I know my Bible pretty well,
I know about both heaven and hell.
I know about sin andthe need to repent.
I know Christ Jesus,the Son God sent.
I can quote scripture and pray out loud.
I can teach His word to any size crowd.
I can kneel and pray, like I've done today.
But I've never lived by faith in a very deep way.
I've never been asked, or forced, I should say
To live by faith like I am forced to today.
I like control and to be the boss,
But that concept is forever lost.
I never knew God would ask of me
A level of faith that I just can't see.
My confidence in the future is almost gone.
Certainly, God will not ask me to trust Him alone.
God knows I love Him and want His will,
But there are certain things I just can't kill.
Then God this week spoke in a very clear voice
"Trust me or yourself,it's really your choice."
But God I never knew you would force me to choose.
This is too hard and I have so much to lose.
I have some money to save and things to do
Then I'll get around to trusting you.
To be honest God I'm afraid and dismayed,
My plans for the future have been mislaid.
All my hopes and expectations too
Are now out of my hands, it's up to you.
God, I know how to please you. It's in Hebrews Eleven, Verse 6,
I know that is faith from me that you seek.
It's a great little verse and sounds good when I quote it.
But starting last Tuesday you want me to LIVE IT?
My walk with you it's obvious to me
Must become closer than I can see.
The unknown path I'm about to trod
Will be your path alone, O God.
My plans and hopes lay crumbled in NewYork
They no longer count and I'm in the dark.
Details of your plan you choose not to tell,
Except the part about "faith" is clear as a bell.
I've been limping along doing most things right
Walking with you some, but mostly by sight.
Those days are over; I now understand
I want to walk blindly with you, but please take my hand.
David Fletcher, member
1st Baptist Church, Orlando
September13, 2001
"Uncommon valor was a common virtue" -- Admiral Chester Nimitz, 1945
From the rubble of the World Trade Center, tales of heroism have emerged. The bravery continues as search-and-rescue teams dig through the remains to find an unlikely survivor or to reclaim a casualty. Meanwhile, people across the United States are pouring resources to help everyone connected to the rescue and recovery efforts.
Exhausted search dogs are nearing collapse, after being on the go for 16 hours straight, according to news accounts. Several dogs have been injured in the wreckage, falling through floors of damaged buildings adjacent to the World Trade Center. In the first hours of the attacks, search dogs found six people alive. Since then, sadly, fewer people have been found. Some search teams have been sent home as the effort shifts from rescue to recovery.
The courage and self-sacrifice that has become routine began moments after the first Boeing airliner struck the World Trade Center as dogs led the blind through the smoky confusion to safety. In one case, a blind man had let his dog off leash to give the canine a chance to escape. The plane had struck the building 20 floors above, and glass rained down. The dog ran at first, but came back to his side and guided him to the emergency exit.
Upon reaching the emergency exit with a crowd of others, the man was led down the 70 flights of stairs by the dog and by his boss. Slowly, with the crowd pressing in on them, the trio made their way to safety.
On the 78th floor, a similar story unfolded. Roselle, also a Labrador retriever, was sleeping under the desk of Michael Hingson, a sales manager who worked in the World Trade Center. The collision and explosion woke Roselle. She guided Hingson through the smoke and the smell of burning jet fuel to the emergency exit and down the stairs.
If the dogs involved in these and so many other rescues could speak, they would only say that they were simply following their nature. The same can be said of the people who continue to find ways to help out during the crisis. Simply put, you'll never find a hero who admits to being one. They simply don't know how else to respond.
Heroes Door-to-Door
In New York, hundreds of people are rescuing pets who have been stranded in apartments near ground zero and throughout the city. More than 150 pets have been rescued by volunteers working with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets and reptiles have received medical care from veterinarians at the ASPCA mobile veterinary unit. These animals are being treated primarily for shock, dehydration and respiratory distress.
Acts of bravery by volunteers are common and not limited to just traditional pets. The rescue of a gecko named "Little Dude,"? for example, required climbing 39 floors. Little Dude was soon reunited with his owner. Owners and family or friends of owners have claimed many of the animals. Unclaimed animals will be put up for adoption.
The ASPCA has set up a command center and pet rescue hotline to respond to the plight of pets affected by the attacks. Call 212 876-7700 EXT. 4PET to report a missing pet. The command center has moved from Pier 40 to the headquarters for the ASPCA, at 92nd Street, between First and York avenues. The New York Animal Care and Control (NYACC), which had its headquarters a block from ground zero, has also moved operations from Pier 40 to the Armory.
