triumph over tragedy
The New Hope Amish School
By Lucille Talusan
CBN News
CWNews.com–-A new day is dawning in the small Amish community of Nickel Mines, as parents accompany their children to their brand new one room school house.
The name says it all: The New Hope Amish School.
It marks a new beginning - a fresh start - after last October's tragic school shooting.
That day, a milk man named Charles Roberts came to their one room school house. He let all the boys go and kept only the little girls.
He shot all ten, half of which died.
But in the midst of their grief that horrific October, the Amish reached out to the family of the man who killed their children.
"We just talked about what had happened and how it could happen and that they have forgiven what has taken place and that there is no hard feelings. And they want us to just all pull together as a community and still just keep our trust in God to help us all get through everything," said Jacquie Hess, aunt of Robert’s wife.
The Amish say forgiveness is part of living out their Christian faith.
Rita Rhoades is a midwife in the community birthing center that helped deliver some of the girls who were murdered.
Rhoades said, "Forgiveness is a very big part of our faith, because you know God forgives us. Jesus forgives us. So who are we not also to pass on that forgiveness? You know, the Bible says we should forgive as we have been forgiven. So it's a huge part of our belief system. It doesn't always mean that forgiveness is easy. It becomes a daily thing."
The prayers of Christians around the world continue to carry the families of Nickel Mines through their pain.
Rhodes said, "We just pray that there will never be a similar episode anywhere."
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