By EILEEN DESTEFANO, LAPLACE

DEAR EDITOR: In the month of November, I found myself in church on Sunday. This is a routine Sunday for me, but on this particular Sunday, a chaplain of the Navy, Dr. Endel Lee, was speaking from the pulpit. I was quite intrigued by what he had to say because it appeared he was speaking directly to me.

Sept. 11, 2001 changed our lives for good. This event brought the nation to its knees, and for a while there was a great religious revival. Things have changed since that fateful day, and our lives have gone back to normal, but does normal include God?

Dr. Endel Lee had orders to go to New York City and the World Trade Center to attend to those suffering and in need. He was called, not only by the chaplain at the Naval Headquarters, but he was also called by God.

You see if he hadn’t gone he could not have given such a powerful message to me. He could not have witnessed to the lost or helped those in need. He went as a spiritual witness of the Lord Jesus Christ. He went to serve God, save souls, and he went to inspire me to write this.

Picture flying over the city the day after the attack at night. Through Dr. Lee’s eyes you would see the Statute of Liberty, which is an awesome sight in itself, but immediately following the site of the Statue of Liberty, is a bright hole where the World Trade Center once stood.

The day after the attack the world was itself in turmoil. Passes for the World Trade Center were difficult at best, but the Chief of Operations came to Dr. Lee’s aid and took him to the World Trade Center, the worst terrorist attack in history. After the attack what had been a road was nothing but rubble. This was an overwhelming sight with horrible smells.

A speechless and helpless feeling arose in Dr. Lee, and anyone close to the sight. The collateral was much higher and worse than seen on television.

Yet, God was there, he saw the pictures of pain and agony, he saw the will of the people. This was not God’s fault, and He should not be blamed. There will always be trials and tribulations for us to go through, but this incident brought America back to God. As Dr. Lee had gone to New York to help the people, we stayed home and did all that was possible.

With crosses on their hard hats, citizens of New York knew that God had sent them comforters. In different shifts for approximately 10 to 12 days a responsibility existed to care for military personnel and others that were there helping in this time of need.

Dr. Lee found himself on a boat in the harbor with a security boat. The violence that happened at the World Trade Center shown in the faces of those in and around the area. For a time he was at the morgue, and cared for the volunteers there. Part of the mission was caring for volunteers that needed a little hope. These volunteers were experiencing the frustration of being ready, but not having any bodies. The loss was total and a void pierced the hearts of many.

Doctors tried to find something of some type of value for families and loved ones. There were 20 refrigerated trailers for the bodies and one-day it happened that he was standing next to a trailer that had writing on it from the workers. There was so much pain written on the trailer. Pain and agony could be tasted more intensely standing by these trailers.

Dr. Lee was a constant reminder to the volunteers that there is a God. They seemed to work like the Energizer bunny. There was a great outpouring of hope, and the evil was consumed in God. Part of Dr. Lee’s challenges laid in the fact that he was chosen to meet the families of the victims. They were met at the ferries, and they were greeted with open arms and embraces.

A description of what they were going to see was important because when they turned the corner, the devastation overtook them. Tears and anger replaced sadness. They were allowed to stand for about 10 minutes before proceeding.

One brother of a victim of the World Trade Center said he needed to know where that tower was because he knew he was visiting his brother’s grave. After a while they were then escorted to the ferry. Many cried and placed memoirs near the World Trade Center ground, in fact one family brought a small bag of M & M’s for their brother that died, but they knew that God was there.

Dr. Lee saw a petty officer and he advised that he had seen the second plane hit the tower, and was one of the first ones on the scene. In fact, he tried setting up the first station. He was in a lot of pain, but Dr. Lee offered encouragement and prayer. It seems that the things that really mattered were escalated in people throughout the New York area and the world during that time, but as time goes on we forget. We need to do the same things now as we did then. We need to let people know that God cares and no matter what we do, we should remember this.

When Sept. 11, started, it started like any other day. We need to remember that everyday is a gift from God. People give their life for freedom, and we need to adjust our lives for God, and our families. In 2 Corinthians 2:5, we read “Serve God of all comfort.” We need to comfort others as well.

Dr. Lee was sent to the Pentagon for another matter. While in D.C. he went to the scene at the Pentagon where the catastrophe happened. He stood on the hill and while people approached, he tried to understand God’s place. God gave him the opportunity to speak to several people while there.

A question asked was “How have you been most affected by this?” Usually one by one the pain poured out. He said to himself, “What would God have me to do?” and he was given the occasion to be a witness.

One lady spent a week explaining why dad wasn’t coming home to her children, and she spent time explaining about God.

Listening is powerful. You can’t expect to have all of the answers, but you need to share your time for God.

On Sept. 11, the president said, “Yea, thought I walk through the shadow of the valley of death, I shall fear no evil. His promise is a true one.