DISPATCHES
COLUMBINE TRAGEDY! DISPATCHES EMAILED: PLEASE NOTE! SOME OF THE INFORMATION
CONTAINED IN EARLIER POSTS WAS INACCURATE, AND WERE CORRECTED IN SUBSEQUENT
MAILINGS. Dispatch #1 April 21, 1999 My heart is broken, but Christ remains my
strength... I just returned from a heart-wrenching time sitting with, and
ministering to the families of those whose children were not yet accounted for.
One of these was a precious family from my church. Two of their children
attended Columbine High School where a most horrible slaughter of innocents took
place today. One of them, a wonderful young man of 16 tender years told me
through gut-wrenching sobs of watching his friends brutally murdered right in
front of his eyes. He had to lay still in the blood of his dying friends,
feigning death, so that the demons who laughed as they shot and killed kids all
around them would pass him by. After the murderers left the room in search of
more victims, this young man got to his feet and tried to help his fellow
students escape. He helped one young girl, whose arm was nearly blown off by a
shotgun blast to safety. He prayed for the Lord's strength as he found survivors
and pushed them outside. He was a hero today. He came home. Rachel, his
beautiful 17 year old sister didn't come home tonight. Several students who
survived said they saw her fall, mortally wounded. She loves Jesus fervently,
and tonight she may be dancing and rejoicing in His glorious presence. My heart
is breaking for her mom and dad and her brothers and her family. We sat in a
staging area at Leawood Elementary School for hours awaiting word of her. None
came. We went to their home and prayed, and cried, and watched the news. We will
know for sure later this morning where she is. In my spirit, I already know.
Please pray for the broken people of our community. I'm exhausted. Tomorrow will
bring fresh grace and mercy. We'll all need it for sure... Pastor Bruce
______________________________________ Dispatch #2 April 22, 1999 I'm very
tired, having just returned from a memorial service this evening. It's been a
very long day, but I wanted to give you an update before retiring. As of this
morning Rachel Scott's family still hadn't received official word of their
daughter Rachel's death. The waiting was agonizing, but after 1:00 pm this
afternoon, I received a call from the Coroner confirming that Rachel had been
positively identified and was indeed deceased. It was very difficult delivering
that news, and we spent several hours praying and weeping with the family
members who had assembled in their home. Pictures of Rachel adorned the living
room. She was such a beautiful 17 year old! We spent time praying together, and
seeking our Father's merciful comfort. We heard from eyewitness accounts of
other surviving students that when Rachel was confronted by one of the gunmen,
she gave a bold testimony of her faith. The killer asked her, "Do you believe in
God?!!" She boldly answered, "Yes I do!" She was instantly gunned down. This has
made a major impact on the other students who knew of Rachel's Christian
testimony. I'm certain that in this moment, the angels of God surrounded her and
instantly ushered her into Christ's eternal kingdom. The spirit of the martyrs
still lives! This evening we joined another church in holding a memorial service
for Rachel and the other students killed or wounded. Over 1,500 people attended.
We heard stories of several students who survived while their classmates were
slaughtered while begging for their lives. I had the honor of addressing this
assembly for 20 minutes, and urged that we all receive the grace of Jesus to
heal our wounds and resurrect our community out of this morass of pain and
confusion. One of the ways we must find healing is in forgiving those who have
hurt us. There seemed to be a special presence of the Lord this evening upon us
all. This Saturday we will hold a Funeral Service for Rachel at 1:30 p.m.. We
will again be sharing the facilities of another area church just blocks from the
site of Columbine High School. We expect the Lord to bring many young people to
Himself through this service. Never before have we seen such an open hunger for
God in the young people of this community! Thank you for all your prayers and
thoughtful notes. Please continue. The process of healing the scars of this
tragedy will take time and lots of prayer. Pastor Bruce Porter
_____________________________ Dispatch #3 April 23, 1999 So many have contacted
us in the last 24 hours from around the world expressing grief, sorrow, and
condolences. We quite simply cannot respond to each one personally. I will try
to bring you up to date on the recent developments of the day. The family of 17
year-old Rachel Scott, who died in the massacre, expresses their sincere thanks
to all who have prayed for them during this incredibly difficult time. Today
Rachel's family had to move through the painful process of planning the funeral.