Heroes Across the Nation
Within the first hours of the attack, the nation rose to the challenge without hesitation. Crises do bring out the best, and it is helpful to be reminded that heroism--rather than hate--is the norm in the United States. Blood donations quickly overwhelmed storage facilities. Likewise, donations of supplies for the search dog teams has exceeded expectations, and people are being asked to stop. New York Center for Animal Care and Control reports that it has "more dog food than we can possibly use."
Both the ASPCA and NYACC are requesting that donations be made in the form of money for long-term support rather than supplies.
Many servers connected to charities have been overloaded from the outpouring of assistance to this national crisis. A nonprofit charity portal, set up by AOL, can help alleviate the strain on the lines. The portal, called Helping.org, is connected to 650,000 nonprofits, including the Red Cross, which has experienced severe overloading during the past week.
In just three days--Wednesday, Thursday and Friday--Helping.org was able to drive more than $9 million in online contributions to the relief and recovery efforts. More money can go to charities and relief organizations because the AOL-Time Warner Foundation is picking up the transaction costs, including credit card fees, which would otherwise be deducted from the contribution.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2001/0925/p9s2-coop.html
HEY! --
Matthew Poeske here and this is the BEST web link I have seen concerning the Attack on America. To be honest, it takes about 3-5 minutes to load (for dial-up connections), BUT, the music, images and narrative is like that of a FILM!!! TOTALLY CAPTIVATING - I'VE WATCHED IT 4 TIMES!!! (And I'm HARD to please!). So, go to the bathroom, get a snack and/or check the laundry, once this page is done loading the 1st time, it repeats --> THAT IS THE TIME TO SIT BACK AND WATCH! Make sure you have the sound up! ;)
Normally, I am perky, strong and unemotional, with a happy twist -- BUT -- this site "raised the hair on the back of my neck!" I even had a couple TEARS! (Not usuall).
Any way, a bro of mine put this together so check it out, it is PHENOMINAL!!!
http://207.61.229.110/~foom/suabs-flash/America-9-11-2001.html
ROCK ON --> KEEP ON ROCKING IN THE FREE WORLD!!!
Matthew Poeske
"There's no such thing as 'can't!' Where there's a 'Will, there's a Way!'" -- Alma Rita Schmid, Matthew John Poeske's Late Grandmother
"It is not the critic who counts, nor the man who points out where the strong man stumbled, or where a doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man in the arena whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs, and who comes up short again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause. The man who at best knows the triumph of high achievement and who at worst, if he fails, fails while daring greatly, so that his place will never be with those cold timid souls who never knew victory or defeat." -- Theodore Roosevelt
After posting the picture below I recieved the following message. I am leaving the picture up though so that others can see which picture I am talking about.
Hi Sam-
Regarding page 8 of your 9-11 site. You might
want to let ppl know that the pic of the guy on
the WTC with the airplane behind him is fake. See
what I wrote back as a reply when the pic was
sent to me. Thanks, I don't know who could be
that cruel to make up a fake photo like that, but
there are so many scams going on right now and so
many hateful ppl out there, that it doesn't
surprise me. Take care! Love, Jules
http://www.animusrex.com/wtc1.php
I hope that anyone who forwarded this photo to ppl sends then this one also to show that it isn't true. Thanks!
Here is an experience from a passenger that was on a recent flight from denver to dulles. Read carefully the pilots' instructions to the passengers.
I waited 2 ½ hours to board the plane. What happened after we boarded was interesting and thought I would share it with you.
The pilot/captain came on the loudspeaker after the doors were closed.
His speech went like this:
First I want to thank you for being brave enough to fly today. The doors
are now closed and we have no help from the outside for any problems that
might occur inside this plane. As you could tell when you checked in, the
government has made some changes to increase security in the airports.
They have not, however, made any rules about what happens after those doors close. Until they do that, we have made our own rules and I want to share them with you. Once those doors close, we only have each other. The security has taken care of a threat like guns with all of the increased scanning, etc. Then we have the supposed bomb. If you have a bomb, there is no need to tell me about it, or anyone else on this plane; you are already in control. So, for this flight, there are no bombs that exist on this plane.
Now, the threats that are left are things like plastics, wood, knives, and other weapons that can be made or things like that which can be used as weapons. Here is our plan and our rules. If someone or several people stand up and say they are hijacking this plane, I want you all to stand up together. Then take whatever you have available to you and throw it at them. Throw it at their faces and heads so they will have to raise their hands to protect themselves.
The very best protection you have against knives are the pillows and blankets. Whoever is close to these people should then try t! o get a blanket over their head-then they won't be able to see. Once that is done, get them down and keep them there. Do not let them up. I will then land the plane at the closest place and we WILL take care of them. After all, there are usually only a few of them and we are 200+ strong! We will not allow them to take over this plane.
