients, winning the honor of "Employee of the Month" weeks before he died. Despite all of his career accomplishments, Edward always had one lifelong aspiration: to help his people, and specifically, to open a Christian school. This dream was documented in his seminary pamphlet from 1987, waiting to be fulfilled for decades, coming to fruition months before he died. Although Edward lived in the U.S. for 34 years, his heart remained in Nagaland. He moved to the U.S. in 1986; it wasn't until 1994, then 2007 that he was able to return back home. For years, Edward was disheartened by the impending distance, but with time, he came to understand why God kept him in America. He had heart surgery in 2003, thyroid cancer surgery in 2006 and a colon rupture in 2010. It was through American medicine and hospitals that he was able to survive. Even in adulthood, Edward experienced his life being miraculously saved. After his health cleared, Edward finally made a trip to India in the summer of 2007. He returned to the U.S. with a vision of a mission to serve God and God's people. Edward founded Abundant Life Mission in 2008. It is a non-profit that supports native missionaries in Asia and an English school for children who live in the slums of Delhi. Most recently, he and Shary have been starting up a Christian school in his small mountain village of Teinem -- just like they had always dreamed of doing. God gave a vision of a golden pen to Edward's mother, and while that alone seemed like an unlikely fulfillment, Edward went on to achieve a higher education and more. It is unknown at times when God will carry out his plans, or even how, but the life of Edward Shimray shows that God does far more than keep promises. God exceeds them. Funeral Services will be 1:00PM Saturday, October 10, 2020 at Bannockburn Church, 7100 Brodie Lane, Austin, TX. Burial will follow at Onion Creek Memorial Park.
