Mixed Emotions – We Can’t Be Thankful Enough!

Many of us wrestle with mixed emotions across the Ozarks today. Gratitude. Anger. Heartbreak. Fear. Frustration.

Where all of our children made it home safely last night, we rejoice in our hearts and can’t be thankful enough; while at the same time we mourn with those families of three nine-year-old’s and three adult staff who died yesterday in Nashville.

To play a swatting hoax on so many school districts across the state of Missouri is pure evil. Our children, teachers, staff, administrators, school resource officers, and first responders are all placed in both physical jeopardy and undergo emotional turmoil. There is absolutely nothing funny or in the least bit humorous about this practice.

Swatting is the action or practice of making a prank call to emergency services in an attempt to bring about the dispatch of a large number of armed police officers to a particular address. Along with the real armed intrusion and murders in Nashville, Tennessee, school districts across the Ozarks, St. Louis, and Kansas City received swatting calls of active shooters on high school campuses.

In Ozark, at approximately 1:50 pm, Ozark Police Officers and Ozark School Resource Officers were dispatched to the Ozark High School to a report of an assault with “shots-fired.” The high school immediately went into Code Red, as well as the Junior High and OIC, along with all other schools in the Ozark district a Code Yellow.

Ozark high school employees, school resource officers, administration, and our children began following the protocols as laid out and practiced. Although tactically precise, the entire hoax left everyone traumatized. In no situation ever can you emotionally handle police with long rifles, AR-15s, and pistols drawn working through a high school where children are hunkered down, hiding, and scared to death.

Scared children texting parents sent out a mix of what was happening to them and what was believed to be happening across the 2,000-member high school. Likewise, social media included a mix of what was true and, unfortunately, what was very false information. Thankfully, it was simply a hoax.

No parent is ever prepared to get a text from a child locked in a secured closet with his teacher and classmates.

How do you respond to a daughter explaining reports of shots fired and she, along with her classmates, is hiding quietly behind tables in her classroom?

Two hours of absolute trauma for our children and their parents.

I personally was north of Springfield at a pastors’ meeting when I received the first phone call. Then text messages. I openly wept as I called my wife and explained our son is locked in a closet with reports of shots-fired. As I immediately drove toward Ozark while receiving other texts and learning of the area-wide swatting, my emotion switched to pure heartbreak. Our children were learning of the most-likely hoax; however, all the protocols in place still needed to be followed. The emotional toil was there regardless. The graphic imagery of police moving from room to room with guns drawn clearing students and faculty still takes a toll.

We Can’t Be Thankful Enough!

As a parent and member of this community, I speak for all of us when I write that we can’t be thankful enough for Captain Mark Deeds and the school resource officers in Ozark. Along with the Ozark Police Department, Christian County Sheriff’s Department, Ozark Fire Protection District, the Christian County Ambulance District, and the Missouri Highway Patrol, our school resource officers did their duty and responded with excellence.

Among other sentiments, I sent the following text to Captain Deeds after everything was over:

Thank you. As I texted with my son locked in a closet, I was upset, concerned, & praying. Yet, 100% convinced you & your team were handling it as passionate, well-trained professionals.

While frightened and concerned, knowing the men and women who make up our SRO force, as well as the school staff and administrators of the high school, I drove back to our community with confidence in their passion, willingness to do whatever it took to protect our children, and their skill. For this group of people, we cannot be thankful enough!

Further, we cannot be thankful enough for God’s providential care for our children and everyone involved.

As all of this was taking place, I remembered:

I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
From whence comes my help?
My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:1-2)

And,

Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)

Along with many other passages, I rehearsed the truth of God’s presence with our children, His providential control, His grace He provides for them and all of us who were in the throes of now knowing what was happening to our children and grand children, His great love for our children, His care, and the courage He provides to do what is right.

Again, we can’t be thankful enough!

Yet, we hurt with the families and communities around Nashville. Ours merely a frightening hoax; theirs a nightmare.

God’s kindness was especially sweet to all of us here as we consider our circumstance in the backdrop of what took place there. We experience hearts mixed with gratitude and heartbreak, joy and sorrow, exhausted yet resting in the outcome.

To those in our community who served us and our children so well today, we can’t be thankful enough.

To our God who demonstrated kindness to us in a special way today, we can’t be thankful enough.

The picture below is the Ozark sunset last night from the OC while I stood at soccer practice with my son. The night ended peacefully, and again, we can’t be thankful enough.