I find it interesting that the US Constitution begins with the words "We, the people"-that's who we are, THE people and we will not be defeated. With that, the passengers on the plane all began to applaud, people had tears in their eyes, and we began the trip toward the runway. The flight attendant then began the safety speech. One of the things she said is that we are all so busy and live our lives at such a fast pace. She asked that everyone turn to their neighbors on either side and introduce themselves, tell each other something about your families and children, show pictures, whatever. She said "for today, we consider you family.
We will treat you as such and ask that you do the same with us." Throughout the flight we learned that for the crew, this was their first flight since Tuesday's tragedies. It was a day that everyone leaned on each other and together everyone was stronger than any one person alone. It was quite an experience.
You can imagine the feeling when that plane touched down at Dulles and we heard "welcome to Washington Dulles Airport, where the local time is 5:40".
Again, the cabin was filled with applause.
Thought you might want to add your thoughts to this "Quite Quilt" being put together in memory of the Sept. 11 victims. THught it was a nice idea to give people a healthy outlet for their grief. Just follow the link.
We were about 5 hours out of Frankfurt flying over the North Atlantic and I was in my crew rest seat taking my scheduled rest break. All of a sudden the curtains parted violently and I was told to go to the cockpit, right now, to see the captain. As soon as I got there I noticed that the crew had one of those "All Business" looks on their faces.
The captain handed me a printed message. I quickly read the message and realized the importance of it. The message was from Atlanta, addressed to our flight, and simply said, "All airways over the Continental US are closed. Land ASAP at the nearest airport, advise your destination."
Now, when a dispatcher tells you to land immediately without suggesting which airport, one can assume that the dispatcher has reluctantly given up control of the flight to the captain. We knew it was a serious situation and we needed to find terra firma quickly. It was quickly decided that the nearest airport was 400 miles away, behind our right shoulder, in Gander, on the island of New Foundland.
A quick request was made to the Canadian traffic controller and a right turn, directly to Gander, was approved immediately. We found out later why there was no hesitation by the Canadian controller approving our request.
We, the in-flight crew, were told to get the airplane ready for an immediate landing. While this was going on another message arrived from Atlanta telling us about some terrorist activity in the New York area.
We briefed the in-flight crew about going to Gander and we went about our business 'closing down' the airplane for a landing. A few minutes later I went back to the cockpit to find out that some airplanes had been hijacked and were being flown into buildings all over the US.
We decided to make an announcement and LIE to the passengers for the time being. We told them that an instrument problem had arisen on the airplane and that we needed to land at Gander, to have it checked. We promised to give more information after landing in Gander. There were many unhappy passengers but that is par for the course.
We landed in Gander about 40 minutes after the start of this episode. There were already about 20 other airplanes on the ground from all over the world. After we parked on the ramp the captain made the following announcement. "Ladies and gentlemen, you must be wondering if all these airplanes around us have the same instrument problem as we have. But the reality is that we are here for a good reason." Then he went on to explain the little bit we knew about the situation in the US. There were loud gasps and stares of disbelief. Local time at Gander was 12:30 pm. (11:00 AM EST)
Gander control told us to stay put. No one was allowed to get off the aircraft. No one on the ground was allowed to come near the aircrafts. Only a car from the airport police would come around once in a while, look us over and go on to the next airplane. In the next hour or so all the airways over the North Atlantic were vacated and Gander alone ended up with 53 airplanes from all over the world, out of which 27 were flying US flags.
We were told that each and every plane was to be offloaded, one at a time, with the foreign carriers given the priority. We were No.14 in the US category. We were further told that we would be given a tentative time to deplane at 6 pm.
Meanwhile bits of news started to come in over the aircraft radio and for the first time we learned that airplanes were flown into the World Trade Center in New York and into the Pentagon in DC.
People were trying to use their cell phones but were unable to connect due to a different cell system in Canada. Some did get through but were only able to get to the Canadian operator who would tell them that the lines to the US were either blocked or jammed and to try again. Some time late in the evening the news filtered to us that the World Trade Center buildings had collapsed and that a fourth hijacking had resulted in a crash.
Now the passengers were totally bewildered and emotionally exhausted but stayed calm as we kept reminding them to look around to see that we were not the only ones in this predicament. There were 52 other planes with people on them in the same situation. We also told them that the Canadian Government was in charge and we were at their mercy.
True to their word, at 6 PM, Gander airport told us that our turn to deplane would come at 11 AM, the next morning. That took the last wind out of the passengers and they simply resigned and accepted this news without much noise and really started to get into a mode of spending the night on the airplane.
Gander had promised us any and all medical attention if needed; medicine, water, and lavatory servicing. And they were true to their word. Fortunately we had no medical situation during the night. We did have a young lady who was 33 weeks into her pregnancy. We took REALLY good care of her. The night passed without any further complications on our airplane despite the uncomfortable sleeping arrangements.
