Where were you?

They say you never forget where you were at the time it happened.

I know I can't.

We were at my nephew's house next door. It was a Tuesday night, that much I'm certain. Bible study back then was always on a Tuesday night. Pastor El Tendero and his wife, ate Mariz, would come over with a fresh Word from Scripture and, in the interest of healthy living, a bag of R. Lapid's chicharon, the kind that came with the reddish vinegar.

We were all there - the Tenderos, Kenneth and his family, my family and I, and if I'm not mistaken even my brother David and his daughters were there. I know my niece Bev and her husband Jim were there. You'll know why later.

As was our custom, we would first have table fellowship [read: eat a lot of food] before the Bible study proper. All this time the living room TV would be open for anyone who would care to watch in-between bites of food and snippets of conversation with whoever was paying attention. That was when I saw the action film on TV.

It was the scene where a plane was flying straight into a building. "Hmmm...now what film is that?" I thought, "I think I've seen that film..."

I moved closer to the screen. And that was when I saw the letters "CNN" on the corner of the screen. And the small, flashing word on another corner -"Live!"

Oh. My. Lord. This was no movie. This was breaking news. I listened more intently. From the corner of my eye, I saw that the eyes of the other people in the room with me were also riveted to the screen. We were watching America being attacked. By God knows what.

The now-familiar video clip was already playing over and over - "Filmed earlier", said the screen. It was the sight of the first plane crashing into what was the north tower of the World Trade Center. Then, the view would switch over to the live feed.

Offscreen, an announcer was trying to supply color commentary to the horror that was unfolding on screen. You could tell that, even as the announcer was trying to bravely do so, his voice was faltering and he, himself, was at a loss as to what to say.

Then it happened. Live, on air, for all the world to see, United flight 175 crashed into the south tower of the WTC.

That was when it hit me. We were watching a world at war. America was being attacked. And if America was not safe from attack, no one was.

I could feel the cold fingers of fear climbing up my spine. I looked around and saw everyone's faces. The expression on my niece's face was one of mounting dread.

A few minutes more, the north tower collapsed for all the world to see. By now, everyone was speechless from disbelief. And fear.

That was when pastor El shattered the silence and read boldly from Scripture,

When they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, 'Was there ever a city like this great city?' They will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry out:
" 'Woe! Woe, O great city,
where all who had ships on the sea
became rich through her wealth!
In one hour she has been brought to ruin! "

~ Rev. 18:18, 19

And all of a sudden, at least in my heart - I can't speak for everyone else's - the whole frightening scenario became significantly less frightening. God's Word had been consulted, and God's Word had, yet again, risen to the occasion and provided a defining frame for the chaotic portrait we had just beheld.

And I was amazed.

Truly, truly... nothing takes God by surprise. Not even the impossibly foreseeable attack of misguided agents of terror on the earth's mightiest nation.

September 11, 2001 went down in history that day as yet another "day of infamy". It's memory will forever be etched in my mind, and in the minds of thousands, even millions of people's minds. And they, we, will never forget. Where we were. What we were doing. What we all felt.

And I shall never forget one more thing: in the midst of one of the most terror-filled moments in my life...God was Present. And His Word brought comfort to my soul.