Here is some very sad news about the recent shooting tragedy at Virginia Tech. Apperantley 4 Campus for Christ students are among the victims. Hearing about this really brings this tragedy much closer to home. Please keep the students of Virginia tech and their families in prayer at this time.
From the US Campus Ministry Website:
The staff team at Virginia Tech have asked us to specifically pray for the following things:
The families of the students who were killed.
The students who were injured and still in the hospital.
4 students that were involved with Campus Crusade were killed. Please pray for their families and friends.
Survivors of the shootings who witnessed the horrors of that day. Pray for God's grace and comfort.
Pray for wisdom for the Campus Crusade staff member and other campus ministers and pastors as they seek to counsel and love the hurting students
Virginia Tech Tragedy Update
Updated: 19.Apr.2007 at 10:16 a.m. EST
19.Apr.2007, 1:07 a.m. EST
By Tony Arnold, Campus Ministry PR
Thank you all for your prayers. They are both felt and very needed.
Molly taped 2 interviews Wednesday--one with CBS and one with ABC. Each one took almost 2 hours. The interviews were emotionally exhausting for Molly and anyone involved.
Molly is a freshman that is involved in the ministry of Campus Crusade at Virginia Tech. She lived next door to the first victim of Monday's shootings.
Watch Molly's Story
You can now watch ABC's interview with Molly. It mentions her involvement with a Christian Bible-study group.
You can also watch the CBS interview with Molly Donohue on their Web site. It's a short, 1 ½ minute package that aired Wednesday night on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric. The CBS coverage was changed from what they'd originially planned by the breaking news of the DVD the gunmen sent to NBC.
Some members of the film crews, producers and correspondents have been visibly moved by Molly’s story. I’ve received calls from New York and D.C. from producers who have been overwhelmed by the raw footage or the comments of those who participated in the interviews.
I've had some incredible conversations with media people.
19.Apr.2007, 12:40 a.m.
Taken from Cynthia Thomas' blog, staff member at Virginia Tech
At 10 tonight we met at the chapel for prayer and praise. I split off in a group of 5 girls, and none of them were really ready to pray I think. We prayed for the victim’s families.
One student who is attending a summer project with my husband and I to North Africa this summer, Tony, came and told me that he had received a support check in the mail that day from one of the Cru students killed. Wow. We were all really… I don’t know it was just a “wow” moment.
I stood outside with my husband and a student, Tim, and talked about how we were, and the student said something that I thought just summed up how I was feeling too. He said, “I mean, things were so great…” I just said, “Yeah they really were!”
A lot of us are grieving the loss of the way it was, and unsure of what “normal” will be. Afterwards, I was talking with one of the girls in my Bible study, Jessica, and she was very grieved but unsure of why since she didn’t know any of the deceased very well. Two of the girls she leads have been greatly impacted, losing one member of their Bible study and another member being traumatized by finding two of the dead. She mourned for them, feeling completely clueless of how to minister to them. I can relate to that. I feel like that too.
Two members of the Billy Graham rapid response team were here, and we all prayed for Jessica, which I really appreciated and I think she did too.
Oh, by the way, something I forgot to mention about our noon prayer time today. As we were finishing up our prayer time, Jeff, our director, says on the bullhorn, “now Franklin Graham is here with a message for anyone who wants to listen.” And there was Franklin Graham not 10 feet from me! To be honest, I was a little starstruck. I thought to myself, “Heck, yes, I’ll listen to what Franklin Graham has to say!”
Franklin Graham shared with us a little from scripture, specifically John 3:16 I remember, just telling us that God loved us and was in control, but he had no answer for why this happened.
If I could see over the photographers that were standing between us and him, I’d probably have enjoyed it more, but all of us were really honored that he came to minister to us.
I think that was when it really hit me how big of a thing this is internationally. I mean, its a big thing for us in Blacksburg, but I’m realizing its a big thing for everyone in America, and around the world.
It’s strange to be somewhere where history is in the making. Well, it’s for the birds if you ask me. I’d give anything for life to be as it was a week ago.
