Our 9/11 Memories

10 years ago when the planes hit the towers and the Pentagon, I was asleep. I seem to be asleep at the start of most military actions. I was taking a nap when desert storm started. I’m okay with that, because war isn’t my favorite thing. I awoke to voicemails from my parents telling me frantically to NOT CROSS THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE. I turned on the TV and didn’t turn it off for days.

Tonight I invited some Muslim friends to participate in our service @ MBCC and to share a few moments about what we have in common. Our people welcomed them warmly and we loved hearing from them. Here are just some of the things that happened and my thoughts;

• Mukhtar read a passage from the Quaran about the proclamation of the virgin birth of Christ and the admonition to all followers of Islam to follow Jesus’ teachings. Then he sang the passage in Arabic. It was beautiful.
• One of Sean’s  friends anonymously provided dinner for us after hearing that our first plan had fallen through. I was struck over and over by the generosity of these students who have little but want to give it all away.
• Mukhtar had never been to a church service before and was in awe of how welcoming our people are.
• They needed to say their prayers and humbly offered to go into the parking lot, assuming we didn’t want them to offer prayers to in our building, which, of course, I said was absolutely fine – please stay indoors.
• Mukhtar used our leftover communion bread to sop up the sauce from the chicken tikka masala. That was one of my favorite moments.
• We made origami cranes and hung them at the front as a symbol of our commitment to world peace. I say “we”, I mean, some of them, because I just don’t make things. I’m not dexterous and I would have ended up screaming and throwing things in church & I didn’t think that was appropriate.
• I got positive feedback on my sermon. I felt good about it. I feel like church is just what I’m meant to do.