December 6th, 2005

‘There’s none Holy, like YHWH. Indeed – there’s no one besides Him.’ (1 Samuel 2:2)

All glory be to The LORD for all He’s doing!

Thanks to so very many of you for your share in the work here… your prayers, support, interest, and encouraging e-mails mean very much to me. I have recently decided to step out and just start visiting families on my own, and though my language skills still have much to be desired, God has really blessed the visits and He’s used us together to touch many lives. There are so, so many sad stories - and as you read some of them below, I hope that you can more clearly see into the lives of the common people of Beslan. There is so much suffering and loss, and I think that The LORD has kept me from fully realizing how much devastation has taken place here… if we lose sight of Jesus, it would be easy for us to just be overwhelmed with all the sorrow that abounds in this small community.

Meet Roza, a neighbor of mine. Her daughter, son-in-law, and two granddaughters were in the school last year. Her son-in-law, Elbrus, was shot by the terrorists, but her daughter and two granddaughters survived. Already having to live with the death of her husband, Roza's daughter faces accusations from her husband’s family... they say that she's guilty for his death. The two young girls miss their father, and they and their mother were in Moscow when I went to visit - Roza said that everything here is terrible for the 3 of them... the accusations, the reminders (the old school is just a 5 to 7 minute walk from our building)…

Meet Taimuraz and Sergei Totiev... two brothers, both Baptist pastors. Taimuraz and his wife, Raya, lost 4 of their 5 children in the school massacre; Sergei and his wife, Bella, lost two of theirs. God blessed me to visit with Raya and Bella - they are still believers, though it's so evident to see the sorrow that still remains. Both of the brothers are still pastoring, and they and their families are amazing examples of true faith and trust in The Lord. We can all say that God Is Good when our days are filled with joy and the everyday routines of life... but how many of us would still serve God if we had gone through such tragedy? Please, please, please keep both families in your prayers. (You need to understand that what happened a little over a year ago bears lifelong consequences... for example, how does one continue to see a lost child's friends and not feel continual pain and sorrow?) Raya shared that she began to teach Sunday School again, but she said, 'When I walked into the class, you don't know how hard it was' (as she said this with tears in her eyes.) She went on.... 'But I have to do it.' Another 2 brothers were visiting them that day also, and one of them asked, ‘Does it help when you talk about it (what happened here)?’ Raya responded, ‘It helps when I tell about how God sustained and strengthened us through that time.’ How true – our God Is Faithful, and as we testify of His faithfulness, we ourselves are strengthened and reminded of His goodness.

I visited a little girl who was in the gym for 3 days (she's only 9). Her older sister was killed, and she (Zalina) almost died too. She was shot twice in the stomach, but praise God, she had surgery quickly and she survived. Some debris from the ceiling also hit her above her right eye, and she now only can see 2% out of that eye... they think she'll be going to Germany in January for surgery, though the doctor doesn't expect full usage even after the operation. Zalina is about the sweetest little girl you could ever meet. She was very happy that I came, and she's very 'grown up' in how she speaks. Perhaps those three days of terror forced many little kids to become grown-ups before one normally does. The Lord also gave some opportunities to share about Him. At one point, I walked out on their balcony with the mother, & the old school is right there, impossible to ignore. How they live with the loss of a daughter, and can see where she died… day after day… I don’t know. This the city of Bes. – small, with reminders everywhere.

...these are but a few stories.

May God continue to use us to touch lives, for His glory,

jason

jalazone7@yahoo.com