With meetings all day long with funeral personnel and those of us who will
officiate the funeral service, Rachel's parents were quite exhausted. The
highlight of the day was an amazingly anointed interview with CBN News. The CBN
staff were so sensitive to the family, and I could see that the Lord was
beginning to work a healing in Rachel's parents as they shared their pain.
Rachel's body was released by the coroner's office this afternoon to the funeral
home. The family was relieved to learn that Rachel had not been mutilated and
the family will have the opportunity to view the remains Friday afternoon. This
is an important part of closure for them. (Please take no offense at the
following graphic details. They are shared only to underscore the horror our
families and community are enduring) We have heard from reliable sources that
several of the students who were killed, subsequently endured the indignity of
having pipe bombs placed under their bodies and being blown to bits. This is the
primary reason the initial estimate of fatalities was so high. The authorities
simply couldn't tell how many bodies were in the rooms. Please pray for the
officers and emergency response personnel who had to endure these horrible
scenes. The funeral for Rachel Scott will be held this Saturday at the
facilities of Trinity Christian Center, located one block east of Pierce on Coal
Mine. Pastors Barry Paulser, Billy Epperhart, and myself will preside. From 9:30
a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Rachel's casket will be placed in the church sanctuary and
made available to the public for viewing. Friends, schoolmates, teachers, and
relatives are invited to write their thoughts and good-byes on the casket. The
funeral service will begin at 1:30 p.m.. Please pray for all of us who will be
sharing, that the Lord will strengthen and inspire us to speak words of comfort,
healing, and faithful testimony of Jesus. CNN will be broadcasting from the
funeral as a part of a press pool, and there is every possibility that millions
will be joining with us as we mourn Rachel and the other students who were
slain. Pray that we will be able to speak into the hearts of multiplied millions
of young people the reality of Christ's love for them, and the need for them to
turn their backs on hate, death and violence. (Col 4:3-4 NIV) And pray for us,
too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the
mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. {4} Pray that I may proclaim it
clearly, as I should. (1 Cor 16:9 NLT) for there is a wide-open door for a great
work here, and many people are responding. But there are many who oppose me.
Thanks for your continued prayers, Pastor Bruce Porter b-porter@pcisys.net
________________________ Update #4: Rachel Scott Funeral Littleton, Colorado
4/24/99 We are so thankful for the multitudes of expressions of love and prayer
and support during these past few days. I have tried to express the sheer
magnitude of the responses to the Scott family, and they expressed their thanks
for your care and concern. They cannot read the individual notes right at the
moment, but are comforted by them and will draw strength from them in the weeks
and months to come. I wanted to give a quick update on things here and request
your prayers for us as we prepare to minister at Rachel's funeral this
afternoon. So much has been happening in the past 24 hours, and we are
definitely feeling buoyed by the prayers of the saints. I sometimes have the
strange feeling of being a separated spectator watching myself saying and doing
things. Very weird. God's grace is abundant. Yesterday was really hard for
Rachel's family. We met with them for a few hours, talking of Rachel's life,
reminiscing, laughing, crying, and trying to remember the very unique person she
is. I was awestruck listening to her sisters and brothers tell of what a
wonderful and sweet sister she was. Mom and Dad related many happy memories and
some really funny stories of her growing up. How could such a sweet, beautiful
young woman die like this? Afterward, the time came to go to the funeral home
and view Rachel's earthly tent for the first time since her death. The last her
mom had seen her was Tuesday morning as she went off to school for the last
time. As the family gathered around her body, you could almost hear the flutter
of angelic wings enfolding them all in a soft glow of the heavenly presence. The
presence of God was tangible, and I had to lower my eyes in that holy presence.
