Posted on 12/10/2007 8:56:33 PM PST by joanie-f
Since the tragic shootings yesterday at the two churches in Colorado I have been intrigued by the story of Jeanne Assam, the volunteer civilian security guard who took down the shooter at the New Life Church in Colorado Springs.
I watched an online interview with her – her first since the shootings – this afternoon, and came away with the knowledge that standing before me was a genuine modern American hero ... and a true soldier of God.
Many in the media will downplay her heroism, for reasons that are obvious to those of us who are school in their anti-liberty, anti-Second Amendment, anti-Christian bias. But be not mistaken: Jeanne Assam is indeed an American hero.
Assam, and the other dozen or so civilian security personnel at New Life Church, are all members of the New Life congregation, about half of whom are armed, and all of whom have undergone background checks, have successfully completed gun safety courses, and have CCW permits. They all volunteer because, as worshippers, they have a 'sense of ownership' at New Life. It is as if they are protecting their own home and family from intruders.
Senior Pastor at New Life, Brady Boyd, stated that Assam came to his office at 7:30 Sunday morning and informed him about the earlier shooting incident in Arvada. She strongly suggested additional security for the day's services at New Life. Pastor Boyd credits Assam for the heightened security, and for thus preventing significantly more bloodshed.
When twenty-three-year-old Matthew Murray began shooting in the parking lot of the New Life Church a few hours later, all chaos broke loose. Two sisters, Stephanie Works, 18, and Rachael Works, 16, were killed as they were getting into their van following the early service. Their father, David Works, 51, suffered two gunshot wounds -- one to the abdomen and one to the groin -- and is listed in fair condition at a local hospital.
Murray wore body armor, and was reportedly equipped with sufficient firepower (some accounts report that he was carrying as many as five hundred rounds) to bring down hundreds of people. For those who may believe that this estimate is inflated, consider the fact that reports indicate that approximately seven thousand people were tightly packed within and just outside the church at the time, and each round of Murray’s rifle ammo, if properly placed, might certainly have been capable of taking down several people. The potentiality of hundreds of victims was not at all out of the realm of possibility.
During her interview today, Jeanne Assam stated that she attends one of the morning services and then volunteers as a guard during a later service. She has had previous law enforcement experience, has had to draw her weapon countless times in tense situations related to her law enforcement experience, but has never shot anyone before.
I was deeply impressed by her humility, her quiet intelligence, and her Christian outlook. At the outset of her comments she stated, 'I want to extend my sympathy to the families of the victims, and of the gunman. And I mean that very sincerely.'
In describing yesterday’s sequence of events at New Life Church she reflected:
The shots were so loud that I thought he was inside. But he wasn’t even inside yet, he was just entering the church. There was chaos as the parishioners ran in all directions.
I just knew what I had to do. It seemed like it was me, the gunman, and God.
I saw him coming through the doors and I took cover. I came out of cover and identified myself, engaged him and took him down. I knew that I could not let this man harm any more people. I said, 'God, this is you.' I asked Him to be with me and He never left my side.
I want to do His will and not my will. Where I was weak, God made me strong. He filled me, He guided me, He protected me, and many other people.
Assam fired off about a dozen shots, three of which managed to circumvent Murray's body armor, and all of which were fired while he was moving in her direction.
When she was asked whether the previous day’s tragedy had prevented her from getting a good night’s sleep on Sunday night, she replied that she hadn’t slept a wink.
Assam is unmarried, and currently works for Messenger International, a Christian ministry organization. In connection with her affiliation there, she has found herself at a crossroads in her life and has been seeking to know God's will for her ... asking Him to provide direction and guidance. In an effort to clear her mind in that endeavor, she had been fasting for three days, with the support of other members of the ministry. Sunday was the third day of that fast, and she was in a somewhat weakened state as a result.
Toward the end of the interview, she was asked, 'What was in your mind when he went down?' and she responded:
'How awesome and powerful God is.'
She continued ... 'I've had some quiet time with God and have had a lot of people pray with me. I'm even more in awe of Him than I was before.'
It is people like Jeanne Assam -- armed, law-abiding citizens in all walks of life -- church members, teachers, students, pilots, factory workers, white-collar workers, etc. -- who will prevent such future shedding of innocent blood. Law enforcement generally arrives long after such tragedies occur – such as occurred in the recent shooting at the Omaha mall, where the killer accomplished his mission in less than five minutes, and the police didn't arrive until the mall was awash in innocent blood.
The Second Amendment proved its value this weekend when a legally armed, courageous, cool-headed American citizen saved the lives of many of her countrymen.
God preserve the Second Amendment. And God bless Jeanne Assam.
