Sharon Zwaagstra, 18, dodged a bullet by simply deciding to change seats in the Dawson College Cafeteria on September 13, 2006.

Moments later, students Joel Kor-nek and Jessica Albert stood in line to use a microwave beside the table Sharon had just left, and were shot by Kimveer Gill. Kornek and Albert, who was shot in the chest, managed to run to a nearby office where they were met and ministered to by 21-year-old languages student, Andrea Zwaagstra, older sister of Sharon.

The irony is obvious: had Sharon not suddenly changed seating, she might have been shot along with Kornek and Albert, and found herself bleeding in the same small office where her sister was praying. Instead she made it out of the school to safety in the adjacent Alexis Nihon Plaza where she joined in prayer for students in the line of fire.

In the little office where Kornek and Albert were trapped with the older Zwaagstra sister, damages were being assessed. Kornek was just grazed but Albert was very pale and appeared to be dying.

"You realize the preciousness of what you are about to lose," said Andrea. As pressure was being applied to Albert’s chest, Andrea applied her faith.

(L-R) Andrea Zwaagstra (21) and Sharon Zwaagstra (18) in front of the Dawson College entrance.— photo by Erin Tomlinson

"You need to put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ because He cares and He doesn’t want you to die," she told them before praying aloud. Seventeen days later her words about Christ were quoted in Montreal’s secular newspaper, The Gazette.

The Gazette wasn’t the only one to report the need for God. A story about prayer chains for Dawson students was printed as far away as British Columbia by secular newspaper The Chilliwack Progress. One Toronto Sun columnist examined God’s plan in suffering and correctly paraphrased Jesus’ words in John 9:3, saying that suffering is an opportunity for people to step up and care.

Upon closer examination, the hype surrounding Kimveer Gill and his gothic lifestyle faded quickly by comparison as the media turned its spotlight onto higher things. Pictures of the man aiming his gun at the camera were soon replaced by tear-filled memorials and outpourings of love and support.

New scholarship funds took over the headlines, and the media was frequently found filming in churches and highlighting the prayers of the people on the evening news. Satan achieved his five minutes of fame through the actions of Kimveer Gill on September 13, but the workings of God in the aftermath have been recorded both in print and on camera ever since.

"We could see God working in it," said Andrea. "It brought Christians together from other colleges who didn’t know about each other." Dawson Christian Fellowship, a prayer group for students, used to be a small group, now it’s packed.

The shooting brought tragedy into the lives of thousands of people, but some of those people, especially young Christians like the Zwaagstra sisters, are now being strengthened by the trial.

"God is continuing to take the testimonies that came out of it and spread them," said Andrea. "The blessing that comes with the trial is just as intense if not more."