Sujo John: September 11, 2001... A Survivor's Story - CBN.com

Don't store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Matthew 6:19

Thirteen years ago tonight there were business people, men and woman, and families busily packing for their trip aboard United and American Airlines. 

Little children were arguing who would get the window seat. Wives were helping their husbands pack for their trip not realizing that the kiss and the hug they gave each other that night would be their last. 

The pilot terrorists were likely reciting their prayers to Allah looking forward to becoming martyrs for their faith.

September 11, 2001, is a date I will never forget. My daughter was in kindergarten and my son was in the 2nd grade. 

I got the news on my route to work when I was driving on the new 610 Interstate while listening to WCCO when CBS broke in with a special announcement about a small Cessna plane that had crashed into tower number one.

By the time I got to work the small Cessna was changed to a large commercial passenger jet. After arriving to work,  I watched in horror on the television that had been rolled into the break room that a second commercial passenger plane had slammed into tower 2.

Who can forget the faces of people waving flags,  looking for a way out of the towering inferno? Close up images revealed terror on their faces. As the flames got hotter many people jumped to their deaths.  Some alone, and some in pairs holding each other's hands as though they were children going for a walk.

Sujo John, the man featured in the video, had just finished sending an e-mail to a friend of his about believing that God had a plan for his life when he felt tower one shake. 

Sujo John came to America with nothing and landed a dream job in the World Trade tower while his pregnant wife found one in tower 2. As he frantically ran down the stairs he could only think of his pregnant wife wondering if she was able to make it out safely. 

Sujo John was no stranger to grief because when he was much younger he lost his 9-year-old sister to leukemia.

Just as he made it outside he heard a loud rumbling sound of the building imploding. Thinking his wife was probably dead he soon would learn that she was alive only because she got a late start that morning.

The events of 9/11 changed his life forever and gave him a new cause.  Paraphrasing Sujo John, " when you witness thousands of people dying and when you realize that there were Islamic terrorists who were willing to die for their faith then I should be willing to live for Jesus Christ." 

Sujo John heard  God's call to share his story with others.

What 9/11 taught me was the brevity of life. Tragedies happen every day Some die from car accidents, some from drug overdoses, and others from murder-suicides. As I read about those tragic events all I could think of was how people need Jesus.

 Sujo John could have collected his share of the September 11th trust fund money and live the American dream, but he chose to heed the call of God and try to bring others into God's Kingdom,

Who are you living for this day? Are you pursuing fame, fortune, or status? Remember, when life comes to a screeching halt all that will matter is your relationship with Jesus Christ. If you are not sure please pray this prayer.

Dear God in heaven, I come to you in the name of Jesus. I acknowledge to You that I am a sinner, and I am sorry for my sins and the life that I have lived; I need your forgiveness.

I believe that your only begotten Son Jesus Christ shed His precious blood on the cross at Calvary and died for my sins, and I am now willing to turn from my sin.

You said in Your Holy Word, Romans 10:9 that if we confess the Lord our God and believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead, we shall be saved.

Right now I confess Jesus as the Lord of my soul. With my heart, I believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. This very moment I accept Jesus Christ as my own personal Savior and according to His Word, right now I am saved.

Thank you, Jesus, for your unlimited grace which has saved me from my sins. I thank you, Jesus, that your grace never leads to license, but rather it always leads to repentance. Therefore Lord Jesus transform my life so that I may bring glory and honor to you alone and not to myself.

Thank you Jesus for dying for me and giving me eternal life. AMEN.