Beslan ends days of mourning, amid fears of new violence

Beslan, Russia – Residents in the Russian town of Beslan tried to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives Wednesday, October 13, as they ended the Orthodox traditional 40 days of mourning for over 330 hostages who were killed during a siege of the local school by gunmen, fighting for independence in Russia's Chechnya region.

Beslan families were seen visiting school Number One and each other's homes to pray and remember the dead, about half of them children. Hundreds are still injured or missing.

Christian groups and churches have sent trained teams to provide survivors with counseling, a relative new service in Russia, where mental healthcare and religion were discouraged under the tough Communist regime.

Russian Ministries, an evangelical mission organization, said it was looking "for accommodations for an office, rehabilitation center, for the psychologists providing help," to those in need in Beslan and others in the North Ossetia area.

"Due to the recent tragedy there, our ministry has gained enormous potential as it shines the light of the Gospel through all of the turmoil and devastation. Many ministries that first came to assist the people of Beslan are now leaving, but the local people are begging us to continue supporting the ministries of counseling and training that we have started," said Vice President Sergey N. Rakhuba.