News from Cuthrells

I received this e-mail today from Luke and Nancy Pretzman Cuthrell. We really need to pray for them.

Dear Friends,

I was near ground zero and involved in the rescue operation when the attacks came on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. That event changed all of our lives. Strangely, the events of this morning have taken place just a few miles from our house. It seems that the instigator of that calamity, one Osama, the son of Ladin, had taken up residence in our town. He was occupying a large, heavily fortified campus between the hospital and the town center where the US strike occurred in the wee hours of this morning. Some of our colleagues heard the explosions and firing though we slept through it.

While this may represent a long-sought goal for the US, it is unfortunately not the end of the militancy and terrorism for which he has become the icon. We are safe, and today was business as usual at the hospital. But we ask you to pray for this country and for safety for the work here. There will no doubt be reactions, both locally and country wide—stirred up by opposition parties and certain religious elements. Please pray for peace for this troubled country and the people whose lives are so often disrupted by the violence of this place. The vast majority of the people we serve are not party to the violence, but victims. These are very difficult times for them.

Thank you for your concern and prayer for us. We are certain we are where God wants us to be and have peace in our hearts. We want to be able to offer the gift of the Prince of Peace in these tumultuous times.