Comforting Those Who Mourn
Update from Russia, 8. June 25, 2007
The Hand of God is favorably disposed to all who seek Him – but His power and anger are against all who forsake Him. (Ezra 8:22)
6/19/07, Tuesday: Visited the Mother’s of Bsln… met Taira, whose daughter and grandson were hostages. Taira’s daughter died in the hospital, from a bullet she was hit with during the battle. The grandson is only around 7. …Spent quite awhile at Liza and Madina’s house (two girls who survived the attack, but lost their uncle there). The Lord opened up good opportunities to share truth with their family: about being able to pray straight to God without going through dead saints, and so forth. Liza’s older sister, Nadia, also was a hostage and was miraculously saved. Nadia still sometimes wakes up in the night, unable to sleep because of head pain. The soldier who saved her life, lost his own life… and left behind a wife and two young children. The younger child was born after the father lost his life in the attack - and because of the stress the mom went through, the child was born in bad health. To this day, one side of the child’s body doesn’t function as well as the other, if I understood what Liza’s mom explained to me. Liza’s mom said that my answer to people’s questions about what Bsln really needs is right: personal visits, more than material things.
6/20/07, Wednesday: Went and visited Laima, a young girl who survived the attack but who has suffered a lot mentally and emotionally because of that nightmare. Had a very nice visit, and she showed me some things she has sewn/knit - that’s a hobby of hers. She wants to become a doctor when she’s older; her dad is a general surgeon. Laima, though only 11, is very grown up for her age – I’m sure the massacre forced her into becoming an adult much sooner than she normally would have. …After, visited with Khetag for a while. (Khetag escaped at the beginning of the terrorist attack, but lost his only brother/sibling in the massacre.) Alla, Khetag’s mom, said something like, ‘See how Khetag gets along with you so well!’ All glory and praise be o You, O Yah! Close to home, my friend Stas drove by and then turned around and drove me home. Stas is a believer, and he lost his younger/only sister in the attack. Please keep his mom in your prayers, as she’s been in and out of the hospital quite often. Stas said that on the first day of the attack, that’s when he really understood that all we are is dust. His younger sister was being held hostage by terrorists, and he realized that he was absolutely powerless to do anything about that.
6/21/07, Thursday: The grandma I stay with in Bslan, Nahzee, lost her teenage granddaughter (Sofia) in the school massacre. Sofia was a strong believer, as is Nahzee. Today, some of Sofia’s friends came to the English lesson and asked if I could make a separate lesson time for them. They just finished high school – as Sofia would have had she not been killed in the attack – and they really want to study English and become translators. Lord willing, starting next week they and their friends will have lessons twice a week.
6/22/07, Friday: Went to visit Alina, a survivor of the attack, but she was out celebrating her birthday with her friends. Hung out with her mom, Roza, who showed me newspapers from after the attack that had been written about Alina and so forth. Alina was in a Moscow hospital for three months after the attack. I reminded Roza that Alina was a miracle, as is the fact that they can celebrate her birthday today. Roza said that after they came back from Moscow, she (Roza) had a heart attack. She invited me to Zaur’s high school graduation ceremony tomorrow; Zaur also survived the massacre. …Went and visited with Madina’s family (who lost their ten year old boy in the attack). Madina’s mom told me that it’s hard for Alan (Madina’s dad) to go outside in the summer, with all the other kids playing there.
6/23/07, Saturday: Went to Zaur’s graduation reception, although the security almost didn’t let me in. They had a remembrance presentation, on those who would have been graduating had they not died in the attack. It was hard-hitting, and Roza, Zaur’s mom – stood next to me and just cried and cried and cried. Perhaps out of great sorrow, and perhaps just trying to deal with the overpowering emotions of gratitude that her son lived and was now alive and celebrating his graduation. I saw the photos of several of the youth who were killed whose families I know – families that would have also been at this graduation celebrating, had their childrens’ lives not been stolen away in that horrid catastrophe.
6/24/07, Sunday: Went and visited Emilia, Milana, and their step-mom, Marina. (Emilia and Milana are two young sisters who survived the school massacre but lost their mom there. Marina lost her only daughter/child in the attack, and has since become the mom for Emilia and Milana.) Marina said, ‘I believe in God, but sometimes I don’t understand Him.’ Some of their relatives came over, and talked some about faith. One lady mentioned how there was one God – I agreed, but said that not all correctly worship Him. The same relative doubted the authenticity of The Bible, and The Lord gave me a short opportunity to defend The Scripture’s reliability. …This is a family that has been through so much heartache and pain. Emilia and Milana’s dad, Alan, lost his wife in the school attack, and almost his two little girls as well. And then only about two weeks after his wife was killed in the massacre, Alan’s mom died. And prior to all of this, his sister was apparently killed in 2001. Alan - a very soft-spoken man, and highly praised by many in the community for being a great guy. Alan - a 43 year old man who has seen more sorrow than most of the world will ever know; a man who worked as an anesthesiologist, laboring to lessen other people’s pain, himself now living with pain that no drug can cure. May Yah lessen his pain, and bring him through these dark days by the knowledge of His Son!
Please pray for:
*Stas’ mother who is in the hospital – pray for The Lord to draw her to Himself, and that He would show her His abundant kindnesses and heal her;
*Yah to send forth more laborers to Besln;
*God to give wisdom to Vova, & bless his wife, Zifa, who is pregnant and due in a week or so;
*The Lord to comfort and reveal Himself to Alan, Marina, Emilia, and Milana;
*God’s protection for Bsln, as well as the other places where terrorists may be planning to attack – may The Lord thwart the enemy’s plans and do so unto His glory;
*The Lord to bless the English, guitar, & Bible-reading times here, as well as the home visits.
Thank you all for your prayers and support in this ministry – for your love for Jesus, His people, and the broken-hearted. May His Great Name Be Magnified!
waiting for Him,
jason, jalazone7@yahoo.com
The Hand of God is favorably disposed to all who seek Him – but His power and anger are against all who forsake Him. (Ezra 8:22)