Holy are the tears of God's saints. Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the
blood of His martyrs. Today is the funeral. We are walking this out by faith. It
begins at 1:30 p.m. local time, and we're told that CNN will carry it live. The
crushing weight of a sense of responsibility would be overwhelming if it were
not for the prayers of so many. We're hoping our poor words will somehow be used
by God to spark a cultural revolution in the youth of America. They, and only
they, can change things in their generation with the help of God. I'm praying
for a multitude of young people to be touched by Rachel's example and take up
the blood-stained torch that fell from her hand and make it burn brightly for
Christ! We are establishing a memorial fund for Rachel's family. Anyone wishing
to contribute may send it to "The Rachel Scott Martyr Fund" in care of: Trinity
Christian Center, 6500 Coal Mine, Littleton, Colorado, 80123. Please feel free
to forward this message to any you feel led to. This could be an hour of great
victory for Christ in our nation. With your prayers, and the grace of God, it
will be... Sincerely in Jesus' love and blessing, Pastor Bruce Porter
Celebration Christian Fellowship cellebrate@pcisys.net
___________________________________ Update #5 April 25, 1999 A very brief
update. I'll try to share more later. First, I want to make a clarification
about an earlier report I sent out regarding Rachel Scott's profession of faith.
As you may easily understand, in the heat of tragic and highly emotional events
such as this, factual information is difficult to obtain. As more time passes,
and eyewitnesses have opportunity to clarify their stories, sometimes it is
necessary to revise or even rescind certain reports. All anyone can hope to do
in such a situation is give as faithful testimony as humanly possible.
Apparently, it is now becoming clear that the quote previously attributed to
Rachel Scott regarding her belief in God in the face of her murder's question
was actually spoken by another Christian girl before she was killed, Cassie
Bernall. In saying this however, I must remind you that according to what we can
gather, the killers did not ask this question exclusively of Cassie, but quite
probably posed the question "Do you believe in God?" to several of the victims
who were known to be outspoken believers. In the case of Rachel, we now know
that she was shot just outside the cafeteria with another boy who was shot
several times as he fled. He miraculously survived and is recovering in the
hospital. We are waiting for his account of what happened as soon as he can
share it. We also know that Rachel was initially shot in the leg, and the killer
then walked up to her, said something to her, and then fired the fatal bullet.
Everyone who knew her well has said there is not the slightest doubt that had
she actually been asked about her faith, she would have unhesitatingly answered
boldly in the affirmative that she loved the Lord. She knew her killer, as she
shared a class with him, and he would have been well aware of her outspoken
Christian testimony. Apparently, several Christian kids were singled out and
killed execution-style. We will have to wait for more information, but in the
meantime we can confirm without hesitation that Rachel's Christian testimony was
clear, unequivocal, and well known by all her classmates. I hope this clarifies
the issue somewhat. I'm just trying to be as accurate as we possibly can be in a
very difficult situation with new information coming to light every day.
Rachel's funeral has apparently touched the world powerfully. It was a privilege
to play a small role in this unfolding drama. Thanks to all who are praying.
I'll try to share more tomorrow on the massive memorial service held today. We
continue to pray that the torch of truth that Rachel and the other slain
Christian martyrs will be picked up by the youth of America, and shine brightly
to the entire world! Your servant in Jesus, Pastor Bruce Porter
b-porter@pcisys.net P.S. My apologies to all who have written email. My e-box is
jammed full, and I'm physically unable to answer each one. I'll try to answer as
many as possible in the days and weeks to come. In the mean time, know that your
notes of encouragement, prophetic words, and prayers are tremendously
strengthening and encouraging! Through your powerful undergirding, the Body of
Christ won a great victory at the funeral. We were told by CNN that the
broadcast of Rachel's funeral captured the greatest audience worldwide than
anything previous in the network's history. _______________________________
Update #6 April 28, 1999 It's therapeutic for me to share my heart with you. So
much has happened in the past three days... Thanks to everyone who has written,
phoned, emailed, and prayed for our community, and for the families and victims.
