When a young expectant father went to work at the World Trade Center his life shattered in the 9/11 survivor story we can never forget. As buildings collapsed around him he prayed with trapped strangers experiencing a terrifying miracle that changed his purpose forever.
Sujo John was an immigrant from India working on the 81st floor of Tower One. His pregnant wife Mary worked nearby on the 71st floor of the South Tower.
Right before the tragedy, he actually emailed a friend at 8:05 AM asking for ministry work saying “something’s happening to me i know there’s a call I’ve got upon my life but I’m not finding any opportunity for ministry.”
When the first plane hit, Sujo heard a thunderous explosion and saw the walls cave in. He descended 81 flights of stairs with thousands of scared people. I honestly cannot fathom the absolute fear of making that slow climb down hoping his spouse is somehow safe.
When he finally got out he walked toward the South Tower to find Mary. Then the ground shook violently. The South Tower collapsed right in front of him. Believing Mary was inside he thought his entire world was gone.
Sujo huddled against a wall with a group of strangers as dust and debris rained down. In that terrifying moment, he looked at them and thought “Where are these people going without Jesus Christ” and asked them to cry out to Jesus.
Knowing death was near, he cried out to Jesus and told the others to call on His name too. In their final moments those strangers found peace and prayed together before the rubble crushed them.
When Sujo realized they didn’t make it, he questioned God asking “God they just call upon your name and how come they did not make it?” He then felt God’s peace reply “So they made their peace with me in their dying moments and they’re resting with me in my glory.” It gives me chills to see how God moved in their final seconds on earth.
Sujo miraculously survived the collapse. He was struggling to breathe in the dark ash when he spotted another survivor nearby who turned out to be a Christian FBI agent. They prayed together and found their way to the flashing red lights of an ambulance. The brave agent let go of his hand and ran back into the devastation to save more people. His last words to Sujo were “Dude you run ahead i got to go back and get more people.”
According to reports from CBN News and Fox News Radio that heroic agent sadly lost his life in the rescue effort.
Later that afternoon a stranger helped Sujo use a phone and Mary actually called him. She had been so sure he died because he had just signed a life insurance policy the Friday before and she had thought “This is why he did this life insurance policy he was supposed to go.” She was running late that morning and never entered her building. God spared both of their lives.
Today Sujo uses his incredible second chance to share the gospel. He even founded an amazing organization called YouCanFreeUs to rescue victims of human trafficking. He survived the rubble of that horrible day and now he dedicates his life to pulling helpless people out of the rubble of modern slavery. God really does have a bigger plan even when we face the darkest days of our lives.
God lets us go through some tragedies not to destroy us but to build us in spirit and help us find our true purpose. Even in those tragedies He does not leave us alone. He steps right into it and gives us His peace that surpasses all understanding. I was so deeply moved to hear how Sujo encouraged others around him to call to Jesus in that terrifying moment when most of us would be frozen.
They experienced God’s presence during the worst disaster in the history of the United States.
When life’s storms come our way, we do not have to run away for help. We just need to call His name and surrender ourselves to Him. He gives us peace, He fills us with His spirit that gives us the strength to overcome any trials we face.
WATCH: 9/11 Survivor Sujo John Shares Powerful Testimony
JOIN THE CONVERSATION