DAWN Fridayfax 2001 #37

USA

Missed by 7 metres - deacon survives WTC attack

Tuesday 11 September 2001 began as a day like any other for Stanley Praimnath, deacon at an Assemblies of God church and employee of the Fuji Bank in New York. Stanley's office was on the 81st floor of the second tower. "For some reason, I prayed 'Lord, protect me and all my loved ones with your blood' that morning. I don't know why, but I repeated the sentence over and over. While on the telephone at work, I suddenly saw the fire One World Trade, the neighbouring tower. I tried to call people there, but there was no connection, so I left the building, along with many others. A security guard stopped us on the way out, asking where we were going, and sent us back to our offices, saying 'Oh, that was just an accident. Two World Trade is safe.' That was deadly advice, because besides myself, only Delise, a temporary worker who I sent home, survived."

With God through the wall

"Back in my office, a caller from Chicago asked me if everything was OK. I said yes, looked up - and saw the second aircraft (UA 175) flying directly towards me in slow motion. I prayed 'Lord, help me now', sprang under my desk and curled up. Then the aircraft hit the building. I was up to my shoulders in debris, but I believe that God gave me enough strength to shake everything off. In that moment, I felt like the strongest man alive. I somehow managed to climb out, praying 'Lord, help me, I want to get home'. Suddenly, I noticed a flashlight, and thought to myself 'my guardian angel, the Lord has sent someone to help me'. The guardian angel was another employee standing on the other side of a wall separating us from the stairwell. I could hardly breathe, but shouted 'Listen, I just want to know one thing: do you know Jesus?' 'I go to church every Sunday,' he replied. Then we prayed together, praying to be able to break through the wall together. I stood up and felt a special strength come over me; with goosebumps all over and my body trembling, I said to the wall 'you will not be able to resist my God and me'. Somehow I managed to get through a hole in the wall. Brian, the man on the other side, hugged and kissed me and said 'from today, you are my brother for life!'"

God's finger can move an aircraft

"Then we stumbled down the stairs. When we reached the bottom, the firemen screamed 'run for your lives!'. But where to? There was fire everywhere. Brian and I stood under the sprinklers before running through the wall of fire. Around two blocks away, we reached the Trinity Church. I wanted to thank God, reached for the doorhandle - and at that moment, the WTC-2 building which we had just left collapsed. 'See you in heaven, if not before,' I said to Brian. Hours later, covered with cuts and blood, I held my wife Jennifer and daughters Stephanie (8) and Caitlin (4) in my arms. We cried and thanked God for his protection. No matter what purely rational-thinking people say: for some reason, I know that God's hand diverted the aircraft at the last moment. It was flying directly towards me. When it hit, it was only 6 or 7 metres away - but I survived. I know that Jesus my Lord is greater than all things, and yes, his finger can push an aircraft away!"
Source: Stanley Praimnath via Dan Van Veen, Assemblies of God News Service

Turkey

"Bible" bookshop allowed

In a press release on 18th September 2001, the Christian Aid Mission reported that the Turkish government gave permission for the first Christian bookshop in the nation's history to be opened. "This is almost a miracle," says Kaya Essen, who first requested permission for the shop 8 years ago. The government required that the shop have a large sign in English (for tourists) and Turkish, and that the Bibles be sold and not given away. "After the fatal earthquake in 1999, the Turkish economy is troubled. Almost half of all companies have closed, and inflation is rampant. The government is seeking membership of the European Union, for which one of the conditions is greater religious freedom," says Essen. The bookshop is on a busy street near the US Consulate. 200 people visited the shop in August, and 350 by mid-September.

Note: Immediately after publishing this report, we received an update from the original source: Turkey's 'first Christian bookshop' as originally reported is actually the first one known to include the word 'Incil' (Bible) in its name. There are at least four other existing bookshops in Turkey selling Bibles.
Source: Bill Dolack, Christian Aid Mission, e-mail insider@christianaid.org

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