Yesterday, as my middle school girl's Bible study was ending and I was saying goodbye to girls before they went out the door, my phone rang. Seeing it was my co-worker, I answered it. "You might not be able to leave the base, I think we're on lockdown." What? Why?, I answered. "Something went down in Frankfurt, and the base isn't sure if it was an isolated incident or if it's linked to a series of things." Still not knowing the full story or any details for that matter, I finished packing up my things, hopped in my car and headed for the gate, hoping to make it home for the evening before anything was shut down.
I was able to make it home. I went online and discovered that there had been a shooting at the Frankfurt airport, leaving 2 airmen dead and 2 injured. Wow, I had been at the Frankfurt airport earlier in that morning to pick up a new CSM couple and welcome them to the field.
As with any tragedy, our community was greatly impacted - both emotionally and physically. Immediately, the base went into a heightened security state, creating some delays and changes to the usual routines.
A good friend of mine is a missionary in a closed country - she has to be careful how she tells others about the work she's doing because it's a risk to be a Christian where she lives. As we were talking about that, I began to realize how much freedom I have as a believer in Germany. It's an open country where I can share my faith freely. However, the thing I have to be careful about here, is being a member of the American military community. Whenever we travel, it's important that we try to blend in as much as possible and to not stand out as an obnoxious American and to not share a lot (or anything really) about the military, so we don't become targets of terrorism. There are so many people around the world who do not support or remotely like our military and will do anything they can to stop or hamper our global efforts.
I feel this weight when I'm with students off base - whether it's getting coffee somewhere or traveling to a retreat. Our students safety is super important to us. Overall, I do feel very safe here. However, it's instances like these that serve as a wake up call and remind me of the fallen world we live in and the need for people to know and experience God's love and peace.
Would you pray for our students here as they process the shooting? With the travel opportunities in Europe and many cheap flight deals, a lot of families frequent the airport. Some students may really be fearful to get out and explore.
Would you pray for the families and friends of the fallen and injured Airmen? I don't yet know where they are from or what their stories are. I believe they may have just been passing through from another base onto a deployment.
On a different note...
This upcoming weekend, assuming the shootings and security measures don't prevent us from going, we'll be taking 8 students to a high school student leadership retreat. It's a weekend geared towards growth level students, who we believe are spiritually mature and have potential to minister to their peers. I'm encouraged by these students desires to go deeper in their relationships with the Lord and I'm really looking forward to time with them. Would you pray that God would continue to grow them and that He'd challenge them as they step out and lead their peers.
Thanks for praying team. You're a blessing to me and the military community in Ramstein. Thank you.
Blessings,
Beth
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