Monday, September 06, 2004
The tragedy in Russia has been sad and horrific for me. While I hope that more Russians (my missionary cousins also) will decide to homeschool their children, I don't believe that these terrorists will stop at taking over schools. My aunt just sent me an e-mail asking me to pray for the Russian people. I had a hard time keeping tears back as I read. Here are some excerpts from her forward:
"Dear Partners in the Gospel,
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! In recent days
we have received the shocking reports of the massacre of precious children,
their parents and teachers at the Beslan Middle School in Northern Ossetia
in the Caucasas Region of Russia. Here at Slavic Gospel Association we
have closely watched all the media reports and also been in contact with
the local Christian community in Beslan. Such depraved evil directed at
innocent children is beyond my ability to process. Our tears are flowing,
especially for the Christian families, and for all who have lost loved ones to
such horrific brutality.
The president of the Russian Baptist Union (Union of Evangelical
Christians- Baptists of Russia or UECB) Pastor Yuri Sipko visited the
Beslan catastrophe site on Saturday. He asked me to thank Christian
brothers and sisters in North America for their prayers and expressions of
love for the victims and their families. Pastor Sipko sent the following report
and asked me to forward it to concerned churches and individuals.
"The UECB Baptist Church in Beslan is located near the school where the
great tragedy occurred. The pastor’s name is Michael. Eleven children
from the church families were held hostage and terrorized by the
attackers. Of the eleven Baptist children who were held hostage, three are
now at home and one boy is in the hospital. One woman from the church,
Irina, was able to escape from the school with one of her children but saw
her 9-year old son shot to death in front of her eyes. Another member of
the Baptist church is also named Irina and she has not been able to find
her child.
Sergei(Konstantine) Totiev is a church planter in the area sponsored by
the Kodiak Bible Chapel in Kodiak, Alaska. He and his wife had three
children among the hostages. Their nine year old daughter, Anna, is
believed dead, but it is still unconfirmed. Their twelve year old son,
Azamat, is in the hospital with a severe eye injury. Their younger child is
still missing.
Sergei(Konstantine) has a brother named Temuraz. He and his wife have
five children. One daughter, Magina, was hospitalized for a short time but
is now home. They are trying to find their other four children.
Please pray for the following children of Sergei Totiev and his brother
Temuraz Totiev who are still missing. They are Dzerassa age 15, Anna 9,
Larisa 14, Luba 12, Albina 11, and Boris 8.
Today I spoke with the superintendent of the Baptist churches in the
region, brother Victor Levashov and also with the pastor from nearby
Vladikavkas, Peter Lunichkin. Yesterday Peter visited with Sergei and
Teimuraz Totiev. The situation in Beslan is difficult. They are grateful for
your greetings and concern, but they are in shock. There are more than
400 children in the hospitals. Many are badly injured and burned.
Identifying the injured is extremely difficult. Many are so traumatized that
they are unable to say their names or the names of their parents.
Identifying the bodies of those who have died is equally difficult as many
of them were killed by explosions and the ensuing fires. It is felt that the
number who have perished will reach five hundred.
Please pray often for all the families that have been affected. Pray for the
pastors and the churches who are seeking to minister to all who have lost
precious little loved ones. Pray that the Lord will grant them great wisdom
and enduring strength in handling the situation and make them channels
of Christ's great love for all the victims and their families. Again, your
prayers and concern are deeply appreciated."
Pastor Yuri Sipko for the UECB of Russia.
|
"Dear Partners in the Gospel,
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! In recent days
we have received the shocking reports of the massacre of precious children,
their parents and teachers at the Beslan Middle School in Northern Ossetia
in the Caucasas Region of Russia. Here at Slavic Gospel Association we
have closely watched all the media reports and also been in contact with
the local Christian community in Beslan. Such depraved evil directed at
innocent children is beyond my ability to process. Our tears are flowing,
especially for the Christian families, and for all who have lost loved ones to
such horrific brutality.
The president of the Russian Baptist Union (Union of Evangelical
Christians- Baptists of Russia or UECB) Pastor Yuri Sipko visited the
Beslan catastrophe site on Saturday. He asked me to thank Christian
brothers and sisters in North America for their prayers and expressions of
love for the victims and their families. Pastor Sipko sent the following report
and asked me to forward it to concerned churches and individuals.
"The UECB Baptist Church in Beslan is located near the school where the
great tragedy occurred. The pastor’s name is Michael. Eleven children
from the church families were held hostage and terrorized by the
attackers. Of the eleven Baptist children who were held hostage, three are
now at home and one boy is in the hospital. One woman from the church,
Irina, was able to escape from the school with one of her children but saw
her 9-year old son shot to death in front of her eyes. Another member of
the Baptist church is also named Irina and she has not been able to find
her child.
Sergei(Konstantine) Totiev is a church planter in the area sponsored by
the Kodiak Bible Chapel in Kodiak, Alaska. He and his wife had three
children among the hostages. Their nine year old daughter, Anna, is
believed dead, but it is still unconfirmed. Their twelve year old son,
Azamat, is in the hospital with a severe eye injury. Their younger child is
still missing.
Sergei(Konstantine) has a brother named Temuraz. He and his wife have
five children. One daughter, Magina, was hospitalized for a short time but
is now home. They are trying to find their other four children.
Please pray for the following children of Sergei Totiev and his brother
Temuraz Totiev who are still missing. They are Dzerassa age 15, Anna 9,
Larisa 14, Luba 12, Albina 11, and Boris 8.
Today I spoke with the superintendent of the Baptist churches in the
region, brother Victor Levashov and also with the pastor from nearby
Vladikavkas, Peter Lunichkin. Yesterday Peter visited with Sergei and
Teimuraz Totiev. The situation in Beslan is difficult. They are grateful for
your greetings and concern, but they are in shock. There are more than
400 children in the hospitals. Many are badly injured and burned.
Identifying the injured is extremely difficult. Many are so traumatized that
they are unable to say their names or the names of their parents.
Identifying the bodies of those who have died is equally difficult as many
of them were killed by explosions and the ensuing fires. It is felt that the
number who have perished will reach five hundred.
Please pray often for all the families that have been affected. Pray for the
pastors and the churches who are seeking to minister to all who have lost
precious little loved ones. Pray that the Lord will grant them great wisdom
and enduring strength in handling the situation and make them channels
of Christ's great love for all the victims and their families. Again, your
prayers and concern are deeply appreciated."
Pastor Yuri Sipko for the UECB of Russia.
