"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. For through me your days will be many and years will be added to your life. If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you; if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer."-Proverbs 9:10-12
Where were you during the September 11th attacks?
Many people have, is, and will be reflecting on this "infamous" day. As I (Sal) write this on Monday, March 6th 2002 (6 months since the attacks) watching "9/11 Remembered" (in New York City) telecast special on televsion, I still remembered how the 9/11/01 developed=>
I was getting off from work (Ravenwood Home-group home for disabled handicapped adults) after my early 6-9am shift. I had to get some groceries at the local Willies in Morris, MN. As I was walking around, I notice immediately the thick air of tension and sadness. When I got up to the cash registrar, I did my usual "Minnesota Friendly" greeting, "Good Morning", and the lady at the cash registrar said, "Oh, it's not really a good morning". I then look up to her with a confusion, and she told me "oh, you haven't heard...a plane crashed into the World Trade Center in N.Y." (paraphrasing). I immediately turned my radio in my blazer to MPR (Minnesota Public Radio) and heard the sad news. I arrived home around 9:15am and my roommate-Juan told me the news. I asked, "How did you know?". He told me Dan Specht (former roommate that lives now in Fargo, ND) called after he got up earlier because God told him to get on his knees and pray. Juan said, "I wasn't sure what to pray for, so I started to pray". In my heart and mind, I thought it was God intervening at this moment. Juan and I continued to listen to the live reports going on in the East coast of the U.S. (plane crashed in the World Trade Center, another crashed into the Pentagon, and a couple other crashes later on that morning). I couldn't stand hearing it on radio, which I wanted to see it with my own eyes on television. I then went over to my neighbors (3 apartment same level house) and asked if they got their television on. They told me they don't have t.v.,which I briefly shared the sad news to them. I went back to my house and ask Juan if he wanted to go with me to the Student Center T.V. Lounge to watch the live broadcast of all these events. We watched the events unfold at the UMM Campus: Student Center T.V. Lounge (basement) with many others (faculty, staff, students) as everybody's eyes were glued to the t.v. set with silence, despair, and pesimistic anticipation on what else might happen.
A friend from my local church came down to the t.v. lounge with already printed pamphlets about a prayer tonight at Living Waters (local community ministry center) and asked me if I could help with a last minute evangelism outreach ("Are you ready?") on the Campus Mall at noon. I was a little hesitant to not do it, but I wanted to help with the "End Harvest Evangelism" outreach (thinking eternal).
We stood in the middle of the campus passing out flyers with my boombox playing some praise & worship music (Skillet) in the background. My friend stood on a landscape stage preaching about "Are you ready?"
I had to work at the group home in town (3-10p), which I wasn't really up to working. However, it feels good to be with folks that I can call "family" as I've been working there about 2 years now during these times. The staff was a little down too, but we had to pick ourselves up and focus on our work. We talked together before the consumers/residents of the group home arrived. One of the consumers kept on mentioning "plane crash", which was obvious they knew what was currently going on. To focus on our work, we decided to shut the televsion off and really got together closely spending quality time.
I went home and talked more about the todays events with my roommates. I would later found out that over hundred people from the campus/community came for a prayer vigil at the Campus Mall that evening.
Final thoughts: It's really sad that events like these have to happen to get families or communities come together. I really value the relationships (family, friends, acquaintances from work/school/ etc...) I have now because you do not know when they will be taken away from your life like a "blink of an eye".
Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2007 07:08:23 -0700 (PDT)
Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2007 20:02:04 CDT
Prayer Unity Links:
Here are some links as a tribute to 9-11-01:
Below were some FAQ's about 9-11.01, here are some thoughtful answers to ponder about=>
Q: How could a "loving" God let something like this happen?"
"Finally, The Truth on National TV"
Billy Graham's daughter was being interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her "How could God let something like this happen?" And Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and
insightful response.
She said "I believe that God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been
telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman that He is, I believe that He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand that He leave us alone?"
I know there's been a lot of emails going around in regards to 9/11/01, but this really makes you
think. If you don't have time, at least skim through it, but the bottom line is something to think
about...In light of recent events...terrorists attack, school shootings, etc.
Let's see, I think it started when Madeline Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body was found recently) complained she didn't want any prayer in our schools, and we said OK.
Then, someone said you better not read the Bible in school...the Bible that says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said, OK.
