Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends — John 15:13

As the horrific events in Las Vegas unfolded, men and women were finding themselves protected from a hail of bullets by loved ones or even strangers who gave their own lives to protect others. Here are a few of those stories that have exemplified Christ’s definition of no greater love.

‘Everything is Going to be Okay’

“Everything is going to be okay, everything is going to be okay,” Krystal Goddard and Amy McAslin chanted as they lay under a table as the lead hell-fire rained down, Amy protected from bullets by a complete stranger. 

CNN’s Oliver Darcy reported on the man who used his body to protect Amy during the massacre. The stranger was hit by multiple bullets as he lay over her. “He had expressed to [Amy] that he didn’t think he was going to make it,” said Amy’s roommate Krystal Goddard. The women never got his name. 

Stranger took number of bullets to save pair of roommates.

“He had expressed…he didn’t think he was going to make it”

via @murphy_paulp pic.twitter.com/AdHsDsuKQu

— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) October 2, 2017

‘Everyone’s Dying’

“Everyone’s dying around me,” Jon Cheplak’s daughter Alexandria called him from the Strip as she ran in fear for her life. Jon told CNN that he’d never heard his daughter’s voice like that. She’s survived 24 heart-surgeries in her life, Jon said, and called many times concerned about her health. But this was different. “Everyone’s dying. They shot my friend. They’re dying. I’ve got to get out of here,” she told her father. Guys she didn’t know jumped in front of her to block the bullets. “She had to crawl out from under them to escape,” wrote Darcy.

Sleeping soundly, Jon Cheplak’s phone lit up at 1:23 a.m.

His daughter was on the phone: “Everyone’s dying around me"

(via @murphy_paulp) pic.twitter.com/yXhDCmxLj1

— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) October 2, 2017

‘I Saw Guys Plugging Bullet Holes With Their Fingers’

Russell Bleck and his fianceé were in the VIP tent at the concert when they heard the shots ring out. They thought it was fireworks or a crackling amp, Bleck told NBC’s Today show. When the staccato sound didn’t stop, he realized it was gunfire. One of the first things he noticed was former military and police officers risking their lives to help others.

“You saw a lot of ex-military just jump into gear. I saw guys plugging bullet holes with their fingers.” He added, “While everyone else was crouching, police officers (were) standing up at targets, just trying to direct people, tell them where to go. The amount of bravery I saw there, words can’t describe what it was like.”

Watch the video of Bleck and his fianceé describing what they saw:

‘He Saved My Life and Lost His’

When the first shots rang out, Sonny Melton reacted quickly to protect his wife. Heather Melton told Today that she knows he saved her life. “When we realized that gun shots were going off, and that it wasn’t just fireworks like everybody thought, I said, ‘Let’s get down,’ and he said, ‘No, we’ll get trampled, let’s go,’ and he wrapped his arms around my back and as we started to run, I felt him get shot in the back and we fell to the ground.” 

She performed CPR on her husband until a stranger came, put Sonny over his shoulder and took him to a waiting pickup truck going to the hospital. It was too late, and Sonny was pronounced dead at the hospital.

The couple married last year. A coworker said the Meltons were in Las Vegas celebrating their first wedding anniversary.

Sonny, 29, was a registered nurse, Heather an orthopedic surgeon. Heather told USA Today, “I want everyone to know what a kind-hearted loving man he was but at this point I can barely breathe.”

‘I’m a Firm Believer in God Now’

“My sister and I, we started running to the left and every time they shot, we took cover,” Taylor Benge told CNN Monday. “My sister, being as noble as she is, she actually threw herself on top of me and was saying, ‘I love you Taylor, I love you.’ And I’ll never forget that.” 

Taylor said his experience made him realize that God protected him. “I was agnostic going into that concert and I’m a firm believer in God now, because there’s no way all of that happened and I made it and I was blessed enough to still be here alive talking to you today.” 

Watch:

No Greater Love

Amid the horror of the worst mass shooting in our nation’s history, we saw the best of humanity — those who risked their lives for strangers, running back into the line of fire to help. Others literally gave their lives to save someone else. In many cases, for people they didn’t know. 

May we never forget these heroes, these models of Christ.