Primary girl dies shielding a child from nearby gunfire
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NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. — The mother of a 9-year-old LDS girl who died protecting other children from gunfire Sept. 7 is remembering her daughter as a "beautiful, sweet girl who always had a smile on her face."
Helping others came naturally to young Genesis Gonzalez, said her mother, Noemy Estrada.
Genesis was standing in the doorway of her family's North Las Vegas apartment at 5 p.m. when a gunman chasing a man in a suspected gang dispute ran through their neighborhood and opened fire.
Instinctively, "Ginny" and her 8-year-old sister, Heidi, ran to gather three younger children playing outside. Genesis was shot in the chest as she protected the 10-month old son of a family friend. Heidi, who ran to her 4-year-old brother, Jonathan, and his friend, was shot in the leg. She is recovering from her injuries.
Sister Estrada and her children joined the Church just three months before Ginny died. Ginny was a missionary from the start, said her mother.
"Ginny was a special daughter of God," said Sister Estrada of the El Rancho Ward, North Las Vegas Nevada Stake. "She was always talking to people about the Church."
Sister Estrada said she thumbed through Ginny's scriptures shortly after her death. The mother was amazed at the number of verses her daughter had underlined, including several about faith.
Ginny had hoped to become a pediatrician because she hated to see children hurt, "but she said she first wanted to serve a mission," Sister Estrada said. Living the gospel was important to the little girl who would correct her siblings whenever they let a bad word slip.
While mourning the loss of Ginny, Sister Estrada is simultaneously caring for Heidi, who is home from the hospital and struggling to cope with Ginny's death.
"They did everything together," Sister Estrada said. "Now Heidi is always asking for Ginny."
The family, which also includes a third daughter, Tannia, 13, continues to be cared for by their local ward; a member offered them a new apartment and is letting them live there rent-free until they get on their feet, said Bishop Jason E. Torres.
"The members have been so good about bringing toys, money and encouragement," Sister Estrada said. "Some other sisters have come to my home to clean and cook meals for my children."
Bishop Torres said that Sister Estrada's strong testimony has been an example to many in the area. After the shooting she appeared on radio and talk shows, bearing testimony of the restored gospel. She continues to share the gospel with friends, two of whom have also joined the Church.
Elder Hector Orton of the Nevada Las Vegas Mission taught the family the missionary discussions and will never forget Genesis or her family's example of love and forgiveness. At the funeral, Sister Estrada asked mourners to love one another, regardless of race or religion.
Ginny's death, Elder Orton said, "opened my eyes to what the gospel is all about and what the Church represents."
The family, he added, "already knew the gospel before we ever taught it to them."
On the morning Ginny died, Elder Orton said she wrote down Joshua 1:9: "Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest."
Whenever he reads that scripture he will think of the little girl who gave her life for another. She was always smiling, always upbeat and always trying to teach the missionaries how to dance, he said. "She was always happy."
