This week we are hearing stories both repeated, and updated in print, on TV, over the radio, and on the Internet about the tragic events of a year ago. TV cameras and microphones are again going to be pointed in the faces of survivors and surviving family members who will again relive in the public eye the events of September 11, 2001 and the impact on their lives.
One such story that I hope is told is that of Al Braca. Al Braca worked on the 105th floor of Tower One of the World Trade Center. He worked for a company whose tremendous loss of life was one of the first stories reported in the aftermath of September 11th. The company was Cantor Fitzgerald. Al was a corporate bond trader for Cantor Fitzgerald. But Al Braca was also a devoted follower of Jesus Christ.
In the Focus on The Family magazine article where I learned about Al, it was reported that he really did not like his job. I quote, “It was a world so completely out of touch with his Christian values. But he wouldn’t quit. He was convinced that God wanted him to stay there, to be a light in the darkness." The article also indicated that his co-workers often mocked him for his beliefs. But, when there was a personal problem, those same co-workers came to Al for prayer and counsel.
Al’s body was one of the many found in the rubble of Tower One. And after that discovery, reports began to trickle in from various sources that some people on the 105th floor made "a last call or sent a final e-mail to a loved one saying that "a man" was leading people in prayer. A few referred to Al by name." The article goes on to say, "When he realized that they were all trapped in the building and would not be able to escape, Al shared the gospel with a group of 50 co-workers and led them in prayer."
Al Braca came to faith in Christ through the trying
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