January 10, 2007
Marked for Life: Choosing Hope and Discovering Purpose After Earth-Shattering TragedyHi Crystal. This is Suzie Eller and we are thrilled to have you at Real Teen Faith. Columbine was a turning point in our nation. It’s something that previous generations never thought of, and yet violence in schools has occured in many states across our nation. Thank you for sharing with the readers of Real Teen Faith.
Let’s get started:
Suzie: After Columbine, you traveled to Beslan, Russia to minister to others. What prompted you to make this decision?
Crystal: My trip to Beslan proved to be yet another eye opening, life changing and healing experience in my life. I had already witnessed so much in this broken and hurting world from living in places like Central America, and Africa, but this was different- it was about 5 years after the events at Columbine and I was already moving in the direction the Lord had given me.
So going to Beslan really confirmed once again He was using me in a unique way to be a part of the way He was moving in the world.
Whenever something tragic happens in the States or abroad, my heart is overcome with sorrow and my mind is distracted, and I cannot seem to do anything else until I have the opportunity to go and lend a helping hand. This was the case with the situation in Beslan- when that terrorist attack happened- I found myself glued to the television and reading everything in the newspaper related with the tragedy. I prayed that God would open the door for me to go and love on the people and bring His message of Hope. Sure enough- that open door presented itself through the ministry of Operation Christmas Child (a project of Samaritan’s Purse). I was asked to go and not only deliver shoe-boxes to the children affected by the tragedy, but speak and share that message of hope. I was so thankful, but also found myself at a lose for words. I couldn’t imagine what the people there had been through, but I knew that perhaps the Lord had allowed me to walk through the pains of Columbine for this purpose- to share the only hope that got me through; the unending love and salvation through Jesus.
It was difficult to see the school in shambles and imagine what devastation had occurred there. It was even more heart wrenching to see the faces of those who witnessed such violence, but it was also a life giving journey to use what I had been through to help others and bring the glory to the Lord.
Suzie: Can you tell me about Samaritan’s Purse? How can teens get involved in this ministry?
Crystal: Samaritan’s Purse is an organization that I profoundly respect. I have worked with them on and off for several years in many different countries and situations. I have watched the way they love people with the love of Christ by meeting their physical needs and then their spiritual needs as well.
The people there have given of their lives to see the lost won and as a result of their obedience, lives are being transformed daily through the power of Jesus Christ.
Samaritan’s Purse is an international relief organization, designed to help those in dire need after an emergency, then help them rebuild their lives, plus, bring spiritual restoration as well. They fashion their ministry after the biblical mandate set forth through the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10- to “go and do likewise.” They have a variety of programs from emergency relief, to community development, to medical missions, to HIV/AIDS programs, to children’s programs like OCC, to evangelism.
There are some different ways to get involved in Samaritan’s Purse, but unfortunately not many include going overseas with them. They are not a missions organization, unlike others.
You can pray- always pray- you can give of your money- but you can also get involved with Operation Christmas Child. Any body can make shoe-boxes and lots of them! It’s so easy- you take an empty shoe-box and wrap the lid separate from the bottom and choose whether you want to do one for a boy or girl. Then you go and purchase brand new items for your box that are age and gender appropriate. Things like necessity items- toothbrush/toothpaste, brush, and washcloth. You can get school supply items- pen/paper, crayons and coloring books. You can buy toys- which I believe are important to restore some of the innocence lost during wars, and natural disasters. Things like, yo-yo’s, slinky’s, noise-makers, silly putty, cars, dolls, balls, and stuffed animals. These things as simple as they may seem can brighten the life of a child and help them see the hope of Christ, who loves them and has not forgotten them.
It is an easy and tangible way to reach out to the world and share Christ with the broken, orphaned, widowed, weak and desperate.
Suzie: Your book is titled “Marked for Life”. What does that mean? Do you believe that every person is marked for life?
Crystal: I love the title of my debut book, “Marked for Life” because I believe it captures the journey I have been on over the past eight or so years, really the journey I have been on my whole life. I am no longer marked by bad choices, brokenness, being average, or the chains that hold me down- I am marked by Jesus himself- the one who offers hope, the one who offers purpose through the pain and beauty from the ashes.
I am marked by Christ and His overwhelming, extravagant love. I have been transformed, given His heart and the promise of eternity spent with Him forever. As a result, I want to go out and share that same message with the world in which I live. I want to mark my world!
Therefore, my book walks through the journey of my life from that fateful day on April 20th 1999 at Columbine High school, to the ways my perspective on the world around me changed after traveling the world from places like Kosovo, to Honduras, to El Salvador, to Mozambique, to South Africa, to Indonesia, to Hungary, to Russia, to Belize and others. I saw that I had a choice in my life- to either give up- throw in the towel and watch the passing of this life, or I could choose life and hope through a relationship with Jesus Christ!
I know that if I am able to rise above the tragedy at Columbine and use it for good in my life, then I know other people can do the same. Because all of us are faced with instances in our lives that can become defining moments- moments which indelibly mark our lives in the blink of an eye. Moments when we must choose despair and bitterness, or life and hope. We can all allow God to use these moments to deepen our character and faith, and use them as a catalyst to greater the world around us. The choice is one we all have before us- everyday we are faced with that choice in fact. No one can make it for us, we must choose it on our own.
In this life it is easy to settle for average and let the crowd drive our decisions, but I am a firm believer that a better life awaits those who so choose Christ and all He has for us. A life that is full of joy and inspiration, one that gives way to the big dreams of our hearts, the ones put there by Christ. I think it is there that we find life- we find our niche or our mark. It is not easy by any means, but it is worth it.
The time is now to leave your mark on this world… before the world has the chance to leave its mark on you. Because the enemy and this world seeks to define us, but we can find our worth, our identity and our destiny in Christ!
How to pack a shoebox: http://www.samaritanspurse.com/OCC_PackAShoeBox.asp
To find out more about Crystal Miller, please go to her website.
