In October of 2006, Charlie Monville entered an Amish schoolhouse and killed 5 young girls before ending his own life.
On the weekend edition of Live the Promise we hear Susie’s conversation with Charlie’s widow Marie. They talk about how God brings beauty from pain and look at the amazing grace Marie experienced from the community her husband wounded.
Marie candidly tells her amazing story out of her book, One Light Still Shines.
Here are some of the things she and Susie discuss:
- Why Marie chose to finally break her silence
- How she and Charlie met
- The grief of losing their first child, and how Charlie was impacted by the loss
- The tragic events of October 2, 2006 and how Marie received the news of her husband’s actions
- How the Amish community came around Marie to protect her in the aftermath of the shooting
- The process of forgiveness and healing Marie and her children, and the Amish community walked through
- How to help children grieve
- What it means to live a life defined by love, rather than tragedy
We serve a redeeming and restoring God – after a day of gunfire and losing her husband to suicide, Marie and her children have found hope and peace in the promises of God. Marie says, in the midst of the darkness, questions and accusations coming against her, forgiveness “freed” her “into the loving arms of the Lord.” We need to ask God to help us see the beauty that He is working, even while our circumstances are fiery and uncertain. Marie remarried in the months after the shooting, and says her husband has been a rock in her life and the lives of her children.
Key Scriptures: Isaiah 51:3; John 10:10
Theme Song: You Stay Faithful by Mark Alan
Highlight : Rebuilding after a tragedy
Image: Flickr
