Terry: ON

AUGUST 20th, 2013,

ANTOINETTE TUFF WAS STANDING

IN THE OFFICE OF THE

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WHERE SHE

WORKED.

WITH A LOADED AK-47

AUTOMATIC ASSAULT RIFLE

POINTED AT HER HEAD, SHE

NEVER COULD HAVE IMAGINED

WHAT WAS IN STORE FOR HER

THAT DAY, YET AT THE SAME

TIME, SHE FELT AS IF SHE HAD

BEEN PREPARING FOR IT ALL

HER LIFE.

Reporter: THE TRAFFIC

SHOOTING AT SANDY HOOK

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN

DECEMBER 2013 SHOCKED AND

HORRIFIED THE COUNTRY.

THEN LESS THAN A YEAR LATER,

A SIMILAR SCENE STARTED TO

UNFOLD WHEN A GUNMAN, ARMED

WITH AN AK-47 ASSAULT RIFLE

AND 500 ROUNDS OF

AMMUNITION, WALKED INTO

McNEAR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

IN GEORGIA.

BUT IN THE END, HE LAID DOWN

HIS WEAPONS AND SURRENDERED

TO POLICE, ALL BECAUSE OF

ONE WOMAN'S COURAGE.

HER NAME IS ANTOINETTE TUFF,

THE SCHOOL BOOKKEEPER.

IN HER BOOK, "PREPARED FOR

PURPOSE," ANTOINETTE TALKS

ABOUT HER TERRIFYING

ENCOUNTER AND HOW SHE

BELIEVES GOD HAD BEEN

PREPARING HER FOR THAT

MOMENT HER ENTIRE LIFE.

Terry: POLICE WELCOME

TO "THE 700 CLUB," THE LADY

WHO SAVED AN ATLANTA SCHOOL

UNDER SIEGE.

ANTOINETTE TUFF, IT IS A

PLEASURE TO HAVE YOU HERE.

THANK YOU.

IT IS A PLEASURE TO BE

HERE.

Terry: TALK A LITTLE

ABOUT THE STORY OF EXACTLY

WHAT HAPPENED THAT DAY AT

THE SCHOOL.

WELL, I GOT TO SCHOOL,

JUST LIKE ANY OTHER NORMAL

DAY.

I DIDN'T KNOW DURING MY

PRAYER TIME DID GOD TELL ME

ANYTHING THAT MORNING WHAT I

WAS GOING TO FACE LATER ON

THAT AFTERNOON.

I WAS THERE TO RELIEVE THE

SECRETARY, BECAUSE MY

PRINCIPAL HAD ASKED ME HOURS

BEFORE IF I WOULD RELIEVE

HER.

I GET THIS DEVASTATING

CALL.

Terry: AND THE CALL

WAS?

THE DEVASTATING CALL WAS

THAT I ACTUALLY HAD TO COME

UP WITH $14,000 OR THEY WA

WERE GOING TO REPOSSESS MY

CAR.

Terry: AND YOU'RE A

SINGLE MOM AT THIS POINT,

WITH TWO CHILDREN, WORKING

AT THE SCHOOL, RIGHT?

YES.

AND NOW I'M SITTING IN MY

OFFICE, BALLING, CRYING, AND

I HAD NOW SHUT THE DOOR IN

MY OFFICE, LIKE, GOD, WHAT

AM I GOING TO DO.

Terry: SO IT'S NOT LIKE

YOU'RE AT AN EMOTIONAL HIGH

POINT IN YOUR LIFE.

NO.

Terry: YOU NOW GO TO

RELIEVE THE PERSON IN THE

OFFICE AND WHAT HAPPENS?

AND NOW I'M SITTING IN

THE OFFICE AND INCOMES

MICHAEL HILL, ALL DRESSED IN

BLACK WITH AN AK-47.

AT FIRST I'M THINKING THIS

IS A JOKE.

AND HE SAYS, THIS IS NOT A

JOKE; WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE

TODAY.

Terry: WHAT WENT

THROUGH YOUR MIND AT THAT

MOMENT?

TERROR, OVERWHELMING,

AND, GOD, WHAT AM I GOING TO

DO NOW?

