Source: Lisa Beamer, Let’s Roll!: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Courage (Tyndale House Publishers), pp. He was still holding the phone, but I could tell he had turned away from the phone and was talking to someone else. Lisa Jefferson recalls, “After that, he had a sigh in his voice, and he took a deep breath. When the crisis came, Todd was able to tap into a deep reservoir of faith that he’d been storing up for years. Interestingly, Psalm 23 wasn’t a mantra Todd recited often, but it was resident in his spirit because he had learned it as a child. Other men apparently joined in with him or recited the psalm themselves. When Lisa told me Todd had prayed that particular prayer, I felt certain that, in some way, Todd was forgiving the terrorists for what they were doing.įollowing the prayer, Todd recited the twenty-third Psalm: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil . . .” (NKJV). Part of the prayer that intrigued Todd was the line in which Jesus taught us to ask God to forgive our trespasses, or sins, as we forgive those who trespass against us. At the close of the series, the pastor passed out Lord’s Prayer bookmarks, and Todd had his in the Tom Clancy book he had been reading in Rome the week before. Todd had known the prayer since childhood, but each line of it had become more special to him as he discovered how fraught with meaning it really was. Recently our pastor had taught a twelve-week series of lessons on the Lord’s Prayer. “I knew that if Todd didn’t make it,” Lisa told me, “he was definitely going to the right place.”Īlthough I’d never before heard of Todd reciting the Lord’s Prayer in pressure situations, I wasn’t surprised to hear he had quoted it. Amen.Īt the conclusion of the prayer aboard Flight 93, Todd said, “Jesus, help me.” Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Īnd forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.Īnd lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:įor thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. We recited it together from the start to the finish: “He asked me to recite the Lord’s Prayer with him,” Lisa said, “and I did. “It’s what we have to do,” Todd told her. “Are you sure that’s what you want to do, Todd?” Lisa asked. ‘I’m going to have to go out on faith.’ He told me they were talking about jumping the guy with the bomb.” I don’t think we’re going to get out of this thing,’ Todd said. “He seemed concerned about losing the connection and just wanted me to stay on the phone. “I said, ‘I am still here I am not going anywhere. When the plane was flying in an erratic fashion, he thought he had lost connection with me. “Then he asked me if he didn’t make it, would I keep that promise, and find his wife and children and let them know he loved his family very much. “Then he said, ‘Lisa!’ I had not given him my name, as I had introduced myself as Mrs. When the plane jolted, Todd shouted, ‘Oh, God!’ There was another outburst, and I could tell in Todd’s voice that he was feeling nervous but still calm. “After that the plane took another dive down and began flying erratically. “He told me that he had two boys, David and Andrew, and said his wife was also expecting another baby in January. She recalled, “Todd asked me, ‘In case I don’t make it through this, would you please call my family and let them know how much I love them?’ I promised him that I would. She told me of Todd’s involvement in the counterattack and the message that Todd had asked her to convey to me. Lisa told me, “If I hadn’t known it was a real hijacking, I’d have thought it was a crank call, because Todd was so rational and methodical about what he was doing.” Lisa Jefferson indicated to me that at several points during their fifteen-minute phone call, Todd put the phone down, moved around the plane to talk with other passengers, and then returned to their conversation. Todd Beamer left behind a pregnant wife and two children. The account below is from Lisa Beamer’s 2002 book Let’s Roll! Ordinary People, Extraordinary Courage (Tyndale House). His last conversation with a telephone operator named Lisa Jefferson bears witness to great courage and grace. Todd Beamer was an evangelical Christian and one of the heroes of Flight 93 on September 11, 2001.
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