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Dear Person of Impact:
As we all recoil in shock and dismay at the events at Virginia Tech on Monday, April 16, let us recall to mind several things:
In the midst of growing darkness, Christ's light shines ever brighter still.
We live in a fallen world. II Timothy 3:13 tells that "evil men and imposters will proceed form bad to worse..." It is troubling, but the scriptures warn us of these things, and instruct us that the remedy is to focus our attention on Jesus Christ and the power He has to give us the ability to live on, serve Him, and give Him glory.
Join us in responding to the Virginia Tech tragedy in the following ways:
1) Pray for the families, friends and loved ones of those slain.
2) Pray for all of the students, faculty and staff at Virginia Tech. They are wrestling with both grief and fear in light of what they have seen, and the friends and associates they will not see again in this life.
3) Ask God to give all of us a clearer sense of the true nature of our existence and for the fruit of His Spirit (Galatians 5:22, 23) to be manifest in our lives.
- Love - for the lost (Matthew 9:36-38)
- Joy - from the knowledge that we are secure in Christ (Hebrews 13:5)
- Peace - in the midst of pain (John 14:27)
- Patience - with the trials, tribulations, and injustices of this life (John 16:33)
- Kindness - to see the needs of others when we are in need ourselves (Galatians 6:10)
- Goodness - allowing Christ to give us a sense of wholeness that can only come form Him. (Colossians 2:9,10)
- Gentleness - to recognize our limitations and engage in the good deeds Christ calls us to (Matthew 5:16; Ephesians 2:10)
- Self-Control - to discipline ourselves to avoid that which is empty and destructive (Hebrews 12;1,2)
Our Impact chapter at Virginia Tech, and our partners in Campus Crusade for Christ there need special prayer. No Impact students were injured, but four Campus Crusade participants lost their lives in the shooting tragedy.
Impact is in touch with many of the students there, but many have left to go home. We are prayerfully considering how we can show our support and provide comfort, encouragement, hope and healing to all who have been affected in Blacksburg. Look to hear more in the days to come. | 