The skies began to clear a little yesterday. It seems that even the heavens have
been weeping since last Wednesday. Rachel's funeral was a supernaturally moving
event. Millions of people around the world wept with us as we mourned our
losses. There were nearly 3,000 people in attendance as we witnessed so many of
her friends share special aspects of her life. It was evident that her Christian
testimony made a major impact on everyone who knew her. As mentioned earlier in
another post, CNN aired the entire service live around the world. We were told
by the CNN representative afterward that they had the largest viewing audience
in their history! Possibly hundreds of millions of people around the world had
an opportunity to hear the gospel as reflected in this beautiful young woman's
life! We had an opportunity to challenge the young people present to take the
bloodstained torch of God's love in Christ that had fallen from the hand of
Rachel and hold it high. When I asked: "Who will take up this torch?", hundreds
of young people jumped to their feet and held up their arms to stand with
Rachel. It was an electrifying moment. I could sense the tangible presence of
God, and the angels seemed to hover over that great crowd as the youths seemed
to stand as one person, and express their determination to walk as Rachel walked
in Christ!! I'm told that at that pivotal moment, young people around the nation
jumped to their feet where they were watching and made that pledge. Now, we must
find ways to help them to do what must be done. With God's help and wisdom, we
will know. The burial service was private. Rachel's casket was placed in a
special plot dedicated and donated by the mortuary called: "The Columbine
Memorial Garden." By the way, the funeral service provided everything, and I do
mean EVERYTHING to Rachel's family at NO CHARGE! As we gathered around the grave
site, a lone bagpiper played a mournful yet sweet Scottish dirge. All was silent
as each of us pastors uttered some word over Rachel. As I rose to speak, I was
moved to observe that just as the newly fallen snow covered the ground around
us, just so God's amazing grace so covers us and makes us pure and white in His
sight. That this hallowed ground, broken and scarred by this grave and the
saddened by the presence of the lifeless body of one so cruelly and unjustly
slain, so lovely, so young, so pure, so innocent, would be covered over with
such pure white snow so as to make all beneath lovely and pristine. I again felt
the holy presence of my Father, and the Holy Spirit. We have sorrow and joy at
the same time, for although weeping may endure for a night, joy comes in the
morning. I looked over to Rachel's mother and father. It is so heartbreaking to
see a parent bury a child! An ancient proverb states that when a parent buries a
child, they bury a part of themselves. Rachel's brothers and sisters wept
softly, and it seemed that the angels themselves wept with us as a light rain
began to fall. Oh the hope of the resurrection of the dead! How dispairing it
would be if it were not for the holy promise in the scriptures that one day, and
quite possibly soon, Rachel and every other saint who sleeps in death will arise
from the grave! As I said in an earlier correction, the quote originally
attributed to Rachel which said: "Yes I do" when asked by the gunman if she
believed in God was actually uttered by two other martyrs that fateful day. One
was Cassie Burnall, who bravely died when she answered that question, and
another Christian girl, Valeen Schnurr Valeen survived. +++++++++++++++ Here's a
clipping from the Rocky Mountain news dated 4/27. "Valeen was studying in the
library last Tuesday with her good friend Lauren Townsend when a teacher ran in
yelling about a gunman and warning the students to take cover. Valeen and Lauren
huddled together, listening to the guns and bombs in the cafeteria below.
Slowly, in dribs and drabs, she has told her parents what happened next. She saw
the two gunmen come into the library and walk past the area where she hid. She
thinks they threw a pipe bomb because she saw books flying. She heard others
students being shot, some pleading for their lives. The screams coming from her
end of the room drew the gunmen's attention, and they came back her way, guns
blazing. When bullets and shrapnel hit Valeen, she slumped and clutched her
abdomen. "Oh my God, oh my God!" she remembers saying. "God!" one of the gunmen
taunted her. "Do you really believe in God?" Moments earlier, Valeen saw what
happened when Cassie was asked the same question and answered yes. "Val was
scared to say 'yes,' " says Valeen's mother. "But she was scared to say 'no,'
because she thought she was dying." Finally, she told the gunman, "Yes, I
believe in God." "Why?" he asked, as he stopped to reload. "I do believe in
God," she said, "and my Mom and Dad have taught me about God." She thinks she
babbled on for a few seconds after that, but her memory is fuzzy. Finally she
remembers crawling away, under a table. And then the gunmen left. "She thinks
crawling away may have saved her life," says her mother. She lay under the
table, holding Lauren's hand. When someone yelled "They're leaving. Everybody
out!" she touched Lauren's face and said, "Wake up, its time to get out!" "She
told me, 'I tried hard Mom!" Shari Schnurr says, "But she wouldn't wake up!"
