GOD SAVED ME

Luke 13:4-5 “Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were debtors beyond all the men dwelling in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you shall all similarly perish.”

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

BUT GOD IS A GOD OF FORGIVENESS.

Romans 1:28,29a,32 “And even as they did not approve of holding GOD in their full knowledge, God gave them up to a disapproved mind to do the things which are not fitting,

Being filled with all unrighteousness, Who, though fully knowing the righteous judgment of GOD, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, not only do them, but also have fellow delight in those who practice them.”

I thank God for preserving me so that I can write this testimony.

On September 11, 2001, I arrived at work on the 74th floor of the World Trade Center, Tower 1 at 8:43 a.m. Soon after I turned on my computer, I heard a loud “bang.” Then the building swayed and I could see through the window blocks of concrete and debris falling from above. Everyone rose to their feet.

At that moment, I envisioned myself in a high tower that was crumbling. At this time I also had a sense of communicating with the Lord. Also within seconds, I was headed for the stairwell. Above all the commotion I heard someone say, “It's a plane; I saw the wing.” Others said, “My briefcase!” And a few shouted, “Stairwell!”

It did not take long for the stairwell to become overcrowded as we began what seemed to be an endless trip downward. We were under the impression that this had been an accident, until someone who read a bulletin on his Palm Pilot mentioned that the plane that hit the building had been hijacked.

During that painstaking trip, those of us descending the stairs had to step aside on two occasions to allow people who were badly burned to pass. By the time we got to the 40thfloor we began to hear loud cracking sounds coming from the center columns of the building. The intensity of our fear increased. I later found out that these were probably the sounds associated with the attack on Tower #2 as it was being struck by a second plane. When we arrived at the 30th floor, we stopped for a third time, this time to allow some firefighters carrying huge hoses to climb the stairs on their way up. This was a remarkably sad sight to see. I recall the fear on several faces, particularly on one man who was quite young. On other faces I saw the pain of having to carry so much weight upwards.

From my previous experience in 1993 when the World Trade Center was bombed by terrorists, I learned that it was not wise to run down the stairwell because you become quickly fatigued. This time, as I walked down with some of my coworkers, one of them insisted on stopping to sit down on the stairs at intervals to rest. There were numerous other people trying to make their descent, and consequently the flow of traffic was so slow that I also would sit and rest at intervals. This did help me to conserve my energy and enabled me to make my escape.

Finally, at 9:45 a.m. I escaped from the Tower. We were told not to look up because of falling debris, and I heeded the warning. As I was trying to get away from the plaza, I saw burned debris and body parts on the ground. I thought of calling my wife to tell her I was okay. But an hour had elapsed since the tragedy began, and by then it was impossible to communicate with her by phone because all of the phone booths in the area had long waiting lines.

At this moment I could not decide what to do. There were only two options that I could think of: I could walk across the Brooklyn Bridge or take the #6 subway train that was still running by City Hall. I finally decided to take the subway going uptown and went to 42nd Street.

Fortunately, I found a phone at this point and was able to call my wife. She was elated to hear my voice and I could hear her relaying the news to other people in the background. I told her that there were no more subways and that I had to walk across the Queensboro Bridge to Queens Blvd. Without hesitation I started my walk up Lexington Avenue from 42nd Street towards the Bridge.

I know that the Lord carried me through this ordeal. I found myself walking alone among a multitude of people on the Bridge. As I walked I could hear myself calling on the name of the Lord, saying, “O Lord Jesus!” I had no awareness of the time of day. I just know that I sensed GodŐs presence with me carrying me along as I walked. Despite the fact that I had walked down from 74 floors in Tower 1 of the World Trade Center, God gave me the strength to walk across the Queensboro Bridge towards Queens Blvd. After walking along Queens Blvd for awhile, I got a ride to a nearby subway station. It was at this time that I overheard two students talking about the fact that both Towers of the World Trade Center had collapsed. I was stunned.

I took the bus from the subway on Hillside Avenue in Queens and finally arrived home at approximately 2:00 p.m.

I thank God and I praise Him for preserving me for His purpose.