Dec 10, 2007 7:35 pm US/Mountain
Pastor Remembers Woman Slain In Arvada
MINNEAPOLIS (CBS) ―
-
-
Tiffany Johnson
YWAM Denver
A Minnesota pastor is remembering a woman who was among those shot and killed at a missionary center in Arvada early Sunday morning.
Pastor Jerry Strandquist remembers 26-year-old Tiffany Johnson fondly. Johnson grew up in Chisholm, Minn., and when she moved to Minneapolis she joined his Cedar Valley Church in Bloomington.
"She was going to help wherever she could and do whatever she could," said Strandquist.
When Johnson left his parish to join "Youth With a Mission" in Arvada she left behind a lot of friends.
"I had a couple today who are 65 years old and they talked about how she was at their house and how much contact they had with her, how much they knew her and loved her," said Strandquist.
Johnson was working as a hospitality director at Youth With a Mission early Sunday morning when a man showed up asking to spend the night. When he was turned away, he pulled out a gun and opened fire, killing Johnson and another person and injuring two more.
Johnson had been cleaning up after a Christmas party when she was shot.
Charlie Blanch, 22, was shot in the leg in the incident. Blanch also attended Strandquist's church before moving to Arvada.
"To show you what kind of a guy Charlie is he said to his mother, 'You need to pray for my friend because I'm not sure she is going to make it," said Strandquist.
Blanch remains hospitalized in stable condition.
The Arvada facility is one of 300 YWAM locations around the world that offer training for future missionaries.
Director David Clark said these tragedies will bring mission members closer together.
YWAM has 17,000 full-time staff and operates in 150 countries worldwide. It has a total of 1,000 operating locations around the world. People who join YWAM are usually college age, between 19 and 25 years old.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Slideshow: Sunday Shootings In Arvada, Colorado Springs In Pictures
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
