18 Apr, 2008
Parents of Virginia Tech Gunman Secluded
(Home of Virginia Tech gunman's parents)
Like so many thousands of Virginia Tech parents, Sung Tae and Hyang Im Cho spent the day of April 16, 2007, calling their son's cellphone and sending him e-mails, hoping he hadn't fallen prey to the man who was shooting students and professors at Virginia Tech.
The Chos' fears were confirmed when police officers, FBI agents and a chaplain showed up that night at their Centreville townhouse.
But the news was worse than they had imagined.
Their shy, quiet 23-year-old son was the student gunman who fatally shot 32 people before killing himself.
Nearly a year later, Seung Hui Cho's parents have virtually cut themselves off from the world. Relatives from South Korea have not heard from them. The blinds are always drawn at their home, and several windows are papered over.
The Chos, through an FBI agent who communicates with them regularly, declined a request for an interview.
"They continue to live in darkness," said Wade Smith, a North Carolina lawyer who has been assisting the family. "I think there will come a time when they are able to speak, [but] for now, they have made it clear to me they just want to be quiet and not say anything."
The family went into hiding the night of the shootings, according to the FBI agent, who has been a liaison between the family and law enforcement in the past year.
Relatives in South Korea, who used to hear from Seung Hui Cho's mother on major holidays, say they have not heard from her since the massacre, the deadliest shooting by an individual in U.S. history.
"I understand why she never called us, even once, since the incident," said Kim Yang Soon, Cho's great-aunt, who lives on the outskirts of Seoul. "It must be too shameful and painful for her to say anything now."
photo images.google.com & story courtesy washingtonpost.com, 4/16/08
Need some light?
A year after massacre, family lives 'in darkness'.
Psalm 43:3-4 (NLT)
3 Send out your light and your truth;
let them guide me.
Let them lead me to your holy mountain,
to the place where you live.
4 There I will go to the altar of God,
to God—the source of all my joy.
I will praise you with my harp,
O God, my God!
Tyndale's LIFE APPLICATION STUDY BIBLE notes explain:
43:3,4 The psalm writer asked God to send His light and truth to guide him to the holy mountain, the Temple, where he would meet God. God's truth (see 1 John 2:27) provides the right path to follow, and God's light (see 1 John 1:5) provides the clear vision to follow it. If you feel surrounded by darkness and uncertainty, follow God's light and truth. He will guide you.
So how do we know God's truth and experience His light? It all comes back to abiding in Christ. Beginning with the constant understanding of our complete dependence on Jesus Christ, we will receive from God's Spirit the desire to know God and become intimate with Him through worship, His Word, prayer, obedience, service...
Seung Hui Cho, the Virginia Tech killer, obviously did not know Christ and his angry heart and murderous actions left a dark cloud in many lives and throughout our culture.
His parents "continue to live in darkness". God's amazing love is the key to them experiencing the light of His grace some day.
How about you? Do you feel surrounded by darkness? Trust God to give you the faith to take one small step into His light.
How can we connect today's God's Story scripture to our story?
- Spend a few minutes in silence with our loving God....cry out to Him if you need...wait and listen...
- Write down three examples of when you have felt "surrounded by darkness". What happened? Did you experience God's light breaking into your life? Why or why not? What did you learn? Take these written thoughts and place them in your Bible in Psalm 43 as a reminder where to look the next time you recognize your need for God's light.
- Read 1 John 1-2 to learn more of God's light and truth.
How can we connect today's story and God's Story scripture and our story to others?
- Pray for Seung Hui Cho's parents to experience God's love through His light, His truth, and His followers. Pray that everyone closely connected to the Virginia Tech tragedy will experience Christ's light.
- Use the story about Cho's parents living in seclusion to talk to a friend or family member who seems to be living under a cloud of darkness. Remember to ask questions and listen...let them know that you are comfortable with their silence...let them know that you will be there for them even if they feel like they will never be able to talk about their "darkness"...this may be the beginning of them seeing a little bit of Christ's light.
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