Then, Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide) And we said, an expert should know what he's talking about so we said, OK.
Then, someone said teachers and principals better not discipline our children when they misbehave.
And the school administrators said no faculty member in this school better touch a student when they misbehave because we don't want any bad publicity, and we surely don't want to be sued (There's big difference between disciplining and touching, beating,
smacking,humiliating, kicking, etc.) And we said, OK.
Then someone said, let's let our daughters have abortions if they want, and they won't even have
to tell their parents. And we said, OK.
Then some wise school board member said, since boys will be boys and they're going to do it anyway, let's give our sons all the condoms they want, so they can have all the fun they desire, and we won't have to tell their parents they got them at school. And we said, OK.
Then some of our top elected officials said it doesn't matter what we do in private as long as we do our jobs. And agreeing with them, we said it doesn't matter to me what anyone, including the President, does in private as long as I have a job and the economy is good.
And then someone said let's print magazines with pictures of nude women and call it wholesome,
down-to-earth appreciation for the beauty of the female body. And we said, OK.
And then someone else took that appreciation a step further and published pictures of nude children and then stepped further still by making them available on the internet. And we said OK, they're entitled to their free speech.
And then the entertainment industry said, let's make TV shows and movies that promote profanity,violence, and illicit sex. And let's record music that encourages rape, drugs, murder, suicide, and satanic themes. And we said it's just entertainment, it has no adverse effect, and nobody takes it seriously anyway, so go right ahead.
Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves. Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out.
I think it has a great deal to do with "WE REAP WHAT WE SOW."
"Dear God, Why didn't you save the little girl killed in her classroom?" Sincerely, Concerned Student... AND THE REPLY "Dear Concerned Student, I am not allowed in schools". Sincerely, God.
Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says.
Funny how everyone wants to go to heaven provided they do not have to believe, think, say, or do anything the Bible says.
Funny how someone can say "I believe in God" but still follow Satan who, by the way, also "believes" in God.
Funny how we are quick to judge but not to be judged. Funny how you can send a thousand 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing.
Funny how the lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but the public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.
Funny how someone can be so fired up for Christ on Sunday, but be an invisible Christian the rest of the week.
Are you laughing?
Funny how when you go to forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list
because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it to them.
Funny how I can be more worried about what other people think of me than what God thinks of me.
Are you thinking?
Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not then just discard it....no one will know that you did. But, if you discard this thought process, then don't sit back and complain about what a bad shape the world is in!
What have you or are you going to do now after this event? Are you going to just continue living the life you were before this event? What can we learn from this event-individually, as a nation, and as citizens/Christians of this world?
If you ask me, I ponder about-Why God might have let this happend? I feel our nation (capitalitic, greedy, self-centered) brought this event to ourselves. Yes, it sounds harsh, but we have to go back to history. Read the Old Testament! Many of them rebelled and disobeyed God and started to do selfish things that caused God to "let things happen".
Also, I want the readers of this to reflect the ingnorant violence that was reported minimally throughout the nation. Many people of Arabic background or thought of were targeted with "hate crimes". I still remember the Asian Indian descent man shot at a gas station down south (I believe Arizona) because he was wearing a turbin on his head. I thought there was going to be a huge race riot in this country targeting any one that "looks like the enemy".
As Christians, I thought this was an "open door" to share the Gospel with anyone with Arabic/Muslim backgound. Instead of pointing our fingers at "them", we can pray for them and "reach out"!
I'm writing this on 9/11/02. I just got off work and I shared with an employee how today is just like a year ago. I was working this exact shift and would work a 3-10p the same day. As I was listening to the radio this morning and the different shows on the "rememberance of 9/11"; I decided to just listen and mourn that unforgettalbe tragedy. Also, I decided to just not forget the hope I have in Jesus that I can trust and depend on Him-no matter what the circumstances are.
I decided to search for more testimonies on how we can thank God. Here are some:
-over 700-800 (?) salvations was recorded at Jim Cymbala's Brooklyn Tabernacle(a church located in New York City) that day.
Here are websites on remebrance:
Other
Continue to pray and not lose hope in God no matter what the circumstances are tomorrow. As God's promises are in the Bible: "Do not worry about tomorrow...(Matthew 6) and "...it's the Lord's battle" (2 Chronicles 20:15). As Christians, we battle with prayer and let God do it!
