Two Sisters from Tennessee Injured in 7/7 London Bombings Say the Experience Has Strengthened their Christian Faith, Empowered Them to "Reach out to Others and to Make a Stand Against Terrorism"
Aimee Herd : Jul 22, 2005
AP, Fox News
Editor's Note: As more information and developments come in from London, let us continue to be in prayer over the situation and country. Yesterday we prayed that we, instead of being overcome by evil would "overcome evil with good." Perhaps some of the fruit from those prayers is revealed in today's BCN stories. - Aimee Herd, Breaking Christian News.
Katie and Emily Benton of Tennessee had planned to take in the sights of London the morning of July 7th. The two were wondering if they had even gotten on the right train in London's underground Tube when, just 10 feet to the right, one of the four terrorist bombs exploded, tearing apart the subway carriage.
The sisters were hurled to the floor of the train enveloped by a sheet of shattered glass, blood and smoke. "I honestly thought I was going to die during the explosion," recalled 20-year-old Emily Benton. "Just the sensations that I was feeling - I thought I was on fire. I could feel my skin like peeling off. Just the fact that my eyes opened and I was alive was incredible."
The woman who sat only one seat over had been killed. "There was no fireball - it was just so not Hollywood," Katie Benton (21) added. "They really have no idea what a bomb is like." She remembers holding her sister after the blast, in the smoke-filled, darkened carriage. "It was about 10 minutes of checking out Emily before I actually looked down and realized I was bleeding all over the place," Katie told the AP. "Just intense pain. Just so incredibly deafening."
Emily suffered the worst injuries of the two girls, with broken bones, skin lost on her foot and a fractured right hand. Katie suffered shrapnel wounds in her right foot and both had hearing damage.
Despite their wounds and the terrifying experience, the two sisters have shown great resilience as they say it has strengthened their Christian faith even more and has given them a greater appreciation for what they have.
"There's no better way to fight terrorism than to turn what they meant for evil into good and the Lord is certainly capable of that," explained Katie. Emily added that she believes this began an unfolding of a divine plan for their lives.
"I just feel empowered and feel like God's prepared us, both of us, our whole lives for this day," said Emily Benton. "And he has given us this opportunity I think to just reach out to others and to encourage others who are sick or hurt and just to make a stand against terrorism."