The Lord Is Close To The Brokenhearted

Throughout the Christian Bible we are encouraged to supportively share one another’s sorrows and joys. One of the most famous writers in the Christian Bible is Paul the Apostle. He said this:

“Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep”.

This month, we are weeping with those who weep.

Firstly, we are weeping with the parents of the children who were injured in the bus crash. We share some families with Exford Primary School. Some of our secondary students are brothers and sisters to some of Exford’s primary students. Some of their staff have children at this school. This means we have MCC families who have been deeply affected by the crash. There are children who have had life-changing injuries, and in fact, everyone connected with that incident will be emotionally affected. Bonnie has represented our school in visiting and giving gifts to Exford staff, as well as to the affected families who have children shared across both schools, there and here. Bonnie will continue this good work into the future.

In addition to that, we are also weeping with the family and friends of Pa Sawm Lyhym. You may or may not know who Pa Sawm is, and that is understandable in a school community like ours with over one thousand students. Pa Sawm is the young man who was tragically, needlessly killed at Sunshine train station.

Pa Sawm was a student here at MCC from 2019 through to the end of 2022. He moved to another school at the end of last year, yet we still think of him as one of ours. His teachers describe Pa Sawm as one of those endearingly roguish students, the type that teachers can’t help but like, despite their rascally-ness. His teachers loved him as a student and his friends loved him as a mate. Those teachers and those friends are heartbroken. So, we weep with those who weep.

I was so proud of our students who are Pa Sawm’s friends! Along with Bonnie, they presented a memorial assembly this week, to honour and remember Pa Sawm.

Always, I feel very privileged to serve at Melton Christian College, but on top of that, there are extra-wonderful moments where our students are amazing. At the memorial assembly, seeing our students express their grief in a wholesome and respectful way, and hearing the students themselves speak about Pa Sawm produced massive respectful pride. Let me mention in particular, our Year 11 student Michael Clayton who spoke inspiringly and raised hope among us all.

Let me also say that Pa Sawm’s family are amazing. Again, Bonnie has represented our school in connecting supportively with his family and she reports that his older sister is a rock of stability in a sea of sadness. MCC can also be proud of Pa Sawm’s older sister because this wonderful young woman was a former MCC College Captain. She and the other family members are putting peace and forgiveness first. What a great example of Christ-centredness.

Our Christian life calls us to simultaneously balance deep and genuine joy in God’s love, with equally genuine empathy for others in their time of pain. It is right and proper that in Christian community we weep with those who weep.

David Gleeson, Principal