Lauren Townsend did not survive. Valeen tightly wrapped her sweatshirt around
her middle, to keep pressure on her wounds, and tried to carry Lauren out, "but
she knew she was too weak," her mother says, "she had to leave her." Written by:
Rebecca Jones, News Staff Writer, Rocky Mountain New +++++++++++++++ You can get
a sense of the horror these children endured. It is now clear that the killers
were singling out classmates that were believers. The consistency of their
question, "Do you believe in God?" in the case of these two girls gives reason
that in all likelihood, Rachel Scott was also confronted in a similar way. We
know that Rachel was sitting outside the cafeteria with another boy. The killers
approached and shot Rachel in the leg. The boy fled, and was shot several times
before he fell. He survived. The gunman then leaned over Rachel, and from the
best accounts available, had a brief exchange with her. He then fatally shot
her. She died instantly from the wound to her head. Because of her well-known
reputation as a high-profile believer, it is a near certainty that Rachel was
confronted about her faith before she was slain. In any case, all who knew her
indicate that she would have unhesitatingly answered "Yes" to such a question.
Today, the exact day one week ago that these students were killed or injured, I
visited Rachel's family home and prayed with them. In Denver, at exactly the
moment the attacked occurred last week, all radio stations went blank for one
minute. Church bells tolled mournfully, and people stopped what they were doing
and remembered. The sun came out today. Maybe we're all beginning to heal a
little. I still cry at odd times. Most of us do it seems. Funerals are going on
all week as we try to bury our children and pick up the pieces once again.
Rachel and the other slain children have become everyone's children. As we mourn
together, we learn anew the preciousness of life, and how easily it can slip
away. Out of this disaster, we are witnessing an amazing opening of the hearts
of people to the things of God. We've seen more people turn to Jesus in the past
week than we've ever seen. God is doing something that is spreading all over the
nation. Tomorrow I am off to Virginia Beach to be a guest on CBN's 700 club on
Thursday morning. Please pray for me that I will be supernaturally enabled to
faithfully represent our community to the nation's Christians. More than this,
pray that I will be able to inspire the viewers to "Take up the torch" that fell
from the hands of Rachel and Cassie. I'm praying that these deaths will be the
pivotal point in a new and fresh move of God among our nation's youth. Please
join me. The killing will not stop with more gun laws, more psychology, more
computers in the classrooms, more money for teacher's salaries, etc. Only when
there is a change in the hearts of our youth can we hope to stop the slaughter.
Jesus can make that difference, and we can encourage and embolden the youth of
America to stand up and demand safer schools by confronting evil in their midst.
It's nearly 1:30 am and I have to get up in a few hours and catch a plane.
Goodnight, and I love you. Pastor Bruce Porter Update #7 May 7, 1999 Littleton,
CO It's been over a week since my last update. I've sat down so many times and
tried to write, but it was just too painful. Part of me wants to somehow forget
what has happened here, and yet, my heart tells me that pain can often serve as
a volume knob so we can more clearly discern the voice of God. The time of
ministry with the 700 Club in Virginia Beach was refreshing. The sweet saints
there were so very gracious and sensitive. I truly felt reinvigorated after
being among them, even though the schedule was tight. I was afforded the
distinct honor of addressing the CBN staff in their chapel service after the
interviews, and there was such a sweet presence of the Lord there in the worship
and fellowship. I pray that my humble remarks served to strengthen and encourage
them in the amazing ministry God has raised up among them. When I flew home to
Denver later that night, I drove directly from the airport to the memorials set
up in the park adjacent to Columbine H.S. I was so tired, but wanted to spend
some quiet time there to collect my thoughts. As I stood before Rachel's car,
covered over with so many flowers and cards that one could scarcely discern the
automobile underneath, it began to rain heavily. I couldn't move. Such a sense
of grief and sorrow overcame me, that I just stood there in the pouring rain
weeping, mingling my tears with those of so many others. That's when I became
angry. I became angry that this slaughter of the innocents had occurred in MY
town, down the street from MY church, and on MY watch. I felt angry at a society
seemingly gone mad, glorifying filth and violence and selfish indifference.
