It started out as a normal day. Genelle sat down at her desk and began to get to work, when the unimaginable happened. A plane, hijacked by terrorists, flew into the World Trade Center where she worked on the 64th floor. She began to evacuate. When she reached the 13th floor, she bent over to take off her shoes, and at that moment the tower collapsed.
She was completely trapped and could not see the light of day. She heard the faint cries of others that would soon go silent. Genelle cried out to God to save her, but she was lost in the rubble.
Would anyone risk their lives to search for her?
Twenty years ago, our lives were forever changed by the events of 9/11.
An “all call” went out to every fireman and policeman in New York City, and there was not one first responder who did not answer that call. We watched as they rushed into unstable buildings while everyone was running out. We saw them risk their lives to save people they didn’t even know. Some would lose their lives.
Twenty years later, tragedy strikes again. The world watches an uncontrollable virus relentlessly infect millions of people, and we have watched loved ones and friends perish. However, something is different.
When tragedy struck on 9/11 in 2001, America flooded the church, people turned to God, and unified. Today the church is pressured to close its doors, and people turned to science, and divided. We traded an attitude of risking our lives for an abundance of caution. This is not an indictment on those who are attempting to be responsible in how they worship, but a challenge to the church to rush into their neighborhoods and rescue the lost. What can you do to provide care to the community, such as healthcare workers, educators, and families of the infirmed?
It would take 27 hours. In the darkness, Paul grabbed Genelle’s hand and told her help was on the way. Over the next hour, a team of nine people cut her from the wreckage and carried her to safety. She would be the last survivor pulled from the wreckage. Don’t give up. Lives are counting on you.