addicted2jesus - a letter from my sister!

I received this mail from my sister, Sheba and wanted to share it with you

THIS HAPPENED IN OUR CITY: Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A

I work in the heart of downtown Atlanta. On Friday, March 11th, 2005 there was a deadly shooting rampage about two miles from my office building. Brian Nichols who was being taken to trial for a rape case allegedly attacked the officer and went on to kill three people, including the Judge. Amidst this violent outburst he managed to escape from authorities and was on the run, efficiently carjacking multiple times.

It was shocking.

We had to remain in our office for the most part being bound by heavy security. I was eager to meet Jitto in the evening and just go home, when we heard that Brian Nichols had lived in an apartment in our neighborhood before he was imprisoned. That made us very uncomfortable as we encountered heightened security and restlessness as we approached our apartment. The rest of our Friday evening saw us glued to the Television as we relied on news delegates to update us on the happenings. We so badly wanted the madness to have an ending. But every second had new information about another car he stole or another person on the street he attacked at gun point. We followed the news up until late at night and all we heard was the violence that Brian Nichols kept demonstrating, starting the biggest manhunt in the history of the state of Georgia.

The first thing we did the next morning is to grab the remote control hoping that the news will have some good news in store. Chills ran down our spine when we were informed that a U.S Customs Agent was shot to death in the vicinity and that Brian Nichols was still successfully evading capture. FBI suspected that he might still be in the Roswell / Gwinnet Area that is a few miles away from our apartment. These were random fatalities. Everybody in Atlanta was praying hard for his capture. The weather had just improved from ice to a warm 70 F and we were locked inside our apartments (Not that that was a major concern in the midst of tragedy)

At about 10 o'clock on that Saturday morning, the continuous news coverage mentioned that there was a hostage situation and they suspected that Brian Nichols had entered an apartment and was terrorizing people at gun point.

Again,..another random choice of target.

I hope you are still reading,....if you are curious to know where I m heading, I am writing this because the incident is more unbelievable and dramatic than any of us can imagine.

The next couple of hours made us very restless as the FBI and police released lesser information and we residents were anxious to know more about the situation. At 11:40 a.m, it was absolutely heavenly to hear the headlines pop-up : Brian Nichols captured: a peaceful surrender!

As we heaved a sigh of relief, what we heard about the hostage situation stumped us. Brian Nichols had forced himself into an apartment about 20 minutes from where Jitto and I live. He took Ashley Smith, a single mother of 26 years of age as hostage at 2:00a.m. at gun point. So, how did this man, killer of four lives, let the woman go and surrender to officials?

It was his encounter with Ashley.

While he was in her apartment, she talked to him and gained his trust. She even read the Bible out loud to him, while she was tied to her chair! She asked him if she could share her devotional with him and read Chapter 33 from the Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren and spoke to him about the Lord's purpose and timing! Are you with me? Isn't this unbelievable? She chose a criminal to share her God with. She did not condemn him, but actually made breakfast and served him. What ensued was a dramatic encounter that actually drove him to surrender. Ashley discussed God, miracles and hope. Her husband had died in her arms four years back as a stabbed victim and now she held her perfect peace as she came face to face with a killer.

Jitto and I gasped in awed wonder as we watched the events unfold before us. The power of the Lord's Word is simply amazing. We are reading the book " The Purpose Driven Life" together and we are not surprised that the words worked in Brian Nichols.

We are very grateful to God for His protection and safety. To be so close to such tragedy makes us shiver and realise how much we need Him every second. But we are also humbled to have experienced this episode.

God is still God. And we are excited to see Him use this to turn many hearts. Thousands are reaching for the Bible and this book for answers.

And as we have seen and heard,..the truth WILL set them free.

Sheba

For more information:

The incident: http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/03/12/atlanta.shooting/

http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/03/14/atlanta.summary/

Transcript of the interview with Ashley Smith : http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/03/14/smith.transcript/

THE O'REILLY FACTOR: Tonite on FOX TV:
The Purpose Driven Life : A lifesaver? ( http://www.foxnews.com/fnctv/index.html )

Article based on the incident: http://www.purposedrivenlife.com/absolutenm3/templates/articles.aspx?articleid=274&zoneid=17