More From Christina Ray Stanton

This picture brings back lots of memories. My husband of just over a year and I were returning to our apartment to retrieve a few things after fleeing it in terror only a few days earlier after the second plane hit. There was still no electricity in the Financial District, building debris covered everything (you can see it on the car), it stank like burning electronics, and metal pieces and paper littered the streets. It was deserted, except for us; it was still the “Frozen zone” and off-limits to residents, as per Mayor Giuliani’s order. We’re wearing clothes we obtained at a second hand strore in Hell’s Kitchen. We were taking shelter at a friend’s apartment in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood, sleeping in the bunk bed of a roommate who was out of town. We didn’t even know if we had a home anymore or if it had been burned or trashed beyond repair due to the 9/11 destruction. Our dog was at the vet, dying after inhaling and licking toxic chemicals and glass from the fallen towers off his fur. We didn’t know what our future looked like, and we were having issues getting through the day as PTSD had already set in. Even though thousands of other residents were in our same situation, we felt really alone. I think of all that when I look at this photo. But most of all, I think about how God was with us through that very dark, lonely, and confusing time and brought us into his light. Only God can do that.

Now I share our story of God’s saving grace through tours of the 9/11 site, and I speak regularly in churches and on international mission trips. A testimony is a powerful tool to share Jesus with the world, and I love nothing more than to attest to God’s mighty power and ability to save while discussing our experience of 9/11 with others. It’s a gift, as described in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, “[God is] the one who comforts us in all our trouble so that we can comfort other people who are in every kind of trouble. We offer the same comfort that we ourselves received from God” (CEB).