As I'm currently writing during a U.S. potential attack on Iraq. I encourage the readers of this to know that the real "enemy" is Satan, not the terrorist, Muslims, or any human being. The two forces here are "good" and "evil" (somewhat like in the popular movie last year "Lord of the Rings")God said we should "love our neighbors" (Matthew 22:37-39) and pray for our enemies (Matthew 5?). Sometimes the enemy is within man when we draw far from God through: anger, temptations, selfishness, greedy, and other acts of sinful nature (Galatians 5:19-21).
Want to do something about what's going on?
I sometimes feel like I need to do something to save the world. But, Jesus already did that when he defeated Satan on the cross. He died for our sins and we just need to acknowlege that with our lips (Romans 10:9); and continue to live in Christ through our lifestyle. Let others who don't know Him see His love through us and then they'll come to that hope and freedom in Christ. The media keeps interrogating the viewers that we need to "fight back" and "retaliate". Instead, we should fight back with prayer and worship (2 Chronicles 20:15-30) as Paul (formerly Saul) states in Ephesians 6:12 "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual fordes of evil in the heavenly realms." That's what Satan is trying to do-have God's creation turn against one another (eg. black vs white, rich vs. poor, muslim vs. christianity, etc..). The media tries to get us motivated by saying that "we shouldn't let these terrorist take our freedom away from us. Instead of highlighting "American Pride", we should highlight "Jesus" (who gets all the glory). As Christians, we should get out of our comfort zone and counterattack with prayer on the devils' schemes on taking our freedom in Christ for our eternal reward in a bigger home-Kingdom in Heaven!
"Live day by day"
This morning I woke-up to a dream that I still remember. In my dream I had a visual picture of my love ones (friends, family, etc..). I ask God why you showed this to me. I then remembered what I shared last night during the "Good News Radio Show" (Tuesday @8-10pm on the 10th of September 02'): I ended the show by encouraging listeners to not get up-tight and worried of current political events. Most of the news out there is depressing. Instead of getting influence by it, we should sometimes/most of the times avoid "negative/pessimistic" news. We should live each day to the fullest and thank God who He has blessed you with (friends, family, etc..) There is a movie called "Life is Beautiful" (an Academy Award winner: Best Foreign Film-French) several years ago that a Holocaust-Jewish father and son live the remaining days in prision with joy. That's what we should all do as we do not know what tomorrow brings-especially the times we live in! As I write this, I would've add in the show that we should read the Bible-a book of promises and hope by our Creator/Father! After you read this, please take a minute or more to reflect what are you thankful to God for. If you can write this every day for now on. Then spend sometime with your love ones and tell them how you appreciate them being in your life. Don't forget to talk to God/Father in Heaven and spend time with Him everyday-HE LOVES YOU!
Post 9/11 More....
Lindh, who came to Americans' attention in late 2001 as a long-haired, bearded battlefield captive in Afghanistan, pleaded guilty last July to supplying services to the Taliban and carrying an explosive during commission of a felony. Each count carries a 10-year sentence.
"Acknowledging that (a.k.a. "American Taliban" John Walker Lindh)-Lindh had sought forgiveness, Ellis said, "Forgiveness is separate from punishment."" (from ABCNews.com on 10/6/02)
Advertisement
WORLD NewsUSA NewsSCI-TECH NewsBUSINESS
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Wednesday the U.S. did not go to war against Iraq because of new weapons of mass destruction programs, but because of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
"The coalition did not act in Iraq because we had discovered dramatic new evidence of Iraq's pursuit of weapons of mass murder," Mr. Rumsfeld said. "We acted because we saw the existing evidence in a new light, through the prism of our experience on September 11th."
In testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Mr. Rumsfeld defended the war and the U.S. intelligence that led to it, the Washington Times reported.
"The objective in the global war on terror is to prevent another attack like September 11th, or a biological, nuclear or chemical attack that would be worse, before it happens. We can say with confidence that the world is a better place today because the United States led a coalition of forces into action in Iraq," said the defense secretary.
Democrats and other critics on Capitol Hill have claimed the administration overstated the intelligence on Iraq in order to justify going to war.
On Wednesday, a recently retired State Department intelligence official accused the administration of acting on "faith-based intelligence" that "fostered a fundamentally flawed view of reality" and said Iraq had not posed any immediate threat before the war, the paper said.
