- Give thanks for volunteers
- Pray for families and individuals served
- Continuing opportunities to share Christ's love with our neighbors
Who would have thought that the next 15 minutes would change my life forever. “Stay away from the windows and doors,” shouted my advisor from down the hallway. “Is this really happening?” I thought. In denial, I couldn’t keep the words, “Everything is fine,” from coming out of my mouth. The chaos and confusion enveloped the campus as dorms and academic buildings were locked down. Without any understanding or direction, most of the university sat waiting for the outcome of these few minutes in Norris Hall.
What do you even do in a situation like this? How do you cope? How do you seek understanding? I have never relied on prayer like I did that snowy April day. As all the campus ministries met together that night at the Baptist Collegiate Ministry house about half a mile from the crime scene, I witnessed something I had never seen before. Unity, compassion and love transformed many lives through prayer. The community amongst Christians was unparalleled. I saw Christians from all denominations come together to recognize the evil that is in this world and claim Christ’s power over it. I saw Christians embrace each other with hugs of desperation and comfort. There were no “outsiders” or “loners”, only believers who longed for the day that Jesus returns to take us home.
I truly believe this community was created because of the prayers that were sent up from all around the world. In the weeks after this tragedy, we received letter upon letter of encouragement and love from people who were continually praying for the Virginia Tech community. It was almost as if prayers that were sent up to God were immediately rained down as blessings and comfort to us Hokies.
I know this situation is extreme, but we do not need to wait for tragedy to experience the community explained in Acts 2:42-47. It’s available to those who humble themselves before our Lord and others and seek the face of Jesus as a community. If you are going through a trial right now, which I’m sure many of you are, I would encourage you to find someone within the Greenridge community to share your struggle with and have them pray for you. There is nothing like the bond between believers that comes from seeing prayer answered.
Acts 2:42 - “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”
~Julie Harrison
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