Personal

I will never forget that day.

I was driving to work in Burwell that cloudy fall Nebraska day and normally I listen to the radio on the way; but on this day I was listening to a worship CD when my phone rang. It was Kim and right away I knew something was very wrong, through tears she said “Are you listening to the news?”. I hadn’t been so I turned the radio on and listened simultaneously to the news and to her describing what she was seeing on Fox News.

Stunned doesn’t begin to expain how I felt. I new dozens of people who worked in those buildings. Having sold Mutual Funds for over 6 years I had dealt with people in those buildings for a long time. Even though I had only met a few of them I felt they were personal friends.

I Immediately got off of I-80 at Cozad and tried to call Oppenheimer funds in New York, when there was no answer I called the office in Denver. A somber and shaken receptionist told me that they didn’t know anything either.

Not knowing what to do I drove on to the bank wondering if there was a Wall Street, did Oppenheimer Funds even exist anymore? What was I going to tell my clients? Were my friends in the tower ok? Then as the news continued to come in I had visions of “Red Dawn”. I was so confused. This can’t be happening in America.

Stephen had since left Oppenheimer Funds as an inside wholesaler and gotten a job trading bonds at Keefe, Bruyette, and Woods on the 89th Floor. I didn’t find out that he had died until weeks later. My new inside wholesaler was telling me how that day had impacted him, his co-workers and family. Then he remembered “You knew Stephen didn’t you?”

I will never forget that day.

My feelings went from complete disbelief, to scared, to sadness, to steely resolve. When those planes hit the towers, the pentagon, and a Pennsylvania field they attacked all of us. Even in the middle of Nebraska I felt the attack in a very personal way. Even before I knew that I had lost a friend.

This is the greatest country in the world and I know we will be ok. I am confident that we will do whatever it takes to defeat this enemy, as we have all the others, and many years from now we will be stronger than ever.

I will never forget that day.

89TH FLOOR
Stephen Mulderry, victim
Keefe, Bruyette and Woods
Portraits of Grief: Family and Basketball
Mr. Mulderry called from a conference room on the 87th floor, where he was apparently with about 12 other people. His brother, Peter, spoke to him. Here is his account:
I called over to his office. One of his colleagues picked up. He said, “Yeah, we’re okay, but my God.” Then Stephen came back to his desk. He said, “What’s up, brother?” — his usual salutation. “Are you all right?” I asked. He said, “Yeah, I was just over at the window, but my God, I don’t know if people were falling or jumping, but I saw people falling to their death.” I said, “Oh, my God.” He said, “They’re human beings.” Then he said, “I gotta go. The lights are ringing and the market is going to open.” In the background, I can hear the public address system, which I later learned was saying there has been an accident, the safest place is here.
[While they are off the phone, the second tower is hit; Peter can’t get through to Stephen; he calls other family members; they haven’t been able to get through either.]
I would try intermittently. My girlfriend was working at CNN as a producer, and I spoke to her, and she said, “Isn’t Stephen in that building?” It was very tense. The phone rang about 20 minutes before Tower 2 fell. He said, “Hey brother.”
I let out a real big groan of relief.
“Thank God, you’re okay.”
He said, “I’m really not.”
“You’re not out?”
He said, “We’ve tried everything. We tried to go up. We tried to get down. It’s just too hot and it’s too much smoke. We’ve found a room, a conference room, and we found a phone that works.”
There was one phone, I came to understand, and he was having his time with it.
He said, “I need Mom’s number.” My mother had recently moved to a new home and none of us had really committed her number to memory.
I asked, “Are you sure there’s no way out of that room?”
He said, “No. Like I told you, we tried everything. We’re just going to wait for the firemen to come get us. But it’s a long way for them to come, and the smoke’s really bad. Some people are talking about throwing the fire extinguisher through the window, but I know that will be the end of us. But if someone panics and does it, there’s nothing I can do.”
Then he said, “I really gotta call Mom. In case I don’t get out, I love you brother.” He wasn’t crying. I said, “I love you, too.”
He got through to my mother on her answering machine.
I haven’t heard the tape. [The essence of the message is:] A plane has hit the building, I don’t have much…I just want to tell you I love you. No matter what, I’m going to be okay.
[Stephen also called a friend and left a message on her tape.] “He got her answering machine. He told her, whatever happens, he was going to be okay. He had said all the prayers his mother had taught him and he was going to be fine.”
I think there were 12 other people in the room; it was on the 87th floor, a New York State office, and a conference room. Mainly it was men from the trading room — mainly college athletes.
I feel pretty strongly that people had passed out in the room before the end.
Stephen did say, “We tried to get to the roof.”
Interview by Jim Dwyer

Source: Accounts from the South Tower

It’s always good to make a change from time to time and it was time.

My web host Son Servers changed the whole format for me, which will allow better security more interactivity such as: RSS feeds and email notification as well as hot links and pictures.