"The administration did not provide an accurate picture to the American people," said Greg Thielmann, a 25-year Foreign Service professional who retired in the fall. "Iraq posed no immediate threat."
Mr. Rumsfeld, however, defended the intelligence.
"As we've gone through this period, I think the intelligence has been quite good, and I don't think that the fact that there is an instance where something was inaccurate ought to in any way paint a broad brush on the intelligence that we get and suggest that that's a pattern or something; it's just not," he said.
-John & Amy Holmgren. in Shafer Minn
Movie
-Contemporary Christian
"Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning?"
"
Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day,
Did you weep for the children
Did you burst out in pride
I�m just a singer of simple songs.
Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day
Did you open your eyes and hope it never happened,
Did you go to a church and hold hands with some stranger?
(refrain)
(refrain repeated)
Please feel free to share your memories of that fateful day in comments. It is helpful to share our sorrow on this tragic anniversary. I don�t know what I would do if I didn�t have this outlet."
-Miscellaneous
Articles
The Sign The Mystery of September 11
Testimonies
From: Send an Instant Message "Shannon F.
Subject: Re: Sal-Where were you on this day 6 years ago (9/11)?
To: "Sal Monteagudo"
"Hi Sal,
I remember it very well. Joey and I had our KUMM radio show and we heard that a plane flew into the World Trade Center in NYC. My first thought was yeah right. Then after our radio show I joined you in the basement of the student center TV Lounge, to watch the events unfold. Thank you for the e-mail. My day went well."
Pax Christi,
Shannon
From: "berg1168"
Subject: Re: Sal-Where were you on this day 6 years ago (9/11)?
To: "Sal Monteagudo"
Dear Sal,
I remember that day very well. I was coming back from my Pre-calculus
class around 9 AM and I turned on the TV before doing my exercises. I
was
in shock to see the first tower burning and was very sad... I couldn't
believe it was happening. my roommate Daany came in a little later and
I
told him the bad news. He was really bummed and didn't believe it at
first
.I felt sort of numbed by this. Later in the day I went to English
class
but everybody was numb and we decided to cancel class. Everyone was
watching the TV. A preacher was on the north side of a mall preaching
the
Gospel when I came back from lunch. It was a very surreal day and I was
still in shock. I also remember the precautions that the President was
taking by staying in Air Force One and Congress evacuating. I will
never
forget that day... Thanks for the email.
-Eric World Trade Center in N.Y.C
(I still have a copy of the video I recorded on top of the WTC when my sister, mom, and I took a vacation to visit my relatives in Bronx, N.Y. in 1991)
Other E-mail Forwards on 9/11
Other Links:
What now?
Reflections A Year Later
My last minute reflections:
7am.com News
Copyright � 2000 to 7am News
NewsENTERTAINMENT & ARTS NewsPOLITICS NewsEYE ON IRAQ
NewsSPORTS News
9/11 Spurred War in Iraq, U.S. Says
6:27 am PST, 10 July 2003
Memorial Tribute to 9/11 Victims
"HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA (ANS) -- Perhaps the most important documentary of the year, �DAY OF MIRACLES� has been awarded two film festival awards for Best Inspirational Film and Special Recognition as well as the DOVE SEAL and Movieguide approval.
Cover artwork from the 2006 release of Day of Miracles.
From the Producers of �HOMETOWN LEGEND�, a Warner Brothers release, (co-produced with best selling author Jerry Jenkins and his son Dallas �Left Behind� series) �DAY OF MIRACLES� is the documentary about the Miracle-Survivors of the event at the New York World Trade Center Twin-Towers on September 11, 2001.
The �Stars� are the actual survivors of 9/11: Sujo John was in Tower One when the first plane crashed just above his head. He was able to lead a group of people down the staircase while the exterior of the building peeled like a banana. He then found out that his pregnant wife was in Tower Two. Janelle prayed for God to help her and the next day she was the last one found alive discovered standing up asleep amidst the rubble!
Reenactments of the events are portrayed by some Hollywood notables including: T.J. Meyers, who co-starred in �Intolerable Cruelty,,�Impossible Heist� and �Who�s Your Daddy,,Brenda Epperson and, Kimberly Estrada both Veterans of �The Young and Restless� and �Million Dollar Baby," Bryan Brightcloud, who is the direct descendant of Iron Eyes Cody, Lisa Hart Carroll, who co-starred in �Terms of Endearment� with Debra Winger, as well as Alex Folk, of �Police Academy� and �National Lampoon� and Patrick Williams.