~ joanie
Allegiance and Duty Betrayed
And ‘Amen!’ to your hearfelt prayer, TM.
So does Massad Ayoub....
Clearly, this young lady was a practicing Christian, irrespective of the heritage of her name...which heritage may well pre-date the Christian heritage of many of our names if she came from on of those Egyptian, Lebanese, or even Iraqi Christian areas.
BUMP!
Clearly, this young lady was a practicing Christian, irrespective of the heritage of her name...which heritage may well pre-date the Christian heritage of many of our names if she came from on of those Egyptian, Lebanese, or even Iraqi Christian areas.
I have been reflecting on how to reply to the 'Assam sounds like a Muslim name' comments on this thread. Thank you for doing it so eloquently, and making it unnecessary for me to do so.
~ joanie
Allegiance and Duty Betrayed
The trashing has begun in earnest. The AP is now reporting that Jeanne Assam was fired from the Mpls Police Dept for lying. She was handling an incident on a bus and lost patience with the driver, swearing at him. The driver filed a complaint. She said that she had not sworn at the driver. Bus surveillance tapes proved that she had. So she was fired for lying.
Don't worry Jeanne. This story has not tarnished my admiration for you! It has, however, tarnished the reputation of the Mpls PD from my point of view. How many of us have said things in the middle of an angry moment that we failed to correctly remember hours or days (or in my case, sometimes even minutes!) afterwards? Firing her for that seems kind of extreme.
Minnesota's loss is Colorado's gain!
Hey Dave, it struck me that you might enjoy this article. :o)
Er, make that “well-written editorial.”
Just heard this:
The man who killed four people at a church and missionary training center was killed by a bullet he fired himself, though he was hit by shots from a church security officer, police said Tuesday.
Matthew Murray, 24, was struck multiple times by a security officer at New Life Church Sunday, but his death was ruled a suicide, the El Paso County Coroner’s Office concluded after an autopsy.
He gave it to her, she listened, and thus, as God's tool was there to confront the deranged killer, whom we now know was listening to a completely different set of voices in his head that he embraced and that drove him there to that Church in hopes of murdering as many as he possible could with his abundance of ammo and his body armor.
A lone girl, armed with one hand gun, and armed with the assurance that she was God's tool, in His hand, against a heavily armed and armored murderer, who had already killed and was anxious to kill many more, driven by the voiices in his head to do so and sure of his own course.
As clear a witness as you can or will find that God is abroad in the land, willing to whisper His instructions to those who have sought Him out, and prepared their heart to listen...and that there is another, evil voice, influencing and moving people towards heinous crime and acts of murder.
The trail of these two, Jeanne and Murray, and the desires, dictaters and listings of their hearts and to which voice they would give creedance and homage, led them there...God's will versus Satan's in that foyer.
It is a lesson, along with the clear second amendment lesson that I and others have already written of on this thread, that we should never forget...and that we should pass on to all who will hear.
They haven't started with the hate speech yet, but that's next, and to be expected.
Jesus said that the world would hate us. He who is a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
Her reward in Heaven will be great.
There is scuttlebutt about the killer having shot himself, but so far the sources on this are thin. Even if he did, this woman was still instrumental in bring about the shooters demise earlier than he planned. So good on 'er!
I don't believe that propaganda for a second. Liberal America is uncomfortable with heroes. It trashes their worldview.
bttt
Of course not. Her example contradicts all the Brady Bunch and the MMM has been trying to brainwash this country with. And a Christian to boot!
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
Barring gender, I’d say she’s fulfilled that precept.
Matthew Murray, 24, was struck multiple times by a security officer at New Life Church Sunday, but his death was ruled a suicide, the El Paso County Coroner's Office concluded after an autopsy.
Then they go to great lengths to tarnish Assam's reputation:
Also Tuesday, Minneapolis police Sgt. Jesse Garcia said Assam was fired from the Minneapolis force in 1997 for lying during an internal investigation. Sgt. John Delmonico, president of the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis, said police were investigating a complaint that Assam swore at a bus driver while she was handling an incident on a city bus.
It seems the MSM cannot tolerate an armed, Christian hero for very long. This was going against all their templates. They just have to shovel some dirt on her.
The MSM can spin it, we know the truth.
Then, while distracted by that 1st individual he was then confronted by this woman, who came at him directly, announcing herself and then shooting it out with him when he refused her surrender order. He missing her three or four time, she strikeing his body armor several times as she continued to advance...two of the bullets finding creases or seams and penetrated and ultimately knocking him down. Then she continuing to order him to stop, and ultimatly firing a final killing shot when he refused to do so there on the ground.
That is what I have heard to this point.
Suicide by couragous, volunteer, femal security guard perhaps?
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