“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17
Her name was Annie Moore. Our next stop aboard the Majestic Princess fulfilled a “bucket list” dream for my wife Judy and I. We have long wanted to visit Ireland and that day…we did. The port and town of Cobh, Ireland (also know as Queenstown) was really quite simple but also quite amazing. It seemed to be everything we expected Ireland to be. What we didn’t expect was to be introduced to the story of a young lady and her two younger brothers. Their names were Annie, Anthony and Philip. And they were the very first immigrants to pass through Ellis Island.
As New York City welcomed the year 1892 with the ringing of church bells and the honking of horns, a 17-year-old Irish girl named Annie Moore found herself anchored off the southern tip of Manhattan. Alongside her two younger brothers, she had embarked on a journey from Queenstown, on December 20, 1891, aboard the steamship Nevada, seeking a new life in a new land. After a 12-day voyage, including Christmas, the girl from County Cork, Ireland, was finally just hours away from reuniting with her parents and two older siblings, after a four year separation.
The Nevada arrived too late on New Year’s Eve to be processed. However, at 10:30 a.m. on New Year’s Day, a flag on Ellis Island was lowered three times, signaling the transportation of the first boatload of immigrants. A symphony of foghorns, clanging bells, steam whistles, and cheers accompanied a barge adorned with red, white, and blue bunting as it ferried the Nevada’s steerage passengers to the dock at Ellis Island, standing tall in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty.
Among the passengers was the brown-haired Irish teenager, who eagerly bounded down the gangplank with her brothers. She entered the enormous double doors of the building and skipped two steps at a time up the main staircase. Turning to her left, she was guided into one of the 10 aisles and led to a tall lectern-like registry desk. “What is your name, my dear?” inquired the agent. “Annie Moore, sir,” she replied. With a pen poised over a fresh sheet of paper, the clerk meticulously inked Moore’s name and those of her brothers, Anthony and Philip, on the first page of the first registry book. Annie was then escorted into the next room and was soon embraced by her waiting parents. Over the course of the next 62 years, more than 12 million immigrants would follow in Annie Moore’s footsteps, passing through Ellis Island.
Her story is amazing–a new life in a new land–a reunion with her parents and older brothers after a four year separation. She was home but to a home she had never been to before. And in a very real way, Annie’s story is the story of every person who puts their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. By faith we trust Jesus and begin a new life in a new land. Paul, the guy who wrote a chunk of the New Testament, says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” Then Jesus promises in John 14:2 “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”
Just like Annie, we too can leave the past behind and step into a new life in a new place. How about you? Are you willing to believe and trust? That’s all you have to do…believe in Him and trust Him and leave the rest is in His hands. Like always, He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne
Grits with Grace 