On January  29, 1999 in our quiet suburban neighborhood in Yorkshire, Virginia, my two teenage daughters, Stacie age 16 and my younger daughter Kristie, age 14, were brutally attacked in our home.

 

Our family was stalked for weeks, until that fateful day when evil, disguised as a young man, crept silently into our home, bent on destruction because of jealousy and rage. Stacie fought desperately to fight off her attacker, but couldn't, and was murdered. The attacker then waited in our home while having iced tea out of our fridge, to meet Kristie two hours later as she arrived home from school. Unsuspecting, she entered our home and found her older sister dead. Kristie was then forced to the basement were she was brutally attacked and left for dead. The journey we endured was horrific, demoralizing and devastating, while continuously being threatened. 

My personal journey of grief lasted seven long years, until I learned Christ's method of surrender. Kristie's journey through survivors guilt, anger, hopelessness, hatred and suicide attempts would endure for twenty long tedious years. The Lord handed us the key to freedom that opened our hearts to forgiveness.