The Producer of the film, Leslie McRay said, Miraclefilms.com� production �DAY OF MIRACLES� demonstrates that the 9/11 attack failed to divide and defeat the American spirit, but it actually resulted in a revival of faith and amazing spiritual patriotism. As a special bonus the film's producers are featuring a music video �AMERCIA WE STAND AS ONE � which has had 1 million hits on the Internet. The special music for the film was created by: Terry Mac Almon and George Dare.
During the week of 9/11, 2005 �DAY OF MIRACLES� was telecast to billions, world-wide through Sky Angel one of the world�s largest satellite networks, including i-Lifetv, Daystar, The Victory Network, Le Sea Broadcasting, Cornerstone, the Spirit Channel and Armed Forces Network while being translated into numerous languages through TBN ands another 3 billion more through Short-Wave Radio. It will continue to run on these networks as well as being featured by the new television series, �REAL MIRACLES! The movie is now available on DVD $29.95 and VHS $24.95.
McRay told ASSIST News: "We are Christian film makers...(and) have produced an Award winning docudrama about the miracle testimonies of the survivors of 9/11/01. It will be telecast to 3 billion people this anniversary of 9/11. People had a large hole in their emotions after that terrible event and kept asking 'Where was God?' Our film is filled with inspirational true stories that glorified the Lord."
Miracle Films says it is currently producing 52 shows a year including "Starpower," which is an ongoing TV series with over 70 half-hour programs broadcast in 30 million households, as well as "Behind the scenes of the Academy Awards"; stars & their favorite charities, such as the Bob Hope Classic, Frank Sinatra Invitational, Las vegas Variety Club, MD and the Harley Davison Motorcycle Run, Ed Asner Wheelchair Races and Paramount Studios' L.I.F.E Love feeding the hungry.
"We are focused now on Real Stars...Real Miracles and Signs & Wonders!"
McRay added: "Miracle Films has been set up for the purpose of working with such best selling authors as Jerry Jenkins and others to bring the love and message of our Lord Jesus Christ to the world in a manner that touches the heart. Miracle Films and Miracle Network Group create inspirational content expressly for the Faith based media. If you are a broadcaster, investor, or wish to co-produce with us, please contact us for more details."
More information, log-on to WWW.MIRACLEFILMS.COM or call (818) 377-5111. A one-minute trailer may be viewed at the website. "
The World Trade Center Trailer
" The World Trade Center Trailer, About the The World Trade Center"
Steven Curtis Chapman-"God is God" (from the White House)
Michael W. Smith-There She Stands
-Country
Alan Jackson - Where Were You 9/11 Tribute
"Description: A moving Music Video Using Alan Jackson's "Where Were you When The
World Stopped Turning" and Footage from "9/11 - The Filmmakers'
Commemorative Edition DVD" (From the Back Cover)
On the morning of
September 11, 2001, brothers Jules and Gedeon Naudet were working on a
documentary about a rookie New York City firefighter. Hearing a roar in
the sky, Jules turned his camera upward--just in time to film the only
existing image of the first plane crashing into the World Trade Center.
In a fateful instant, Jules and Gedeon became eyewitnesses to the most
shocking and defining incident of our time.
With cameras rolling,
the Naudets followed NYC firefighters into the heart of what would be
known as Ground Zero. What emerged is an unforgettably powerful visual
document and a stirring tribute to real-life heroes who, in their
city's darkest hour, rose to extraordinary acts of courage and
compassion.
Alan Jackson
Out in the yard with your wife and children,
Working on some stage in LA?
Did you stand there in shock at the sight of
That black smoke rising against that blue sky?
Did you shout out in anger
In fear for your neighbor,
Or did you just sit down and cry?
Who lost their dear loved ones
And pray for the ones who don�t know?
Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the< rubble
And sob for the ones left below?
For the red white and blue,
The heroes who died just doing what they do?
Did you look up to heaven for some kind of answer
And look at yourself to what really matters?
I�m not a real political man.
I watch CNN but I�m not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran.
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young,
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave
And the greatest is love.
Teaching a class full of innocent children
Driving down some cold interstate?
Did you feel guilty cause you�re a survivor?
