Lisa Jefferson - Called: Hello, My Name Is Mrs. Jefferson, I Understand Your Plane Is Being Hijacked?

HELLO, MY NAME IS MRS. JEFFERSON.
I UNDERSTAND YOUR PLANE IS BEING HIJACKED:
9:45 a.m., Flight 93, September 11, 2001

by LISA D. JEFFERSON
and FELICIA MIDDLEBROOKS

N ORTHFIELD P UBLISHING
CHICAGO

2006 by
L ISA D. J EFFERSON AND F ELICIA M IDDLEBROOKS

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

ISBN: 1-881273-75-X
ISBN-13: 978-1-881273-75-2

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the King James Version.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version.

Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from The Amplified Bible.

Copyright 1965, 1987 by The Zondervan Corporation. Used by permission.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Jefferson, Lisa D., 1958
Called : Hello, my name is Mrs. Jefferson, I understand your plane is being hijacked : 9:45 a.m., Flight 93, September 11, 2001 / by Lisa D. Jefferson and Felicia Middlebrooks.
p. cm.
ISBN 1-881273-75-X
1. Service (Theology) 2. SufferingReligious aspectsChristianity. 3. Jefferson, Lisa D., 1958- 4. United Airlines Flight 93 Hijacking Incident, 2001. 5. September 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001. 6. Beamer, Todd Morgan, 1968-2001. I. Middlebrooks, Felicia. II. Title.e.

BT738.4.J44 2006

973.93dc222

2006011257

Edited by Elizabeth Cody Newenhuyse
Cover Designer: Charles Brock | The DesignWorks Group, Inc.
www.thedesignworksgroup.com

Cover image: Getty Images, Dimitri Vervits
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Praise for Called

FATE SOMETIMES throws ordinary people into extraordinary circumstances. Called is the true and compelling story of a working woman, Lisa Jefferson, who suddenly one September morning found herself caught up in history, and who somehow found the inner strength and grace to play a role in one of the tragic yet inspiring stories of our time.

Charles Osgood
Host, CBS Sunday Morning
and The Osgood File, CBS Radio

LISA JEFFERSON stepped from her everyday life into an extraordinary moment on 9/11. She now shares with us her heart-wrenching experience and spiritual journey that followed in a valuable reflection on our national tragedy.

Catherine Crier
Former judge and Court TV host

CALLED is a compelling ear-witness account which will help us ALWAYS REMEMBER our first successful counterattack in this new war on our homeland. It is also a powerful witness as to the source of hope and strength sufficient to sustain us each day and in ALL situations God and His Son Jesus Christ. Lisa Jefferson is a blessing to the Beamer clan and through Called she will be a blessing to you.

David and Peggy Beamer
Parents of Flight 93 hero Todd Beamer

LISA JEFFERSONS story of her faith and beliefs during her harrowing Flight 93 experience fosters a spirituality that is the heart and soul of her book.

David Gerber
Producer, Flight 93 movie

AN UNFORGETTABLE BOOK about Americas most unforgettable day. Lisa and my friend, Felicia, have done us all a favor as they take us deep into the tragedy where the true meaning of life is found in the midst of loss.

Dr. Joseph M. Stowell
Former president, Moody Bible Institute

ONE
PHONE
CALL
AND A
LIFE IS
CHANGED
FOREVER.

Gods greatest joy is to be believed.

His greatest sorrow is when we doubt Him.

IN MEMORIAM
UNITED AIRLINES FLIGHT 93

CREW

Captain Jason Dahl

First Officer Leroy Homer

Flight Attendant Lorraine G. Bay

Flight Attendant Sandra W. Bradshaw

Flight Attendant Wanda A. Green

Flight Attendant Cee Cee Ross Lyles

Flight Attendant Deborah A. Welsh

PASSENGERS

Christian Adams

Todd Beamer

Alan Beaven

Mark Bingham

Deora Bodley

Marion Britton

Thomas Burnett

William Cashman

Georgine Corrigan

Patricia Cushing

Joseph Deluca

Patrick Driscoll

Edward Felt

Jane Folger

Colleen Fraser

Andrew Garcia

Jeremy Glick

Lauren Grandcolas

Donald Greene

Linda Gronlund

Richard Guadagno

Toshiya Kuge

Hilda Marcin

Waleska Martinez

Nicole Miller

Louis J. Nacke

Jean Peterson

Donald Peterson

Mark Rothenberg

Christine Snyder

John Talignani

Honor Elizabeth Wainio

Kristin White

I dedicate this book to God, because through Him all things are possible. I also thank my husband Warren and our children, Lonye and Warren II, for keeping me focused on what is truly important. I am grateful for the comfort you gave me during the stressful periods, and for never leaving my side.

I am also thankful for my mother and my late father, Bettie and Donald, for their unconditional support and love that inspires me to be the best person I can be every day.

Thanks to my mother-in-law Minnie and to Lizzie (Big Momma), for your endless support and continuous inspiration, and for keeping me mindful of Proverbs 3:56. To my sister and brother DeBrina and Lance Sr., I cant thank you enough for being my best friends. You are a constant source of love, and youre always there for me. My literary agent, the late Sherrill Chidiac, believed in this project from its inception. Thanks to Claudia Cross for picking up the literary torch, dotting all the is and crossing the ts.

A special thanks to all my family and friends for standing with me through the good and the difficult times. Thank you, attorney Andrew Stroth, for your excellent and wise counsel.

To Felicia Middlebrooks, thank you for bringing this entire project together. To Pastor Ira J. Acree, thank you for your spiritual guidance, and to Anita Bingham, thank you for your unyielding spiritual strength. I am also grateful to Cheryl Wade, Edie McGee, and Kenneth Westbrook for being available on short notice. Thank you to the entire team at Moody Publishers. And finally, thank you to Lisa Beamer my new friend, whose strength and faith I admire.

Could anything good come out of September 11, 2001possibly the darkest day in our recent history?

The tragedy of September 11th changed the course of world history and forever changed American life as we know it. Just as Ground Zero in lower Manhattan remains a barren site that reminds us of our loss, so we struggle to come to terms with the meaning of that day. But even as we struggle to understand the ill will that so violently shook our sense of freedom and safety, we have a choice. We can live out our days trying to make sense of the senseless, or we can trust God and trust sometimes requires unanswered questions.