Helen Marie (Clark) Cambra, 86, of Boise, Idaho, entered the presence of her Savior, Jesus Christ, on September 12, 2025.

Helen was born on May 19, 1939, in Jerome, Idaho, to Rhea and Marie (Jacobsen) Clark. She grew up with two older brothers, Jim and Loran (Bud), and cherished the security and love of her parents’ home. She often remembered hearing her father read the Bible aloud in the evenings, a rhythm that rooted her life in God’s Word.

One story she loved to share was the moment her father’s decision changed the spiritual course of their family. While hunting one Sunday, he passed a country church and was moved by the sound of singing. Right there, he resolved: “Next Sunday, we will be in church.” And they were. In her teenage years, Helen and her family attended First Christian Church in Boise.

In July 1953, while at Ketcham Camp in the mountains of Idaho, Helen responded to an altar call and committed her life to Christ and to ministry. She treasured the signed card marking that decision, which stayed with her throughout her years. She graduated from Boise High School in 1957, and just a year later, in 1958, she met the love of her life.

That year, while attending a social gathering at a friend’s home in Boise, Helen was introduced to a young man from Hawaii named Almo Marvin Cambra, who at the time was serving in the U.S. Air Force and stationed at Mountain Home Air Force Base. Their first meeting took place over a ping-pong table, and just three months later, on November 15, 1958, they were married at Saint Mary’s Catholic Church in Boise. Their marriage spanned 66 years of partnership, devotion, and ministry together.

Helen’s greatest treasures were her children: L’Lena (husband Marvin), Lesha, Daman, and Dena. She delighted in her grandchildren—Travis, Rheayn, David, Donovan, and Dylan—and rejoiced in her eight great-grandchildren. She loved her family fiercely, and her home was always filled with laughter, creativity, and love. Family gatherings often included board and card games. Holidays, especially Christmas, were made meaningful through her thoughtfulness and desire to create lasting memories.

Following Almo’s retirement from the Air Force, Helen and Almo returned to Boise in 1975 and gave their lives fully to ministry. For more than 50 years, Helen faithfully served at City Hope Church (formerly Central Assembly Christian Life Center) in Boise, pouring her gifts into children’s ministries, music productions, teaching, and creative outreach events. She also devoted 12 years as ministering to those in Idaho prisons and jails, taught Bible for seven years at Maranatha Christian School, led high school chapels, and co-hosted the Love Link radio program.

In 1980, Helen and Almo founded Love Link Ministries, sending Bible study lessons into prison cells in Idaho. In 1979, the couple also enrolled in the Ministerial Studies program through the Assemblies of God’s Berean University. Balancing their children, other jobs, and ministry responsibilities, they faithfully worked together for nearly ten years to complete the program—evidence of their shared perseverance and devotion to God’s call.

In 1983, Helen and Almo co-founded Teen Challenge of Idaho, later opening Teen Challenge Christian Academy in 1995 to provide education and support for troubled teens. They received national appointment as Home Missionaries with the Assemblies of God, served as associate pastors at Central Assembly/City Hope Church, and led Project Hope and Turning Point support groups across the state.

Her faith compelled her to love beyond her own home. Hand in hand with Almo, she faithfully served in ministry, both locally and around the world. Her favorite verse, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13), propelled her through life and shaped how she raised her children, encouraged her grandchildren, and ministered to many individuals and groups in person, through her radio broadcasts, speaking, writing and many virtual ministry events across the US and around the world.

Through her leadership with Global Mission Ministry Center, she helped to establish several Marie’s Sewing Centers (in honor of her late mother, Marie Clark) in Africa and India. Her ministries also took her throughout the world to other countries such as Russia, Japan, Pakistan and Guatemala. Pastor Helen Cambra cultivated what has become a legacy of hope and opportunity for countless people still today. For those of us who knew her best, her legacy is also in the way she prayed for, encouraged, and taught us to love Jesus with all our hearts and in all our efforts.

Helen was preceded in death by her parents, Rhea and Marie Clark, and her brother, Jim. She is survived by her devoted husband, Almo; her brother, Loran (Bud); her four children, L’Lena (husband Marvin), Lesha, Daman, and Dena; her five grandchildren, Travis, Rheayn, David, Donovan, and Dylan; and eight great-grandchildren.

Helen lived the truth from Philippians 4:13, pouring her whole heart into everything God set before her. She has finished her race and entered into the joy of her Lord. Her legacy of faith, encouragement, and love will continue to inspire generations.

VISITATION 

Friday, September 26 | 6–8 p.m. 

Alden-Waggoner Funeral Chapel 

5400 Fairview Avenue, Boise, Idaho

Saturday, September 27 | 11 a.m.–1 p.m. 

City Hope Church 

8650 Fairview Avenue, Boise, Idaho

CELEBRATION OF LIFE SERVICE 

Saturday, September 27 | 1:30 p.m. 

City Hope Church

A reception will follow at City Hope Church.

For those who cannot attend in person, the service will be livestreamed through City Hope Church (Boise, Idaho).

We would be honored to have you join us as we celebrate a life so beautifully lived—for her Lord, for her family, and for the many others who were touched by her love.