Virginia Tech

I guess being from New Zealand, I sometimes feel like I am immune to the drama and tragedy that so often affects far off places around the world.

Virginia, USA is on the otherside of the world and is a fairly low profile state of America. It has a special place in my life though. I have spent about 4 months of my life living there, which out of 22 years doesn't seem like a lot, but it was the furthest and longest I'd been away from 'home'. I spent that time at a rustic girls camp - 'Camp Strawderman' up in the hills of Western Virginia, near to Edinburg and Woodstock. I met many wonderful people at my time there and will never forget my time there.

When I saw on the news a few weeks ago about a shooting at Virginia Tech I just knew it was too close to home for there to be no camp girls there, or have family there. I mean, they sold t-shirts, pens, beer can coolers, hats and any other piece of College paraphanalia you could imagine at the Wal-Mart near camp. I didn't hear anything for over a week, so maybe everyone was fine. Wrong.

I had an email last week from one of the ladies at camp. In it she told me that one of the older girls who had been at camp both years I was there had been at the school and had been shot.
Thank God, the crazy guy had shot her in the leg three times and she survived.

She will come right physically soon enough, but who knows about the emotional impact it will have on her.

If you have a moment, pray for the families of those who were killed that day, but also think of those who are survivors.