...the sun was shining. The sky was a beautiful blue that comes with fall. It was going to be a great day. The folks at Bethlehem, Ferrin, IL were cooking applebutter. The smell of smoke filled the air. They were standing outside, stirring the kettles as the apples were cooking down. Yes, the day had begun as any other day. Penny was teaching at the Ferrin preschool. I was at Trinity, Hoffman, IL school, teaching the 7/8 grade confirmation class. Rach and Matthew were in school like they were supposed to be.
But the planes had crashed into the Towers. Shock. The plane had crashed into the Pentagon. More shock. What are you supposed to do? What are you supposed to say?
And then it happens. The South Tower of the World Trade Center collapsed. It just collapsed! Watching the TV at Hoffman, we were shocked. It was shown over and over again. It was surreal. Who would have thought such a thing would have happened? How could it have happened? What was next? Still at Hoffman, there was a sense of unknown running through the building. The older children were amazed at what they saw. The younger ones only knew that the adults and older kids were talking about something terrible happening.
Then the plane in Pennsylvania crashed. What happened? Was it a part of the plan to attack America? Did anyone survive? Still so many unknowns. At 9:30 central time, the North Tower collapsed. What? What was this? Did anyone survive? What about all those first responders that had gone to help out? What happened to them. Clouds of smoke and dust. People filled with fear.
What do you do? We did what every Christian should do. We gathered the children together in the library. I talked with the children and staff about what happened. I pointed out that the Lord was still with us. He was still the One we could trust. We looked to the One who is always with us in the midst of the struggles of this life. It was overwhelming but we have a God who is greater than anything that has taken place in this world. We sang. We prayed. We looked to the God who is always with us, the God who was with all those who were in the planes and in the Towers and in each of those situations. Looking to God, there is hope, strength and comfort. He is our stronghold in times of trouble. We were looking to God as we shold each day.
After a little longer at the school, I headed back to Ferrin. My mind was swirling. I needed to talk with Penny. I needed to be where it was "normal." The 7 miles seemed so long. The sky was still clear. The sky was still blue. The air was still wonderful pure, for us. In New York City, in Washington DC and in Pennsylvania the air wasn't so clear. Trusting in the Lord, I arrived back home.
There were the people, the fires, the kettles and yet, things were much more subdued. They had heard. Remember that things were not like they are 20 years later where we have instant news. But they knew. You could see it on their faces. I spoke to them as I walked to the school building. There, I found Penny teaching the children. But you could tell that she knew what had happened. As the children were busy doing something (not sure what it was), we talked, hugged and knew that the Lord was with us just as He was always. Praise be to God for the assurance of that the message of the gospel brings.
How did the rest of the day go? Tomorrow, I will talk about that. At this time, I reflect on it, and I know, the same God is still with us, still watching over us, still loving us and still caring for us. The world might have changed, but our God has not! Praise be to God.
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