Do you remember?

Kelly: I was in 6th grade, getting ready to start my social studies class. All of a sudden, another teacher comes barging into our classroom and showed us this picture. It was printed in black and white, very grainy, very small. Then, my teacher turned the TV on. Little did any of us know that we were tuning in to a very pivotal moment of our history. Little did I know even what the Twin Towers were. Little did I know, that 10 years ago, on this day, 2,996 lives were taken. Out of those 2,996, 19 of those lives were the hijackers on the planes that were responsible for the attacks. I did not know that....until today.

Today at church, my dear pastor finished the sermon as usual with the announcement of an invitation. But this time was different. We were asked to pray for the terrorists that not only caused this terrible tragedy, but the ones today that our government has labeled. As I was sitting in my seat, leaned over the pew in front of me, I started crying. And I had a hard time stopping. The sermon was about how we are all created in the image of God, no matter who we are or what we have done. And I kept thinking to myself, why would God's creations turn against and basically murder our own kind? Why would God's creations kill God's creations? It just didn't make sense to me...and it still doesn't.

I must admit, sometimes it is difficult to be a Christian. Today is definitely one of those hard moments. But during the service, Matthew 5:43-45 where the theme is "pray for those who hurt you." Some wonder how one can pray for someone who caused....this? All of this? But the answer is simple; if you claim to be a follower of Christ, then it is our rightful duty to do just this. Yes, for me, it is very hard, but friends and readers, in my opinion this is so necessary. Let's not only pray for these cruel people, but of course for those who lost family and friends 10 years ago today. May their hearts heal and their minds mend.

Holly: Ten years.

I was 11 years old, in sixth grade language arts class.  Too young to understand entirely what was going on, but old enough to realize that it was bad.  But I just didn't know "how bad". 

Today, I am 21 years old, and I have a bright future ahead of me.  I am approaching the end of an incredible four-year journey of college, and, for that, I am very thankful, because it is an opportunity, sadly, not taken by many people such as I.  And Berea has been more of a blessing than I can even describe (next blog, Kelly????)

Church today was just......wow.  I am still at a loss for putting it into words.  The fact that, today, of all days, I prayed for the salvation of an FBI-listed criminal (no, I am not making this up!) just resounded in me so strongly that by the time "Break Through" was playing, tears were just pouring from my eyes.  I wholeheartedly applaud Pastor Kevin today.  What he said, about all 2,996 people that MATTERED to God, yes, even the 17 hijackers, takes an extreme amount of courage.  And I know for some people that that is not an easy thing to accept.

Back in May, when the news of bin Laden's death swirled around everywhere, I was shocked and saddened by the way some of my peers reacted.  I have to admit, when my friend called me and told me the news, my immediate reaction was something along the lines of "yay".  But as the news grew and grew, and friends updated their Facebooks in responses of shock, joy, confusion, sadness, I noticed a trend of comments such as, "He got what he deserved" and "He deserved to die."  If you do not get anything from this blog today, then get this:

Friends, I am in no way shape, size, or form condoning ANYTHING that bin Laden and the 17 9-11 hijackers did, but NOBODY, I repeat, NOBODY, deserves to die!  Period.

So, to answer the blog's question, Do I remember? Honestly, no.  Not really.  I think mostly because I was too young to really understand what was going on.  But one thing is very clear today: My heart goes out to the friends, families, and loved ones who are still dealing with the terrible tragedy that occurred ten years ago today.  I pray that God will strengthen this nation and that we will turn to Him as our ultimate source of strength and hope.

What's your story?