A 9/11 Story and Inspiration for For A Purpose
As we join with millions around the world in remembering the lives lost and families impacted by the attacks on 9/11, this day hits home on a deep level. It also has an important connection to For A Purpose.
I lived in New York at the time. As I headed to work, I witnessed from a sidewalk, just one mile north on the same island of Manhattan, the collapse of the north tower. That day echoes loudly for me but it also has an important connection to For A Purpose that I hope it will encourage you to hear.
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Their son, Joseph, worked in the South tower of the World Trade Center. As they watched the events of 9/11 unfold and the towers fall, it’s impossible to comprehend how they felt.
Just a handful of years later, another son, Elias, their eldest, named for his father, lost his life in a workplace explosion. He left behind his wife and three children. Their grief compounded.
Jim and I walked into Elias and Christine Anchundia's story one ordinary evening when we joined a small group in a church we had begun attending. In that living room, what we experienced during that season was real. Raw. Painful. And utterly inspiring.
That chapter, their witness, changed our lives and our walk with the Lord. Ultimately, it inspired the making of the documentary that is becoming For A Purpose: Hope In A Broken World.
"They gripped the Bible like a life preserver and were kept afloat by its promises."
Within the group, we made these two new friends. Christine was working to memorize the book of Ephesians. When she recited it, it was clear that she was clinging to every word.
“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (3:20-21)
Each time we were together, their pain was evident, but so was their faith. They gripped the Bible like a life preserver and were kept afloat by its promises. The pain of this world was immense, but what they could see now was something beyond this world. Their focus was on the bigger picture—the story that God was telling far beyond lost lives and the tears of those who grieve.
Although we moved away from these friends and our community in New York, what they modeled stuck with us. It impacted how we faced our own pain and how we interact with others walking through trials. It was central for Jim as he began telling stories through photos and film.
What they modeled stuck with us. It impacted how we faced our own pain and how we interact with others walking through trials
Years later, as we walked alongside a friend as he battled cancer for the third time, we started to see something familiar. Steve told us, “(There’s) nothing like running 42 laps and coming around the curve and just burning it as fast as you can with a strong finish to the Savior. I wouldn’t trade that for the world.” His confidence as he lived his final weeks was inspiring.
Meanwhile, our friends in New York continued to come to mind. What if their experience and Steve’s were not as uncommon as it first seemed? What if trials really help one to see God more clearly? What if they can be a catalyst for faith growing stronger?
After much reflection and prayer, Jim set out on a journey that has led us both to see that, in the hands of the Savior with a much greater purpose, pain can be a crucible used to refine and pour out something extremely precious.
The stories told in For A Purpose share promises that we saw our friends in New York cling to. The hope evident in Steve’s final days. They point to God’s miraculous work in hearts. They show how the story of God in our lives points to His bigger story. That there IS hope, even in a broken world.
In the hands of the Savior with a much greater purpose, pain can be a crucible used to refine and pour out something extremely precious.
Please pray for Christine, Elias, and their family, and for all impacted by the tragedies of 9/11.
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The production of this documentary is possible thanks to the generous gifts of all who have supported For A Purpose. If you're led to help in this way and join with others to impact lives for eternity, please contact us or use the button below to make a tax deductible donation via our fiscal sponsor. Thank you!
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