I am starting to enjoy this medium more and more. I hope you are encouraged by some of the random thoughts.

Posted by Gary on March 13, 2006

Sorry for my long absence. things have been amazing and much has happened over the last year. All of it a testimony to God’s faithfulness and goodness.

There is a lot percolating in my mind and I have felt a stirring to begin again my blogging.

Thanks to those of you who have commented. I guess it never occured to me that people would come here rugularly. I have a lot on my mind regarding our actions activated by our faith and our faith being supercharged when you add the “agape” love that is shared abroad in the hearts of every believer.

I intend to work that out here and I would love to hear your comments as always.

Thanks again for your love and encouragement. I look forward to getting back to it.

be blessed.
Gary

Posted by Gary on January 3, 2005

2005 has arrived! Ready or not.

I hope that you all had a chance to rest, reflect, and renew. You have in front of you an amazing gift. A brand new year to refocus, reload, and recommit. (There sure are a lot of re’s).

We have had an amazing ride the last two years and we feel like we have gone from strength to strength. We are so excited about the future and ready for anything. All of the stretching and growing and pruning, and refining, (oh no another re).

Thank you for partnering with us. Your prayers and support have been beyond value and we find ourselves inadequate when trying to express our gratitute for your friendship.

Please stay in touch. As much as we are planted in a new season we still want to stay connected with you.

Have a great year and if you are in the neighborhood give us a call we would love to break bread with you.

Hope to see you soon!
Gary

Posted by Gary on August 11, 2004

I still can’t believe it.

We have really made this our home over the last almost 2 years, and leaving is much more painful than I expected it to be.

We know beyond any doubt that we are meant to be in the good ole USA. Believe me this was not a decision made lightly.

We love America but we also love Australia. Australia will always be our second home and Hillsong Church will always have a very special place in our hearts. This move is not about whether we like one or the other better. It’s about what God has called us to.

Our world has become much smaller since coming here and we have realised that People are people no matter where they were born or have grown up. Coming to Australia has shown us that you can do anything if you just make a decision and then go for it.

Thanks Australia for all youve given us. Get ready America. Here we come!!!!!

See you all soon
Gary

Posted by Gary on April 26, 2004

It’s 11:00 PM and tomorrow I have a 6:30 am call time to sing backing vocals in chapel. It has been a very interesting three weeks. In the next newsletter I’ll give you more details. I can tell you that God has been so faithful and he always restores us to a place better than we were before if we fully trust him.

It will be good to be back in school and finishing up the first term. Just 7 quick months until I graduate. We have no idea what is in store for us after that. One thing I am sure of is that God has something incredible in store for us when we leave here, if we leave here, oops did I say that :-)?

Well I’m off to bed The website update is coming soon.

We love you all. Goodnight
Gary

Posted by Gary on April 6, 2004

Have you ever been on a collision course that you knew you couldn’t avoid? How did you react? Did you worry? did you strive with every bone in your body to work out a way to avoid it? Or did you simply do the things that were in your control and trust God to make up the difference.

Since about October of last year we have been on a collision course, (that I may tell you all about someday), and the collision finally occured a couple of weeks ago. That thing that I feared most finally happened. I dont think we made it occur, i.e spoke it into existence. We were praying, and seeking, and trusting God at least at a level that we we were able. But know after the fact I am confident that we were not really trusting Him fully.

We now sit in a place that only God can deliver us from, their is nothing we can do that will be enough. No way we can work this one out on our own. In the natural it is an impossible place. But God.

I believe this is what James is talking about when he says that faith without works is dead. I don’t think he meant good works. I think he meant putting your faith to work. It’s easy to say you live by faith when you don’t really have to. When the circumstance says something to you do you believe the circumstance or do you believe the promises of Gods word. The first two chapters of James have taken on totally new meaning to me in the last few weeks.

I love being in this place. Now I’m not just blindly sitting in the corner of my room waiting on the voice of God. We are being faithful with what God has put in our hand doing the best we can and trusting God to make up the difference.

We have been so blessed for making this trip and have learned much more than I ever expected to learn. I am beginning to feel more and more ready to go passionatley after the dreams that God has placed in my heart. Thank you for taking this journey with us. I look forward to the day I can sit down over a cup of Good American Coffee and tell you all the details.

See you all soon
Gary

Posted by Gary on April 6, 2004

Welcome to the Trobee family web log!

I have been thinking of doing something like this for a long time. Then the other day I ran across this idea on someone elses web site and it looked very easy. (Which is exactly what I need).

So I e-mailed my favorite web host. sonservers and he set me up. He is the one who made it look the way it does. Thanks sonservers! 🙂

These are not deep theological essays. Just random thoughts about what is happening with us and what God is teaching us.

Thanks for indulging me I look forward to hearing from you.

Best wishes
Gary