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"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." |
