EAST ANAHEIM, CA (ANS) -- The Adams family and Calvary Chapel East Anaheim were hit by a heart-wrenching tragedy during a church family camp in the Yosemite area on Wednesday, August 15, 2012.

Shown in a family photo are 10-year-old Andreas Adams, who died soon after he was pulled from the water, 150 yards from where he was caught in the currents Wednesday. The search continues for his brother, 6-year-old Jacob (Photo: As published in the OC Register)

Senior Pastor Bob Kopeny explained that while away at the Sugar Pine Christian Camp in Oakhurst, California, the Adam’s family decided to spend the day down in Yosemite Valley while most of the rest of the campers were at Bass Lake for the day.

“While down in Yosemite Valley, several members of the Adam’s family were enjoying wading in the river,” said Kopeny. “The two younger sons, Andreas (age 10) and Jacob (age 6) were unexpectedly caught in the river’s rapids and were swept downstream. Their mother (Char) and older brother (Josh Reish) tried to rescue them from the turbulent waters but were unsuccessful. Andreas (Andy) was pulled from the river but succumbed to his injuries at the scene, while Jacob has not yet been found but is believed to have died as well.

“An ongoing search is underway by Park authorities for Jacob. Both Char Adams (Jacob’s mother and Andy’s stepmother) as well as Josh Reish (Jacob’s older brother) have been hospitalized due to the injuries they suffered as they attempted to rescue the boys. Angelo Adams (Andreas’ and Jacob’s father) was present but not in the river at the time of the accident.”

The pastor added, “We are asking for prayers for Jacob to be found soon so the family can have some measure of closure and focus on beginning the healing both physically and emotionally. They are trusting God in the midst of this devastating loss and tragedy and know and believe God is good.”

According to the Orange County Register, Char Adams and her husband, Angelo Adams, of Yorba Linda, had just married a few weeks ago. They decided to attend camp as a family with their congregation in Oakhurst. Most were at Bass Lake but opted for a hike in Yosemite.

A group of men work to pull a Yorba Linda woman from the waters of the Merced River in Yosemite National Park earlier this week. The woman was rescued, but her 10-year-old son drowned. Searchers are still looking for her 6-year-old son who was swept away by the strong currents. (Photo: Courtesy of Layne Foster)

That day, Wednesday, Char, her older son, Josh Reish, and her two other boys – Jacob and Andreas, or “Andy” – waded in a tranquil spot for a dip, enjoying themselves and playing as the boys' father, Angelo – who can't swim, and Josh's fiancée watched from a nearby bridge, Kopeny said.

“Suddenly, Char and Josh lost sight of Jacob. Char and Josh looked for him and found the boy, grabbing him twice before the raging water pressure forced him from their grasp, Kopeny said. The two then noticed Andy had disappeared somewhere during that time,” said the OC Register story.

“Char and Josh may have lost their lives if it weren't for passers-by who rescued both, Kopeny said. They suffered injuries and were still in a Northern California hospital on Saturday.

“The passers-by, members of the Foster family of Yorba Linda, were in the Yosemite Valley for some summer camping.

“During a hike up the popular Mist Trail this week, Layne Foster, 13, came across a group of people feverishly trying to hoist a woman up and out of the Merced River.

“He would find out later that the woman's two boys had been swept downstream after wading into the river. Andy Adams died soon after he was pulled from the water, 150 yards from where he was caught in the currents. The search continues for Jacob.”

The OC Register’s story said that as Layne's father, Brent; his sisters; and his mother enjoyed a tranquil swimming spot downstream, Layne decided to hike ahead. The group he came upon had been able to get a rope around Char Adams and had spent several minutes trying to pull her from the river's swift water.

Reish had already been pulled from the water. Those who were at the scene had brief joy shattered, Brent Foster said, when Char Adams began screaming, “My babies!”

“An impromptu rescue group immediately began to fan out along the river, Layne Foster said. Char Adams' back was injured during the rescue, and she was taken to a hospital. Reish had bloody shins, apparently from the rocks in the river, and was also hospitalized,” said the story.

“National Park Service crews plan to search, through today, a roughly one-mile stretch of the river from the Vernal Falls Footbridge to Happy Isles.”

A fund has been established for the Adams family at CCEA to assist them with necessary expenses. If you would like to donate to this fund, you can send a check to the church made out to ‘CCEA’ with ‘Yosemite Family Relief,” written in the memo section. Online giving for Yosemite Family Relief will be available on Monday, August 20th.’” The church’s website is: http://cc-ea.org where you can get the contact details.

Dan Wooding, 71, who was born in Nigeria of British missionary parents, is an award winning British journalist now living in Southern California with his wife Norma, to whom he has been married for 49 years. They have two sons, Andrew and Peter, and six grandchildren who all live in the UK. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS) and he hosts the weekly “Front Page Radio” show on the KWVE Radio Network in Southern California and which is also carried throughout the United States and around the world. Besides this, Wooding is a host for His Channel Live, which is carried via the Internet to some 192 countries. Dan recently received two top media awards -- the “Passion for the Persecuted” award from Open Doors US, and as one of the top “Newsmakers of 2011” from Plain Truth magazine. He is the author of some 45 books, the latest of which is “Caped Crusader: Rick Wakeman in the 1970s.” To order a copy, go to: http://www.amazon.com/CAPED-CRUSADER-Rick-Wakeman-1970s/dp/1908728302/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335474883&sr=1-1 .