About 10:30 on the morning of the 12th we were told to get ready to leave the aircraft. A convoy of school buses showed up at the side of the airplane, the stairway was hooked up and the passengers were taken to the terminal for "processing"
We, the crew, were taken to the same terminal but were told to go to a different section, where we were processed through Immigration and customs and then had to register with the Red Cross. After that we were isolated from our passengers and were taken in a caravan of vans to a very small hotel in the town of Gander. We had no idea where our passengers were going.
The town of Gander has a population of 10,400 people. Red Cross told us that they were going to process about 10,500 passengers from all the airplanes that were forced into Gander. We were told to just relax at the hotel and wait for a call to go back to the airport, but not to expect that call for a while.
We found out the total scope of the terror back home only after getting to our hotel and turning on the TV, 24 hours after it all started.
Meanwhile we enjoyed ourselves going around town discovering things and enjoying the hospitality. The people were so friendly and they just knew that we were the "Plane people". We all had a great time until we got that call, 2 days later, on the 14th at 7AM. We made it to the airport by 8:30AM and left for Atlanta at 12:30 PM arriving in Atlanta at about 4:30PM.? (Gander is 1 hour and 30 minutes ahead of EST, yes!, 1 hour and 30 minutes.)
But that's not what I wanted to tell you.
What passengers told us was so uplifting and incredible and the timing couldn't have been better. We found out that Gander and the surrounding small communities, within a 75 Kilometer radius, had closed all the high schools, meeting halls, lodges, and any other large gathering places. They converted all these facilities to a mass lodging area. Some had cots set up, some had mats with sleeping bags and pillows set up. ALL the high school students HAD to volunteer taking care of the "GUESTS".
Our 218 passengers ended up in a town called Lewisporte, about 45 Kilometers from Gander. There they were put in a high school. If any women wanted to be in a women only facility, that was arranged. Families were kept together. All the elderly passengers were given no choice and were taken to private homes.
Remember that young pregnant lady, she was put up in a private home right across the street from a 24 hour Urgent Care type facility. There were DDS on call and they had both male and female nurses available and stayed with the crowd for the duration. Phone calls and emails to US and Europe were available for every one once a day.
During the days the passengers were given a choice of "Excursion" trips. Some people went on boat cruises of the lakes and harbors. Some went to see the local forests. Local bakeries stayed open to make fresh bread for the guests. Food was prepared by all the residents and brought to the school for those who elected to stay put. Others were driven to the eatery of their choice and fed. They were given tokens to go to the local Laundromat to wash their clothes, since their luggage was still on the aircraft.
In other words every single need was met for those unfortunate travelers. Passengers were crying while telling us these stories. After all that, they were delivered to the airport right on time and without a single one missing or late. All because the local Red Cross had all the information about the goings on back at Gander and knew which group needed to leave for the airport at what time. Absolutely incredible.
When passengers came on board, it was like they had been on a cruise. Everybody knew everybody else by their name. They were swapping stories of their stay, impressing each other with who had the better time. It was mind boggling. Our flight back to Atlanta looked like a party flight. We simply stayed out of their way. The passengers had totally bonded and they were calling each other by their first names, exchanging phone numbers, addresses, and email addresses.
And then a strange thing happened.
One of our business class passengers approached me and asked if he could speak over the PA to his fellow passengers. We never, never, allow that. But something told me to get out of his way. I said "of course". The gentleman picked up the PA and reminded everyone about what they had just gone through in the last few days. He reminded them of the hospitality they had received at the hands of total strangers.
He further stated that he would like to do something in return for the good folks of the town of Lewisporte. He said he was going to set up a Trust Fund under the name of DELTA 15 (our flight number). The purpose of the trust fund is to provide a scholarship for high school student(s) of Lewisporte to help them go to college. He asked for donations of any amount from his fellow travelers.
When the paper with donations got back to us with the amounts, names, phone numbers and addresses, it totaled to $14.500 or about $20K Canadian. The gentleman who started all this turned out to be an MD from Virginia. He promised to match the donations and to start the administrative work on the scholarship. He also said that he would forward this proposal to Delta Corporate and ask them to donate as well.
Why, all of this? Just because some people in far away places were kind to some strangers, who happened to literally drop in among them? WHY NOT?
Decalzone would like to honor the selfless bravery and commitment of the professional and volunteer rescue workers who went into the World Trade Center after the attack, risking, and in many case losing, their lives.
We also salute those still digging through the rubble in both New York and Washington.
Display your decal with pride!
http://www.decalzone.com/inmemorium.php
