The widow of murdered missionary Colin Lee has spoken about the wide range of emotions she experienced during her time in Bermuda.

As Hedwig Lee prepares to leave the Island, she recalled the ?sorrow and joy? she has felt over the last seven months ? and her lasting memories of Bermuda.

She told The Royal Gazette: ?The past few months have been a transitional world-wind of emotions that have spanned from sorrow to joy and everything in between.

?Words cannot express how I have been sustained in so many ways by my entire Lee family, during my time in Bermuda they have comforted me and made me feel at home.?

Six months after her husband was brutally gunned down by a rebel paramilitary group in Africa, Mrs. Lee gave birth to their child in May. Commenting on her ?greatest blessing?, baby Shekinah, Mrs. Lee added: ?There are many precious memories that I will take with me, including the support and generosity of Dr. Dale Wilmot throughout my pregnancy, the patient care he provided along with his staff and the maternity ward staff of King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (who) were significant in the delivery of my greatest blessing...our daughter Shekinah.? Mrs. Lee, who hails from Paraguay, said was she was not planning to return to Africa again any time in the near future.

Top of the agenda was to see her relatives in Paraguay ? and to introduce them to the family?s latest addition.

?My daughter is my first priority now,? she stated, ?although I will someday go back.?

But she stressed she would still be involved with International Aid Services (IAS), the charity the Lees were working with when they were ambushed in Sudan last November.

Mrs. Lee said she would continue to stay in touch through the internet with the rest of the missionary team that worked with Colin and herself in trouble-torn parts of Africa.

?We have been in constant contact over the past several months? she continued. ?Right now, I am going to my birthplace of Paraguay to see my family and allow them to become acquainted with the newest addition to the family.?

Mrs. Lee said she would certainly head back to Bermuda in the future.

?Most definitely I will return to Bermuda,? she told The Royal Gazette. ?Shekinah?s roots are here.?

Asked what her message would be to the Island she has called home for the last few months, she added: ?My prayer for the people of Bermuda would be to be motivated to reach out to God and have a passion for all nations, as they have reached out to me financially and otherwise. ?One thing has become real to me during this time and that is that ministry can take place no matter what situation you are in.

?In this case, my being required to remain stationary and rest for so many months to ensure the safety and welfare of my unborn child was just as important and fulfilling as reaching out to the masses.?

Since Mr. Lee?s death, his widow and her supporters have registered a Bermudian chapter of IAS. It will help help youths involved in street gangs in Bermuda, while encouraging youngsters to travel to Africa to work as volunteers.

Colin and Hedwig Lee had been teaching in war-torn Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia and Uganda ? focusing on reconciliation ? when Mr. Lee was murdered. The couple were involved in bringing peace to several areas controlled by feuding warlords.

Work on a technical college was set to start in Ethiopia. And Mr. Lee had been arranging for used equipment and computers from Bermuda to be shipped out to Africa. Registered after Mr. Lee?s death, ISA Bermuda has a container ready to send to Africa but needs to raise $10,500 for shipping fees. An appeal has gone out for companies to donate funds to the project.

Anyone interested in making a donation should send a check made payable to IAS Bermuda to PO Box FL 400, Flatts, Bermuda.

Mrs. Lee said the charity?s name was due to change soon to better reflect the nature of the charity locally.

She added: ?We are currently assisting two Bermudian families who are in desperate need and have collected several items to hopefully send to disadvantaged families in other regions, including Africa, within the next month.

?Several things are in the works.?