In a crowded room did you feel alone?
Did you call up your mother and tell her you love her?
Did you dust off that bible at home?
Close your eyes and not go to sleep?
Did you notice the sunset the first time in ages,
Speak with some stranger on the street?
Did you lay down at night and think of tomorrow,
Go out and buy you a gun?
Did you turn off that violent old movie you�re watching
And turn on �I Love Lucy� reruns?
Stand in line and give your own blood?
Did you just stay home and cling tight to your family?
Thank God you had somebody to love.
The greatest is love,
The greatest is love.
Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day?
"
Where Were You, Music by Alan Jackson.
Images from multiple sources.
" I made this video as part of a 9-11 tribute for the USS Sacramento 2 years afterwards. Very difficult emotionally to produce."
"Please Remember Me" by ?
911
Add to My Profile | More Videos
" a tribute to those who died. please watch. (slideshow)
-Gospel
"The Prayer"- Donnie McClurkin w/ Yolanda Adams
-Rock
"I'm Alive" by ?, slideshow on myspacetv.com
"World trade centers, never forget what happened on sept. 11th, 2001!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Warning some shots are pretty graphic!!!!!!!!!!!"
-Worship
9-11 World Trade Center Memorial - Jeff Buckley/Hallelujah
"Summer of 1999, my family and I had the opportunity to vacation in New York City. We had a lovely time, saw a few Broadway shows, The Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, The Empire State Building, Central Park and we visited The World Trade Center. At the World Trade Center, there is what is called the "Top of The World" indoor and outdoor observation deck. When arriving at the World Trade Center we had a souvenir photo taken of us in the lobby area then up the elevators to the indoor observation deck and then it ends with a wonderful rooftop stroll with a suburb view..
It is unfortunate for those who have never had the opportunity to see or visit the WTC. They were a couple of enormous and majestic buildings located in lower Manhattan. Now, their absence from the cityscape of Manhattan breaks my heart. The day they fell, our freedom, as we knew it, was taken from us. America will never be the same"
Ten Songs for 9/11, from shoutmouth.com
"NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK (ANS) -- Along with millions of other around the world I witnessed the 9/11 terror attacks live on my home TV screen. What my eye�s were witnessing, my brain struggled to process as I saw the scenes of horror; the souls trapped in the towering inferno of the Twin Towers above the point of impact; their only way of escape from the intense heat was to leap from the windows knowing that they would not survive the quarter of a mile drop to earth.
I remember falling to my knees in front of the screen stunned by what I saw and with tears in my eye�s all I could pray was, �Oh Jesus.�
As a news journalist working then for UCB Europe (now UCB UK), the hours, days, and weeks that followed were intense as we, as a team tried, to report the devastation with a Christian perspective.
Even in the early day�s so many people asked me the same question, �Where was God on 9/11?� I never doubted His presence that day, but I tried to imagine myself being one of the thousands of people desperate to flee the buildings of the World Trade Center in New York on that bright and beautiful sunny morning.
I believe that many of them would have cried out to the Lord and, in doing so, He heard their feeble prayer as he did with the thief who hung on a cross next to Him.
The question, �Where was God on 9/11?� was constantly resounding in my head and in my heart and soul and with it came the desire grew to visit lower Manhattan and the place that we came to know as Ground Zero to try and discover the answer for myself.
Peter Wooding, my news editor at UCB, supported my request to make the journey and on Monday, November 12, two months after the towers collapsed, it was agreed to.
When I heard the news, my mind was all over the place thinking of my mission in New York while still trying to prepare and present the hourly news bulletins.
Working on the late shift, I was preparing the 3:00 PM news report when the news began to filter through that American Airlines Flight 587 had crashed on takeoff from JFK airport in the borough of Queens in New York City and 246 passengers and nine crew members had perished. In the minds and hearts of millions around the world it initially appeared that the terrorists had struck again.
Walking through the UCB reception area after reading the news, Teresa, a dear friend and sister in the Lord, stopped me. Having heard through the UCB grapevine that they had agreed to my trip to, she asked me sincerely, �Patrick, aren�t you frightened of going to New York with all that�s happening there?�
I paused for a moment and closed my eyes, searching for an answer, which came almost immediately. �Sister Teresa,� I said, �in Him I live and move and have my being. I will die when my time is up not before.� With that a peace filled my whole being.
