Dear Sweet Mamas: A powerful and emotional open letter to the mothers of the Oregon shooting victims

'Their lives were not in vain, nor were their deaths'

Several reports stated that the gunman who killed nine at the Umpqua Community College in Oregon specifically targeted Christians. 

Although the motive behind the shooting has yet to be verified, one victim's father relayed his daughter's story that they were asked if they were Christians or not before being shot at. A mother who was struck by the intensity of the supposed hate crime wrote a heartfelt letter to all the mothers of those who died after bravely saying "yes" when asked if they were believers. 

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Stacy Boylan said his daughter Anastasia heard the suspect asking a question before shooting his victims. In an interview, Mr. Boylan shared his daughter's story: 

"This man ... was able to stand there and start asking people one by one what their religious was. 'Are you a Christian?' he would ask them. And if you're a Christian, stand up. And they would stand up, and he said, 'Good, because you're a Christian, you're going to see God in just about one second.' And then he shot and killed them."

After hearing the story, Jenny Rapson was hit hard. There are people existing with hatred against Christianity who are willing to commit bloody murder while she, a mother of 3, is raising her children to live as Christians. 

The For Every Mom editor was struck by the brave declarations of the victims, who chose not to deny their faith despite the obvious death before them. Through a letter, she expressed her grief with all the victims' mothers and swore that she would remember them.

"Dear Sweet Mamas,
"I know you are hurting today. I won't pretend I know how badly. I am a mom of three and the thought of not having my kids with me here on this earth scares and pains me and makes me feel short of breath. That that is a reality for you today, I am so, so sorry. I am grieved for you. I have shed tears for you and my heart breaks," wrote Rapson on the site For Every Mom.

"But I don't feel what you feel. I have to ask God to feel that for you, because I know He does. I have to ask him when I pray for you, as I have been doing constantly over the last 20 hours, to wrap you in His arms and to breathe sweet words of comfort in your ears. He knows the pain of a murdered child. He knows the pain, as you do, of a child who was murdered for his faith.

"Yesterday, a 26-year-old man whose name I won't give more fame to walked up to your child and said 'Are you a Christian?' and your child said 'Yes'.

Then he shot them in the head. He walked up to some other moms' children and asked the same, and if they said 'no' he still wounded them, but he let them live..."

The letter continued, with Rapson saying she hopes her children, ages 18, 21 and 23, will also have a deep bond with Christ and stand in His name the same way the victims did. 

"To LIVE is Christ, and to DIE is gain, and your children PROVED that yesterday. May we all look to them and BE STRENGTHENED."

Rapson wrote that she was inspired and promised the mothers that she would "NOT forget [their] children. Their lives were not in vain, nor were their deaths."

She also thanked the mothers for raising their children with love. She added "But Mama. Your child was able to look into the face of God yesterday and hear 'well done'.

"And I'm pretty sure you had a lot to do with that."

To read the full letter, please click here.

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