Rick Yeomans is a veteran of counseling people in the aftermath of disasters and tragedies.

Rick Yeomans, assistant chief senior chaplain at the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, at center, is shown here with youth he counseled at the Youth With a Mission missionary training center in Arvada, Co., where a gunman on Dec. 9 killed two staff members and wounded two others. (Photo by Barry Gutierrez, Rocky Mountain News)

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For 2 1/2 hours Rick Yeomans worked to ease the pain of 17 young people who shared with him a bloody encounter with a gunman that left them petrified, two people dead and two others injured at a youth ministry in Arvada, Colo.

Gunman Matthew Murray’s rampage didn’t stop with the killings in the early hours of Dec. 9 at the Youth With a Mission missionary training center, where he was told he couldn’t spend the night.

Twelve hours later, police said, Murray opened fire again in the parking lot of the New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colo., killing two teen-age sisters and wounding three others.

A volunteer security guard shot and wounded Murray, 24, before Murray turned the gun on himself.

Yeomans, who is assistant chief senior chaplain at the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, arrived at the Youth With a Mission center in Arvada on Dec. 13 to counsel the traumatized young people there.

Yeomans, 51, of San Juan Capistrano, is a veteran of counseling people in the aftermath of disasters and tragedies. In August he launched Emergency Ministry Service, now headquartered at Christian Mission Church in Laguna Niguel.

Q What did you learn from the youth?

A These were kids whose bedrooms were either off the main hallway or directly across the hallway where (Murray) confronted the two staffers. Someone said (the gunshots) sounded like someone had thrown a steel folded chair and it landed on the ground. Many of them came down to the hallway, and what do they see in the hallway — two kids lying on the ground in a puddle of blood and he turns towards them and starts shooting.

One student told me he prayed, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. Please don’t let him come in here and kill me.” Others said they could smell the gun powder and literally smelled the blood. (Murray) said, “You Christians are all gonna die.”

I heard the stories but the chaos that must have been in the dormitories, I just can’t imagine. There were kids running into the building; the shooter actually ran past some boys who had come back from bowling. It was absolutely chaotic. All the 17 were directly involved in what went on in the hallway. They either ran through or were telling those down on the ground to hang on.

Q What effect does this have on you?

A There’s an auto pilot part of my personality because I have been in police cars a lot of years. So I have seen my share of things and you do learn to deal with it. Maybe a little negative of it would be that your skin gets a little thick. I think there’s a calling for things like this. I’d run towards the shots to help than run away.

It’s draining. You’ve heard the phrase: “There are very few atheists in foxholes.” It will cause you to despair on the human condition or drive you to your knees to seek a greater source of strength than myself. I still believe God’s in charge but things like this happen in this world.
(Yeomans stayed at the Youth With a Mission center for a couple of days and then went to the mega-church in Colorado Springs, where he attended a service a week after the shooting.)

Q How was that?

A It was wonderful to go into that church service on Sunday morning, to be amongst the community. This is a humongous community. It was a church service not about despair, not about negative things … but about how the God that we love is still in control and the strength that He’s given to all the people who have been affected by this. It was an incredible service. 

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To learn more:

Read more about Yeomans work.

Read about Yeomans’ Emergency Ministry Service at www.rockoc.org

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- Vik Jolly, Orange County Register. The Associated Press contributed to this report

International events in the coming week

Pope Benedict XVI addresses cardinals Friday in the Clementine Hall at the Vatican. Pope Benedict repeated on Friday the Vatican’s willingness to have a constructive dialogue with China’s communist government. In Christmas greeting with cardinals, the Pope spoke of a letter sent in June to China’s Catholics, who are split between those in a state-backed patriotic church and those who worship in a so-called underground church loyal to him. He celebrates Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve in St. Peter’s Basilica. (Brief below) REUTERS/Danilo Schiavella/Pool (VATICAN

Sunday:

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan – Presidential elections. Incumbent Islam Karimov, who has ruled Central Asian nation with iron fist since before Soviet collapse of 1991, expected to win. Other candidates are officials from pro-government political parties.

BANGKOK, Thailand – General elections, the first since 2006 military coup deposed former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Vote comes after almost two years of instability beginning with popular demonstrations demanding Thaksin step down. His allies expected to gain most seats. (more…)

As Jesus’ birth approaches, Bishop Tod Brown reminds Catholics of its meaning.

By BILL CUNNINGHAM

The Orange County Register

As one of the holiest days of the Christian year approaches, Orange County residents are scurrying from mall to mall. Many of these shoppers have a great deal of information about gifts but few facts about the celebration itself.

CLICK HERE TO SEE VIDEO 

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Read previous “In the Spirit” posts and see videos: Select the “Faith and beliefs” category on the right side of the screen.

Tune in to KDOC TV’s “OC Daybreak” between 6-8 a.m. every Friday to see “In the Spirit” with Bill Cunningham discussing his weekly visit with practitioners of different faiths. 

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(more…)

The plight of India’s women

 At more than 564 million, the number of females in India is about 90 million larger than the populations of the United States, Russia and Canada combined. Despite the country’s rapid economic growth, women in India still face a vast array of challenges. We wonder: Which of the following statements about India’s women are true?

Answers:

A. They suffer from very low levels of education.

B. They face economic discrimination.

C. They face discrimination even before birth.

D. All of the above.

Continue reading for the answers … (more…)

Daily briefing from AP news — a feature designed to give you a synopsis of today’s top nation and world stories at a glance, over your morning cup of joe.

Suicide attack kills at least 50 at compound of Pakistan’s former interior minister

SHERPAO, Pakistan (AP) — A suicide attacker detonated a bomb packed with ball bearings and nails amid hundreds of holiday worshippers Friday at the residential compound of Pakistan’s former interior minister, killing at least 50 people and wounding over 100, authorities said. (more…)