Please pray for our community

[scesnick]

I live near the Amish country of western Pa. and visit there quite often for Horse supplies. They are very friendly people and very helpful with any problem with my horse I have ever had. Although they seem a little misunderstood, you have to applaud their sense of family, community and their simple way of life. There was no need to inflict such pain on such a peaceful group.

I am sure this demented and evil coward is shaking hands with the devil right now.

 

[SkyPup]

Apparently, it sounds like the evil perp was a longtime pedophile who preyed on young children and this was his ultimate act for the news media to indoctrinate him into the annals of pedophiles.

So sorry that a perverted monster like this entered into the lives of any community anywhere....

 

[Farmwithjunk]

MY thoughts and prayers go out to all effected. And that's a lot more than first meets the eye. The children that survived are of my greatest concern. Imagine the scars that they will carry. Those scars go well beyond any physical marks. I'm also thinking of the children of the killer. They didn't do anything, yet will be living under the dark cloud of their fathers actions.

This sort of tragedy effects kids all across the country. No child should have to endure the stress and strain of an episode like this one.

Near my home, there's a community of Amish. I've dealt with them on several occasions, as well as just being neighbors. They're just trying to survive in a hostile world like the rest of us. I'm sure they all feel threatened by what happened.

As we go through our daily routine, we need to try to balance this evil with good. Times like this require a huge dose of good to even the score. The best way I know to start is to show your love to all the children in your life. They need it now more than ever.

 

[dmccarty]

MY thoughts and prayers go out to all effected. And that's a lot more than first meets the eye. The children that survived are of my greatest concern. Imagine the scars that they will carry. Those scars go well beyond any physical marks. I'm also thinking of the children of the killer. They didn't do anything, yet will be living under the dark cloud of their fathers actions.

And don't forget Law Enfocment, fire fighters, EMTs, doctors and nurses who had to deal with this. The ripples of violence spread far and wide. This one is also deep.

Later,
Dan

 

[ChuckinNH]

My thoughts, and prayers are with all of you in your time of grief. I learned well in Vietnam that sometimes there is no reason, or explanation for why some are chosen to die, and yet knowing that doesn't make accepting it much better sometimes. It seems your Amish neighbors have found the best way of accepting the unacceptable, and they, and the surrounding communities need all our support, along with the privacy to deal with their grief. If there is anything I can do personally to help, please send me a pm.
Chuck

 

[JJT]

Let's do a little more than say a few prayers. The kids that survived the shooting are still in the hospital. The Amish are self insured, and the last I heard the medical bills could exceed $500K. Here's the info for donations:

Amish Victims and Contributions for the Families

Those who have died from the Amish School shooting on Oct. 2nd include:

Naomi Rose Ebersole (7 years old)
Anna Mae Stoltzfus (12)
Marian Fisher (13)
Mary Liz Miller (8)
Mary's sister Lena Miller (7)

Five other children, including Anna Mae Stoltzfus' sister, are still hospitalized.
Also dead is the killer, Charles Roberts IV.


The following information is provided for those who wish to send letters of condolences or who wish to donate funds to the families of the victims, including the Roberts family:

Cards and letters of condolences can be sent to Bart Twp. Fire Company, P.O. Box 72, 11 Furnace Road, Bart, PA 17503.

Donations for the Nickel Mines Children's Funds and the Roberts Family Fund can be sent to Coatesville Savings Bank, 1082 Georgetown Road, Paradise, PA 17562.

The Nickel Mines School Victims Fund has been established by Hometown Heritage Bank. Contributions can be sent to the bank at 100 Historic Drive, P.O. Box 337, Strasburg, PA 17579.

