When the Towers Fell

Today on the fifteenth anniversary of 9/11, many people can still recall where they were and what they were doing during that tragic day. On that Tuesday morning, the Lord led me to do street ministry in Springfield, Virginia (at the time I was living in the nearby city of Manassas). The first two people I prayed with were teenaged boys on their way to school. Later while browsing around a Barnes & Noble bookstore, I overheard someone talk about a plane crash. I figured if it was something serious, I would later hear about it on the news.

Not long afterward, I walked into an electronics store and noticed people crowded around a big-screen TV. It was then I heard about the planes crashing into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon (which is only ten miles from Springfield)! Increased boldness came upon me and I altered my evangelism approach for the rest of the day. First I asked people if they heard what just happened in New York City and Washington, DC. Then I asked if they would be in heaven had they perished in one of those attacks. Sadly, many of them were still oblivious to their need for salvation. One man in a military uniform walked away from me without saying a word. Fortunately, five more people prayed to get born again including folks originally from France, India, and Romania.

The next morning, the Lord woke me up at 4:00 a.m. and told me to go back to Springfield to do more evangelism. That day I prayed with eleven people to receive salvation. One in particular was by far the most memorable. When I returned to Barnes & Noble, the instrumental music playing in the background caught my attention. I asked an employee about it and we got into a lengthy conversation. Jaime was a Spanish immigrant who was very friendly and we eventually talked about the terrorist attacks. I found out Jaime literally saw the plane crash into the Pentagon on his way to work! He then asked why God would allow things like that happen to good people. I explained to Jaime that it’s the devil that influences people to kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10). Jaime later prayed to get born again. It was definitely a divine appointment.

There were people I knew who had close calls related to the events of 9/11…

* The wife of my then-pastor worked at the Pentagon. Her office was in the very same section that was hit by the plane, which stopped one wall short of where she was sitting! Fortunately she didn't experience serious injuries.

* The father of a friend of mine in Virginia also worked at the Pentagon. He planned on getting cash at an ATM machine where the plane later hit. This man changed his mind at the last minute. That decision saved his life.

* Two ladies I know who lived and worked at Calvary Campground in Ashland, Virginia took a trip to New York and made plans to tour the World Trade Center on the evening of September 11. It was a good thing they didn't go there earlier that day before the planes hit.

* On the National Day of Prayer and Remembrance (September 14, 2001) declared by President George W. Bush, I felt led to call a friend of mine who lived in the Philadelphia area. Ellen told me a couple we both knew was visiting her and had ministered at a New York church the Sunday before. This couple originally planned on staying in New York two more days to do some sightseeing. But the wife felt a strong prompting to get out of New York sooner.

The next time a horrific event like 9/11 happens, use that as an opportunity to share the gospel with people. Some individuals need a serious wake-up call to realize their lives can suddenly end without warning. One minister I know in New York often says, “Meet your Maker before you meet your undertaker!”

“There will be on every high mountain and on every high hill rivers and streams of waters, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall” - Isaiah 30:25

The Right Place at the Right Time

Last November, I took a trip to Boston, Massachusetts. I perceived the Lord wanted me there since I was getting all kinds of “Boston” signs (such as this paper cutter used at a church in Florida). To save on lodging expenses, I stayed at a hostel for two nights but didn’t sleep well due to other guests walking in our bedroom at various times. The next night I stayed at a house church in Haverhill, Massachusetts. My hosts would have let me stay longer except they already had too many guests. Not wanting to return to the hostel, I decided to leave the Boston area and travel to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where I have friends to stay and minister with.  

During my time in Bean Town I did some sightseeing but not much evangelizing mainly because I wanted someone ministering with me. Now I wish I had done more after hearing about the Boston Marathon bombings this past Monday that left three people dead and at least 170 people injured. This tragedy reminded me of when I was in Madrid, Spain six months before the 2004 train bombings that killed 191 people and wounded close to 2,000. God only knows whom I might have ministered to affected by one or both of those terrorist attacks.

In 2004 I had another incident that showed me how our obedience to the Lord has eternal consequences for others. One night I felt a strong impression that I was supposed to head over to the University of Tampa the next day. After some initial hesitation, I finally did so in the afternoon and noticed an area roped off by the police. A man standing on top of a building was threatening to jump off!  Since I couldn’t talk to this man directly, I bound the spirits of suicide and death in Jesus’ name. Then I prayed in the Spirit until I felt a release. As I stood praying, one man came up to me and asked what was going on. I witnessed to David and he got born again.

I also recall not sleeping all that well the morning of 9/11 but still felt led of the Lord to go evangelizing that day. At the time the hijacked planes crashed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, I was in Springfield, Virginia...10 miles from the Pentagon. I mentioned those tragedies to the people I witnessed to by pointing out how our lives can suddenly end without warning. The Lord woke me up early the next day (September 12th, 2001) and instructed me to evangelize again in Springfield. One of the people I led to the Lord was a Barnes & Noble employee who the day before saw the plane crash into the Pentagon on his way to work!

Once again, it's important to follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit and be where God wants us to be. People’s eternal destinies are at stake. Every day before I leave the house, I pray “God, help me be in the right place at the right time doing the right thing with the right people and saying the right thing.” Let that be your prayer as well.

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way.” - Psalm 37:23