With one ring of the phone, Lisa Jefferson went from being GTE Airfone supervisor, suburban wife, and mother to being the listening ear to a nation shattered by tragedy. “Called” tells the gripping account of 9/11 from her vantage point. She recalls the moment she took the call from Todd Beamer on United Airlines Flight 93, and when she heard the immortal words, “Let’s Roll. She remembers the way that her life was transformed vividly when she responded to the call. Jefferson sends a stirring challenge to all of us–whether it comes during quiet obscurity or international adversity, we must be prepared to answer God’s call.”

I found this book to be both tragic and inspiring. For all of America, the world changed on September 11, 2001. But for Lisa Jefferson, her experience was beyond that of the average American. The last thing she expected on that fateful day was to be tied to the tragedy that was unfolding in such a personal way. Yet, that is exactly what happened when she realized one of her call center operators was not prepared to handle the call at her station.

Without hesitation, Lisa takes over the call and speaks to a passenger by the name of Todd Beamer on the hijacked United 93. Upon reading her story, it becomes clear that faith plays a large part in Lisa’s life and it is this faith that helped her in the months following September 11. She never expected to hear the last moments of the flight and yet, in the wake of the tragedy, she has found courage in her faith and the knowledge that God had planned this for her and for Todd. She find comfort in the knowledge that God guided her to take over that phone call so that Todd would have someone who could be a calming force before he and the passengers decided to fight back. She even found comfort in being able to relay a final message to Todd’s pregnant wife, who ironically is also named Lisa.

I was touched by her story and the way she found strength to come to terms to what happened on that fateful day. She is an inspiration in the fact that she continued to move forward and try to heal. Furthermore, she’s been able to help piece together more pieces of what happened on that flight. Because of her story and those of the others who were contacted from the passengers on the plane, their courage and sacrifice will forever be remembered.

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