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Amish School Shooting and Grace

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|October 2nd, 2006. It was a typical fall day. Birds could be heard in the distance and little else, except maybe the clip-clop of a horse's hoofs and the|

|rattling of a buggy heading down a back country road. It's normally quiet and peaceful in the rolling Amish farmlands of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. |

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|But that peace was shattered when the sound of gunfire was heard from inside an Amish school. When local police broke into the one-room Amish schoolhouse|

|they found 10 Amish girls ages 6-13 had been shot by Charles Carl Roberts IV, who had then committed suicide. |

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|School shootings are a far too frequent occurrence in this country. But this case openly displayed a clash of two different cultures - the modern, more |

|"advanced" American society and the withdrawn community of the Amish, who intentionally attempt to distance themselves from worldly influences. The |

|violence that is far too common in one society blasted its way into the non-violent, peaceful community of "the gentle people". |

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|The shooting took place at the West Nickel Mines Amish School, located about 12 miles southeast of Lancaster City. Nickel Mines is just a crossroads |

|within Bart Township, a local municipality with a population of roughly 3,000 Amish and English (the Amish term for the non-Amish). |

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|The school was a typical Amish one-room school with a school bell on the roof, two outhouses, a ball field, and an enclosed schoolyard. It was built in |

|1976. On the blackboard was a sign with a teddy bear. The sign read "Visitors Bubble Up Our Days". Twenty-six children, ages 6-13, from three different |

|local Amish church districts attended this school. |

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|Charlie Roberts was a milk truck driver who serviced the local community, including the farms of some of the victims' families. Nine years earlier his |

|wife Amy gave birth to their first child, a baby girl. However, the baby died after living only 20 minutes. Apparently his daughter's death affected him |

|greatly. He never forgave God for her death, and eventually planned to get revenge. |

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|On the morning of October 2nd Roberts said goodbye to two of his own children at the school bus stop, then drove to the West Nickel Mines Amish School. |

|When he walked in the door, some of the children recognized him. That day the school had four adult visitors - the teacher's mother, her sister, and two |

|sisters-in-law. One of the women was pregnant. When the young teacher saw his guns, she and her mother left the other adults with the children and ran to|

|a nearby house for help. A call was made to 911. |

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|The pregnant visitor was trying to comfort 7-year old Naomi Rose when Roberts ordered the adults to leave. Then he told the boys to leave. The boys |

|huddled near an outhouse to pray. Roberts had the 10 girls lie down facing the blackboard and he tied their hands and feet. Roberts told the girls he was|

|sorry for what he was about to do, but "I'm angry at God and I need to punish some Christian girls to get even with him." |

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|When the state police arrived, Roberts ordered them to leave the property or he would shoot. He told the girls, "I'm going to make you pay for my |

|daughter." One of the girls, 13-year old Marian, said, "Shoot me first." Roberts began shooting each of the girls before finally shooting himself. When |

|the police broke in to the school, two of the girls, including Marian, were dead. Naomi Rose died in the arms of a state trooper. |

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|Emergency personnel arrived quickly, and helicopters flew the wounded to hospitals in Lancaster, Hershey, Reading, and Delaware. Two sisters died later |

|that night in two different area hospitals. Amish parents tried to console themselves by saying the five girls who had died were "safe in the arms of |

|Jesus." |

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|Word about the shooting spread quickly throughout the Amish community. The shooting was reported on local television stations, and was soon picked up by |

|the national media. Reporters, photographers, and video crews invaded this rural countryside to report this story around the world. While the Amish |

|community strives to avoid publicity, this tragic event thrust their community in front of a worldwide audience. |

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|The Amish were obviously shocked by this incident and they collectively grieved for the children and their families. But that shock extended far beyond |

|just the Amish. This tragedy rocked all of Lancaster County. The day after the shooting, 1600 gathered for a prayer service at one local church, while |

|hundreds more met at other churches for prayer. All Lancaster County shared in the horror and grief of this tragedy. As one Amishman said, "Today, we're |

|all Amish." |

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|Some individuals and organizations hosted barbecues and other events to raise financial support for the victims' funds. Over 3,000 motorcyclists rode |

|together from nearby Chester County to Lancaster in a procession over 12 miles long. They raised over $30,000 in support. |

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|A number of funds were set up to accept donations for the families of the Amish girls who were shot, and for Roberts' wife and three young children. |

|Donations and sympathy flowed in not only from Lancaster County but from across the county and around the world. For months volunteers met at the Bart |

|Twp. Firehouse to sort through thousands of cards, letters, teddy bears, and other gifts from around the world. Some were addressed simply to "Amish |

|Families, USA". |

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|In all, over four million dollars was raised in support of the families. |

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|The horror of this school shooting was the story the reporters came to tell about. However, in the hours and days following the shooting another story |

|developed that also caught the world's attention - the story of Amish grace and forgiveness. Be sure to read about the Amish response to this tragedy. |

|Following the tragic Amish school shooting of 10 young schoolgirls in a one-room Amish school in October 2006, reporters from throughout the world |

|invaded Lancaster County, PA to cover the story. However, in the hours and days following the shooting a different, an unexpected story developed. |

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|In the midst of their grief over this shocking loss, the Amish community didn't cast blame, they didn't point fingers, they didn't hold a press |

|conference with attorneys at their sides. Instead, they reached out with grace and compassion toward the killer's family. |

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|The afternoon of the shooting an Amish grandfather of one of the girls who was killed expressed forgiveness toward the killer, Charles Roberts. That same|

|day Amish neighbors visited the Roberts family to comfort them in their sorrow and pain. |

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|Later that week the Roberts family was invited to the funeral of one of the Amish girls who had been killed. And Amish mourners outnumbered the non-Amish|

|at Charles Roberts' funeral. |

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|It's ironic that the killer was tormented for nine years by the pre-mature death of his young daughter. He never forgave God for her death. Yet, after he|

|cold-bloodedly shot 10 innocent Amish school girls, the Amish almost immediately forgave him and showed compassion toward his family. |

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|In a world at war and in a society that often points fingers and blames others, this reaction was unheard of. Many reporters and interested followers of |

|the story asked, "How could they forgive such a terrible, unprovoked act of violence against innocent lives?" |

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|The Amish culture closely follows the teachings of Jesus, who taught his followers to forgive one another, to place the needs of others before |

|themselves, and to rest in the knowledge that God is still in control and can bring good out of any situation. Love and compassion toward others is to be|

|life's theme. Vengeance and revenge is to be left to God. |

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|Read through some of the passages regarding Biblical forgiveness and love toward others and you'll better understand how the Amish were able to forgive. |

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|All of Lancaster County mourns the loss of these young girls and the terrible affect this has had on so many lives. We request your prayers for the |

|families of the children who died, as well as those children and adults who have lived through this terrible ordeal. We also ask your prayers for the |

|wife and three young children of the man who committed this senseless act. They, too, will have to live with this for the rest of their lives. |

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|For the follow-up to the story of this tragic shooting, see the aftermath of this tragedy. |

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