Angry at myself for being so self-absorbed in the past, not wanting to see the
warning signals, and seeking comfort zones of denial instead of caring more. I
was angry at the devil for using the opportunities we all granted him through
our selfish preoccupation to destroy our youth, and lay waste our people. I
remain angry, however it's not simply an emotion of anger, no, but rather more
like a rising sense of determined conviction that I must DO SOMETHING. Columbine
H.S. has become synonymous in my mind with a sort of spiritual PEARL HARBOR
event! I am convinced that millions of others are feeling same way. These young
people of Columbine, who shed their blood and lives at the hands of what can
only be described as demon-possessed maniacs, have left us a precious gift. It
is a gift of COURAGE. Courage to stand up for what is right, true, and just!
Rachel's mom gave me a precious gift the other day, and granted permission to
share it with the world. She revealed an entry from Rachel's diary that she
discovered while going through her things. This has to be one of the most
heart-wrenching tasks a surviving parent must accomplish when a child dies. The
power and beauty of Rachel's words lie primarily in the fact that she reveals a
REAL person, who struggled with the same temptations, struggles, and rejections
that all the rest of us have to deal with. The awesome thing about Rachel is
that she found the grace from God to overcome her personal pain and continue to
love those who hurt her. Please walk for a few moments with this beautiful young
woman... Rachel penned these words exactly one year to the day before her death.
April 20, 1998, (Age 16) "It's like I have a heavy heart and this burden upon my
back... but I don't know what it is. There is something in me that makes me want
to cry... and I don't even know what it is. Things have definitely changed. Last
week was so hard... besides missing Breakthru... [A Christian youth ministry] I
lost all of my friends at school. Now that I have begun to "walk my talk", they
make fun of me. I don't even know what I have done. I don't really have to say
anything, and they turn me away. I was talking to (name withheld..) and I
realized so much. I know what they're thinking every time I make a decision to
resist temptation and follow God. They talk behind my back and call me "the
preacher's churchgoing girl..." In the last 6 months my friends have changed.
There are five of them. We all went to church and were on fire for God. We were
close and talked about everything. (name withheld..) was the first to change.
She went from a preppie, sweet girl to trenchcoat pot-trippin' city. She slit
her wrists not too long ago because she likes the sight of blood. Then there's
(name withheld..). She only cares about being popular. A couple of months ago
her dad was diagnosed with cancer and since then she has been so worried with
image. Then there's (name withheld..) who has become very conceited and
self-centered. (name withheld..) now is turning to guys. She hasn't slept
w/anyone, but has done EVERYTHING else. Now, (name withheld..). She loves to
drink. I used to drink with her some, but since I've stopped she thinks I am
such a loser, and that God is just a phase for me. I have no more personal
friends at school. But you know what?... I am not going to apologize for
speaking the name of Jesus, I am not going to justify my faith to them, and I am
not going to hide the light that God has put into me. If I have to sacrifice
everything... I will. I will take it. If my friends have to become my enemies
for me to be with my best friend Jesus, then that's fine with me. Ya know, I
always knew that part of being a Christian is having enemies... but I never
thought that my "friends" were going to be those enemies. It's all good, I'm
just a loner now at school. I just wish that someone from Breakthru (Christian
Ministry) went to my school." Always in Christ, Rachel Joy *********************
I'll leave you to ponder her words. Next time, I'm going to share a plan that I
believe God is giving that will launch a major move of God in our nation's
schools. Look around you. Change is in the air. Hunger is everywhere. Let's be
wise and seize the opportunity we've been given. For those who have requested a
tape of either my comments at Rachel's funeral or the 700 Club interview, you
may now view portions of them from our church's web site using RealAudio. The
program is free from the web page. If you wish to order a tape of the funeral
from CNN, you may call 1-800-266-6397. There will be a charge. We simply do not
have the staff to distribute the tapes to the many hundreds who have requested
it... Just point your browser to: www.pcisys.net/~cellebrate You may also visit
Rachel's web site: www.racheljoyscott.com Then click on the button titled
"Rachel" May the Lord bless and keep you as you take up the Torch once carried
by these precious young martyrs! Yours in Christ, Pastor Bruce Porter
b-porter@pcisys.net
The song clip that auto plays on this page is
a
moving track done by the awesome crew at MSNBC