I planned my trip to coincide with the third month anniversary and persuaded David, a brother in Christ, to accompany me.
Pastor Mike MacIntosh preaching (Photo: Dan Wooding)
Two day�s before our departure, I received an email on my work desk from Pastor Mike McIntosh, senior pastor of Horizon Christian Fellowship in San Diego, California. Although I had never met him, he had heard of my trip through Dan Wooding and suggested in his email that, when I got to New York, I should meet Detective Carlos Aviles of the NYPD. �He�s doing an amazing work at Ground Zero� Mike wrote. That was it. No contact details.
I fired back an email thanking him and asking for more details, like a phone number, but nothing came back even though I hung around the production office on my last day after my shift had finished.
I filed the email along with several reports I had printed off for research and on December 5, 2001, I took off from London�s Heathrow airport bound for Manhattan with my friend, David.
During the flight, I read through my research files and came across a report from the Bible Society. In it was an interview with Neil Wain, a British Christian police officer who had been caught up in the awful events of 9/11. I naively thought that it would be good to meet him and also Detective Aviles.
Once David and I had checked into our hotel, we decide not to go straight to where the towers had stood but instead to stay around mid Manhattan.
Walking through the crowds in Times Square, it was hard to believe that just a few miles south of where we were was the scene of the worst act of terrorism that the world had ever witnessed; a vile act that had claimed the lives of thousands of innocent people. However, it seemed to me that New Yorkers were instead, concentrating on the Christmas holidays.
On our first full day in the city, we walked east and not far from our hotel, we came across the Bellevue Hospital Center. We noticed that the side street had been cordoned off and was lined with marquees and Portacabins. Introducing myself as a Christian journalist to one of the police officers standing behind the barrier, he went and fetch a Catholic priest who invited us into a prayer tent where he was about to lead a service. When we had entered the tent the priest told us that nearby a temporary mortuary had been set up.
Following the service, that included prayers for the victim, their relatives and all those involved, the priest walked with us down the street. As we passed the Portacabins on both our left and right, we realized what they were being used for why the signs on the doors. They included, �Dental Services� and �DNA Analysis.�
At the bottom of the street, on the right hand side, we stopped and stared and several mobile refrigerators, which we soon realized contained the remains of many of the victims.
After an hour or so, we said our goodbyes, but before we left, I showed Mike McIntosh�s email to several officers. �Do you know where I could find Detective Aviles?� I asked. They all sympathetically replied, �No.�
We had been in New York City for three whole days and the only thing I had recorded on my MiniDisc was a sound check. Fear and doubt began to try to take a grip of me. �Who do you think you are to take on something of this magnitude?� I asked myself.
David and I made our way on foot down Broadway heading towards Ground Zero.
We found the Mayor�s office and I stopped to ask the police officer on duty outside about Detective Aviles. Reading Mike McIntosh�s email, he handed it back to me and my heart sank when he said, �Look, you�re in a city with 41,000 police officers deployed all over the place. I wish you well but you�re looking for a needle in a haystack.�
We made our way back onto Broadway and soon came across a group of hundreds of people standing in virtual silence, many of them with tears in their eyes. Following their gaze beyond a police cordon, we saw for the first time, the skeletal remains of one of the towers that I had only seen on TV.
I tried to interview people in the crowd but for so many the emotions of what they were looking at made it impossible for them to speak to me.
Feeling absolutely devastated by the scene in front of me, and the fact that I had failed to interview anyone, I put my MiniDisc away and began handing out tracts with the title, �Is December the 25th the answer to September 11?� It was written by the Rev. Paul Bassett who compared the two dates; one of darkness and death, the other of light and life. I handed out nearly 500 of them during my stay in New York.
Walking a little further down Broadway, we stopped outside St Paul�s Chapel where we saw, attached to the railings outside, were messages of support from around the world. The hundreds of burning candles gave the place a shrine like atmosphere.
The Chapel had opened its doors after the attacks and became a refuge and home to hundreds of recovery workers who were still sifting through the thousands of tons of rubble that still covered the sixteen-acre site of death and destruction.
Walking a little further, we came across a group of Christians huddled together in a door way. They were praising and praying, so we stopped to join them in their worship. I then began talking with the group about my sense of failure, and they laid their hands on me and prayed that the Lord would guide me. There and then, I felt the heaviness leave me.
