“O
Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and
when I rise. You perceive my thoughts from afar.”
Psalm
139: 1,2
I have been a flight attendant
for American Airlines for many years. In September 2001, I was on
a three day trip assignment from Dallas-Fort Worth to London-Gatwick.
On September 10, 2001, I was
in my hotel room near the London airport, sitting on my bed and reading.
The television was on with the sound off. I glanced at the television
screen and saw a judge – the old British kind with the long white curly
wig. His words were printed across the screen for the hearing impaired.
He said, “I have examined the evidence and have made my decision.
The defendant is ‘Not Guilty’”.
The words ‘Not Guilty’
went straight to my heart. I began to cry, and then to sob.
I poured out my heart to God. I confessed my weaknesses, my guilt
and my anxieties. As God’s peace came over me, I felt completely
cleansed. I felt the Lord say he loved me and that everything would
be okay. The weight of the world was lifted from my shoulders. “You
will be okay”. I didn’t know then how important those words would
be to me over the next few days.
“If
I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.”
Psalm 139:9-12
On September 11, 2001, we were
headed from London to Dallas. We were four hours into the flight
when I learned about the tragedy in the United States. My assignment
was ‘Business Class galley flight attendant’. As I was taking my
rest break, another flight attendant pulled back the curtain and woke us
up to tell us that an American Airlines plane and a United Airlines plane
had each flown into the World Trade Center. We also learned that
an American Airlines plane had flown into the Pentagon.
We were told to walk through
the cabin and look for anyone that looked suspicious. I immediately
thought, “This is it. This is the day”. It was just
like a book from the
Left Behind series. It’s funny – some
crewmembers were comparing the events of the day to a plot from a Tom Clancy
book. I knew that it was Osama bin Ladin. I thought about how
scared the other flight attendants would be when they found out what was
going on in the States. It was scary.
But I also knew that if our
airplane went down, I was ready to face death. I had a peace in knowing
that no matter what happened, I would be okay. After all, just last
night as I sat on my bed in the hotel room, God spoke to my heart and said
“You will be okay”. He had prepared me for this day.
And at that moment, I knew that God wanted me to do something. I
was not on that flight by accident, but by divine appointment.
“There
is no one like God, who rides on the heavens to help you, and on the clouds
in his majesty” Deuteronomy 33:26.
The only thing I knew to do
was pray. I asked the two flight attendants in the Business Class
galley if they would like to pray, and they were so willing. As we
held hands, I began to pray. I thanked God for being in control and
asked for His protection. I prayed for strength and unity for the
crew. I prayed for calmness without panic for the passengers.
I prayed for a clear head and wisdom for the captain.
As I prayed, I felt hands touching
my back. When I looked around, the captain had joined our prayer
circle and was standing with his head bowed. The galley was full
of crewmembers, some touching my back, others standing with heads bowed.
Each of them, in their own way, was reaching for God, and each of them
were making a silent statement that they, too, were praying for the same
things. We were a united crew. One prayer already answered.
As we prayed, I could see how
God was opening doors and opening hearts. I was so humbled that He
had given me the boldness and courage to pray with all of these people.
“He
heals the brokenhearted.” Psalm 147:3
There was a flight attendant
with us that was really on my heart that day. I felt an overwhelming
need to know if she had asked Jesus Christ into her heart. I needed
to know. Again, God gave me the boldness and courage to ask her,
“If anything were to happen to us today, would you go to heaven?
Have you asked Jesus into your heart?”
She started to cry and said,
“Yes, I asked Jesus into my heart when I was a little girl, but I am
such an incredible sinner that there is no way now I could go to heaven.
I am going to hell.”
God had given her such a tender
heart and had opened the door for me to share my testimony. I told
her, “I am no better than you – we are no different. Sin is sin.
None of us are better than any other person. That’s why we need Jesus.”
With tears in her eyes, she expressed her gratitude that someone would
care enough about her to ask if she knew Jesus.
The captain made the announcement
to the passengers that air traffic control was down in the United States
and that our flight would land in Canada. I could sense his fear
and hear his voice tremble. The passengers were silent. Here
we go …
The Lord showed me so many
things on that day and during the days since. I cannot explain why,
but during that flight on September 11th, I knew without a doubt that we
would make it home safely.
God is so good. All His
wonders are too many to tell, but as we landed in Toronto, we were immediately
assigned a gate. Our flight came home two days later – we were the
first and only commercial airliner to fly into the USA on that day.
(Many of the other crews did not make it home for days).
In days following my return
home, I was overwhelmed by the love shown to me by my family and friends.
I received phone calls and e-mails; people stopped me in stores and on
the sidewalk to welcome me home. They shared that they had been praying
for me and keeping track of where I was while I was away. People
that I barely knew would approach me to express their relief and joy that
I was home – safe and sound.
What an incredible blessing
to know how much we are loved and that people care for us. So many
good and wonderful things can come from all of this. Even this can
be turned to the good.
Sometimes I am afraid, other
times I am excited about the incredible opportunity that God is giving
us. Hearts are searching for the Lord, and He is opening doors.
There is no time to waste.
Note
from Dragonfly Ministries: If you would like to speak to someone
about asking Jesus Christ into your life, or to pray with you, please call
1-888-NEEDHIM. Counselors are standing by 24 hours a day, waiting
for your call or you can visit NEEDHIM at http://www.needhim.org
