I never knew this young girl, but she has been used by God to touch so many people and change lives, including my own life.   I have been so deeply moved by this girl's story words simply can not express.  Her life, the way she lived it and ultimately her death and how she stood up for her faith in God even in the face of death has moved me so deeply and has inspired me to re-examine my own walk and relationship with God. 

I am a born again Christian.  I excepted Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior in 1994.  However like some Christians, I strayed in my walk with the Lord.  I strayed far.  But one night while surfing the internet, looking up information about a certain song by Michael W Smith called "this is your time",  I came across a website on this girl.   After reading about this young girl's life and what she stood for, God used her story to break into my heart and  shattered the walls that I had built up, the anger and attitudes I had, that built up over a long period of personal struggles and issues I had been dealing with.   On February 5, 2002, I re-dedicated my life to God. 

Rachel's life and legacy continues to inspire me and help me with my walk with the Lord.  I can be feeling down or whatever and I can just look at her precious smile, and remember her example and my spirits are lifted.

I am just one example of how Rachel has touched someone's life.   She is a shining example of how to be a real Christian, and we all can learn from her example.  It takes a lot of dedication to die for something you believe in, and Rachel's belief in God was pure dedication. 

As I think of her, I can not help but think of the Ray Boltz song, "I Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb."  The lyrics are in the scrolling java applet toward the top of the page.  The MIDI playing in the background is a song called "This is your Time" by Michael W Smith.  This song was written for the columbine victims.  Smitty was one of Rachel's favorite singers, so I dedicate this song to her.  Listen to the music, read the lyrics and let God touch your heart.

If you are un-familiar with Rachel, she was a girl from Littleton, Colorado who was one of the Columbine high school shooting victims.  She stood up for her belief in God and for that she was killed on April 20, 1999. Be sure to look around the rest of this site for more information on Rachel and also visit the links section for a comprehensive list of links dealing with Rachel and the Columbine Tragedy.

Thank you for reading.  If you would like to read my complete testimony on how God has changed my life and how I came into a relationship with God, please click on the icon below.  You can also leave a comment to me, or about Rachel and how she has touched your life by jumping over to the guestbook section.

- Mike Santos