David and decide to walk further and, turning off Broadway, we found ourselves walking through almost deserted streets and alleyways.
Almost an hour after we had left the prayer group, we walked passed St Joseph�s Chapel. The lights were blazing and so we decided to see what was going on inside. David lagged behind, tired from the day�s walking, so as I stepped into the entrance and as I did, a man began walking out with his mobile phone in his hand. He stopped and extended his arm to greet me. �Hi, my name is Carlos,� he said. As I shook his hand, I noticed his police badge hanging from the top pocket of his jacket. It read, �Detective Aviles.�
I cautiously asked, �Are you Detective Carlos Aviles?� He replied in his thick New York accent, �Yeah.� I then showed him Mike McIntosh�s email and told him of my quest to find him and, with that, he threw his arms around me with a wonderful hug. We danced and praised God for the miracle of our meeting.
Ian Otto (a British police officer), Patrick Reilly, Carlos Aviles and Neil Wain in New York
In my sheer excitement I blurted out to Carlos the name of the British police officer I had read about. �His name is Bruce Wain�� and before I could finish, he said, �You mean, Neil Wain� I have just been speaking to him on the phone.� Tears of pure joy filled my eyes as within moments I was talking to Neil on the cell phone.
We arranged to meet a couple of day�s later.
St Joseph�s, like St Paul�s, had became a 24/7 Respite Center for the thousands of workers at Ground Zero. It was staffed by a dedicated team of Christian volunteers from all over the United States and beyond. Inside there were rest areas, a bank of PC�s connected to the Internet so that workers could keep in contact with their loved ones, and a dining area.
It was also a place of prayer and ministry which many of the workers came to love and cherish. One of the guys� we meet and prayed with had volunteered to work on the site in the hope that he could find his son, missing since the towers fell. The presence of the Lord was very real.
With a new zeal and confidence, I began to record some of the most wonderful testimonies. One of the first was with Catherine Roskam, a Bishop in the Episcopal Church on Broadway. I asked the obvious question, "Where was God on 9/11?" and she replied with grace and conviction, �God was right in the midst of it. We saw 19 people who gave their lives to bring death and destruction, but they were met by hundreds who gave their lives so that others might live.�
All over the city, wherever we went, we met Christians with the love of Christ pouring out of them as they brought hope and healing to the traumatised city and its residents.
9/11 hero,
Giann Gamboa
Among the thousands of posters of people who were still missing, was one of one of Giann Gamboa, a manager at the Top of the World Restaurant. Giann was a devout Christian who regularly attended the 6:00 AM prayer service with other members of staff. He was a man of faith who would pray with colleagues if he knew they were in distress. He was last seen waiting for an elevator on the 78th floor of Tower 2 at the World Trade Center. He gave his place to a young female colleague. As the doors closed, he was heard to reassuringly say, �I�ll get the next one.� Giann believed with all his heart that no man has greater love than this than he lay down his life for his friends. That was the last time he was seen ever seen again.
During my week in New York, I recorded hours of interviews and all those confirmed that the Lord was with them.
During another miraculous visit into the heart of Ground Zero, I felt the presence of the Lord in the shape of a twenty foot steel cross that was discovered by a construction worker in the midst of the rubble two days after the collapse.
That cross came to symbolize God�s presence and every day the workers would gather for prayer, praise and worship, focusing on the hope that the cross of Christ that has not brought the death and destruction surrounding them.
Today all these years on, I am still asked the question, "Where was God on 9/11?" and I, along with tens of thousands of others, can truthfully testify for certain that He was there all along.
Patrick Reilly is a freelance Christian journalist based in the UK. If you would like to comment on this story, you can contact him by e-mail address at patrickr@fish.co.uk."
"This is a movie about the prophetic meaning around 9/11. The sounding of the ancient Hebrew shofar that morning. The Mystery of Yom Hadin and the end of days. The woman who prophside 2 years to the day before this happened and it was cought on film"
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Ramzi Yousef, who is Serving a Life Sentence for ‘03 WTC Attack, Claims to Have Found Jesus BY JAMES GORDON MEEK
DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU
Friday, October 12th 2007, 4:00 AM
WASHINGTON - Muslim terrorist Ramzi Yousef once bombed the World Trade Center for Allah, but now he purports to have found Jesus and converted to Christianity, according […]"
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