Mennonite Central Committee and Mennonite Disaster Service has established the Amish School Recovery Fund to help the Amish community with medical care, transportation, and support. Donations can be made by calling MCC at 717-859-1151 or MDS at 717-859-2210. You can donate online at mcc.org or mds.mennonite.net or mail to Mennonite Central Committee, 21 S. 12th St., P.O. Box 500, Akron, PA 17501 or Mennonite Disaster Service, 1018 Main St., Akron, PA 17501

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

Mennonite Central Committee and Mennonite Disaster Service has established the Amish School Recovery Fund to help the Amish community with medical care, transportation, and support. Donations can be made by calling MCC at 717-859-1151 or MDS at 717-859-2210. You can donate online at mcc.org or mds.mennonite.net or mail to Mennonite Central Committee, 21 S. 12th St., P.O. Box 500, Akron, PA 17501 or Mennonite Disaster Service, 1018 Main St., Akron, PA 17501

I give regularly to both of these orginizations. I can vouch for the fact that they are both honest orginizations that strive to do the most with what they are given.

 

[RonR]

I'll second the Mennonite Groups as respectable charities. (I'm not a Mennonite, but have worked with many in the past).

At a weld shop where I was a mgr, whenever there was a flood or tornado within a 3 state area, I could count on one or more of my guys asking for unpaid time off to go help with the cleanup the morning after it happened.

Locally, we had a tornado hit a city near us. At 9AM then next morning, a busload of Mennonites were at the command center parking lot with everything they needed to pitch in: workers, their own food and water, and supplies. Sadly, it took the authorities 2 days to allow them in to work.

And something I find most charitable. They used to have a semi trailer meat canning system that they took around the country canning meats for overseas donations. Again, it was self contained and 1st class.

What made this and their other food donations so good was they didn't just ship it somewhere, they shipped it and ACCOMPANIED IT to help insure that it got to the needy people who could use it, without being stolen/sold along the way.

As a group, they command my total respect for their community service.

Ron

 

[dmccarty]

Ron,

You are right about the Mennonites. When Floyd flooded down east NC, I led a group of people to one of the hard hit areas to help clean up. Even though NC has a huge military presence down east the Feds where nowhere to be seen. It was just volunteers beside the National Guard who had set up kitchens.

There was a Babtist group working ouf of a church that was very well organized with a huge trailer that had bath and kitchen facilities.

The Mennonite women where running a collection center for food and clothing while the men where out tearing out houses. I had a contact with the small town government and I was to meet him at the collection center. While waiting for him I was standing around for maybe a few minutes when one of the Mennonite women put me to work moving boxes of goods. I was down there to help so I did. Besides I don't think I could have argued with her and won.

I had first gone down to this town a week or so earlier and the Mennonites where there. I'm sure they stayed for weeks. The Mennonites and Babtists really impressed me.

I find it funny in a sick sort of way to watch the criticism of the Feds during Katrina. The Feds had the same response in FLA and NC but LA was somehow different. At least in NC the Army, Marines and Air Force only had to go out there gates to see the distruction and help out. The only units that did help where the helicopter rescue units. One of whom pulled my wife's grandmother out of a raging creek after her car got swept away. It was her hair get'n done day and a little flooding was not going to get in her way.

The Mennonites, Babtists and other volunteers are the one who helped out the people who had been flooded out. There are plenty of Babtists in NC but I don't know of any Mennonites so I was impressed to see them.

Later,
Dan

 

[Tom_H]

The thing that I am struck by the most is the example that the Amish live by. I think about the oldest girl asking to be shot first, apparently in hopes that somehow someone would be able then to come in and save the younger girls. Then there are the Amish families going to console the widow of the killer, attending the killer's funeral, and setting up a fund for the killer's family.

I wish so much that this had not happened, but for these humble and devout people, I must say that the way they live out their faith and follow the commandment to forgive is just sobering and overwhelming. If there is anything good to come out of this horrific tragedy, it is the way their actions speak so much louder than words ever could about their faith, beliefs, and values. We see so much bitterness and hatred in news around the world every day, yet here in the midst of it all, these people live this life of such consecration and devotion. It certainly makes me see the inadequacies of my own life in contrast to theirs.

 

[gsganzer]

TomH,
You couldn't have said it any better. It's truly humbling to see how the Amish practice what they preach.