9/11 Reflection: Overseas During the Worst Attack on American Soil

By Suzanne Lorente

Special to Dixon Patch

I had been on a Turkish airline for many hours and about to land in Istanbul, Turkey. We still had less than two hours to fly before landing on Sept. 11, 2001.

When all of us arrived, (nine American women from Blossom Valley Bible Church in San Jose, Calif., on a mission trip) the airport was mysteriously empty.

There was no one around, accept for maybe three people. No one told us what had happened, in fact we had no idea what was going on until we arrived by shuttle an hour later at our hotel in Ankura.

Ron Perdue, the husband of our interpreter, Maria, was aware of our reservations and when we would be arriving, so he called about 10 minutes after we had checked into the hotel to let us know of the terrible disaster that had happened in the U.S.

See also: Touched By Terror: Patch Remembers 9/11 in 911 Snapshots

All the phone lines were down and we were not able to connect with our families. I remember wishing we were home with them and it seemed like the longest trip in history for all of us, knowing that we would be providing help for two orphanages and spending 16 days in a very foreign country before seeing our families again.

We also knew that the inevitable would involve a very long flight home by air.

From the very first day in Turkey, we were treated like royalty. The people knew it was hard for us to go on and fulfill the mission that we had set out to accomplish, and we could have left early, I suppose, but there was so much to be done and when, if ever, would we be able to come back to finish it all.

We all knew the Lord would sustain us through the unsettling fear and sorrow we were feeling for our country, their families and our own families.

How could anyone have even thought of doing such a horrible thing? We certainly were afraid!

I remember sitting in the lobby of our hotel,  so sad and afraid! I reach for my guitar and all of us just started singing great hymns of the faith to the Lord without a care in the world as to who was listening. God was our rock and He covered us with faith, hope, love and the security of knowing that we were safe in His arms.

We were going to be alright and our families were going to be safe as well. We were some of the ones who were blessed that day and did not have to go through the pain of losing a loved one in the fall of those great Twin Towers.

How our eyes were glued to that television, all day watching those towers fall, time after time, each time being absolutely mesmerized by the unbelievable sight we were all seeing. It was a nightmare that we all thought would be over soon. We just had to wake up.

I wanted so much to be in New York to hold those desperately hurting people, to give them hope, and love them in any way I could. It only gave us a sense of hopelessness, knowing that many would be dead and how would it ever end. This seemed like only yesterday and now 10 years have passed, but we will never forget!. God, Please continue to bless America....

<<See this special Huffington Post photo gallery on the 10th Anniversary of 9/11>>