Posted on 12/27/2013 11:41:14 AM PST by dirtboy
STRASBURG, Pa. (AP) - Once a week, Terri Roberts spends time with a 13-year-old Amish girl named Rosanna who sits in a wheelchair and eats through a tube. Roberts bathes her, sings to her, reads stories. She can only guess what's going on inside Rosanna's mind because the girl can't talk.
Roberts' son did this to her.
Seven years ago, Charles Carl Roberts IV barricaded himself inside an Amish schoolhouse near Lancaster, tied up 10 girls and opened fire, killing five and injuring five others before committing suicide as police closed in.
The Amish responded by offering immediate forgiveness to the killer - even attending his funeral - and embracing his family.
Terri Roberts forgave, too, and now she is sharing her experience with others, saying the world needs more stories about the power of forgiveness and the importance of seeking joy through adversity.
"I realized if I didn't forgive him, I would have the same hole in my heart that he had. And a root of bitterness never brings peace to anyone," Roberts said. "We are called to forgive."
(Excerpt) Read more at philly.com ...
Simply amazing.
It must take a very special kind of person to be able extend forgiveness for something as horrible as this. I’ll never be that special, I’m afraid.
I remember this ... thanx for posting.
I remember when a fund was set up for the Amish survivors. The Amish insisted that a similar fund be set up for the murderer’s next of kin. I also remember donating to both.
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