Terry: AND WHAT DID GOD

SAY TO YOU?

IF YOU NEVER TALKED TO

GOD BEFORE, NOW YOU'RE

ACTUALLY HAVING A

CONVERSATION.

WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?

WHAT AM I GOING TO SAY?

BECAUSE I KNOW EVERY WORD

OUT OF THAT MOUTH COULD BE

LIFE OR DEATH, NOT JUST FOR

ME, BUT THERE ARE OVER 870

KIDS IN THE SCHOOL AND

PARENTS AND STAFF MEMBERS.

SO I KNOW IT IS A VERY

IMPORTANT MOMENT AT THAT

TIME.

Terry: THERE WAS

SOMEONE ELSE IN THE OFFICE,

AND HE LET HER GO, WENT DOWN

THE HALL.

YOU HAD ANOTHER TEACHER WHO

CAME AT ONE POINT AND THAT

MAN IS ALLOWED TO LEAVE.

YOU ARE ALONE WITH THIS GUY,

ALONE, AND TRYING TO KEEP

YOUR COOL.

HOW DID YOU REMAIN CALM,

COOL, AND COLLECTED?

I ACTUALLY COMMUNICATED

WITH GOD, TO ASK HIM WHAT TO

SAY AND TO MAKE SURE I

FOLLOWED HIS INSTRUCTIONS AS

HE WAS USING ME TO BE HIS

VESSEL THAT DAY.

Terry: YOU FOLLOWED,

ALSO, THE DIRECTIONS OF THE

MICHAEL HILL.

THERE WERE A COUPLE OF TIMES

HE TOLD YOU TO CALL SOMEONE

OR TO MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT

TO THE SCHOOL.

YOU HAD 9-1-1 ON THE PHONE.

HE DIDN'T REALIZE YOU HAD

THEM ON AS LONG AS YOU DID,

RIGHT?

HE TOLD ME TO HANG UP THE

TELEPHONE.

SO I PUT THE PHONE ON THE

OTHER SIDE SO HE COULDN'T

SEE IT, AND I WAS

COMMUNICATING WITH THE 9-1-1

OPERATOR, TO ALLOW HER TO

KNOW WHAT WAS HE TELLING ME

TO DO AND WHAT WAS HE

SAYING, SO THEY COULD HAVE

EARS AND EYES ON THE SCENE

WITHOUT HIM KNOWING THAT

THEY DID.

Terry: MICHAEL WAS IN A

LOT OF ANGST, AND IT WAS SO

TOUCHED BY THE FACT THAT YOU

COULD CONNECT WITH HIM

EMOTIONALLY, THAT YOU FELT

COMPASSION IN THE MIDST OF

THAT.

WHY DO YOU THINK THAT

HAPPENED?

I KNEW THAT PAIN.

I JUST HAD THAT PAIN SEVERAL

MONTHS MYSELF, WHEN MY

HUSBAND OF 33 YEARS, THE MAN

I HAD BEEN WITH SINCE I WAS

13 YEARS OLD, HAD NOW TOLD

ME HE WAS HAVING AN AFFAIR,

AND WE WERE NO LONGER GOING

TO BE TOGETHER.

SO I KNEW THAT PAIN.

I KNEW EXACTLY WHAT HE FELT

WHEN SOMEONE ELSE CAME INTO

MY LIFE AND DESTROYED MY

FAMILY.

SO I KNEW HOW TO HAVE

COMPASSION AND LOVE FOR

HIM.

Terry: AND NOT ONLY ARE

YOU A SINGLE MOM AT THAT

STAGE OF YOUR LIFE, BUT YOU

ALSO HAVE A SON -- A VERY

SPECIAL SON, BUT WITH SOME

PRETTY SERIOUS NEEDS.

YES.

MY SON IS MULTIPLY

DISABLED, AND I NEED TO MAKE

SURE I DO WHAT I NEED TO DO

FOR MY SON, AND ALSO FOR MY

DAUGHTER, AND SO IT IS A

VERY TRYING TIME IN MY

LIFE.

Terry: AND THEN YOU GET

A CALL THAT YOU'RE MIGHT

LOSE YOUR HOUSE.

YOU SAID IN SOME WAYS GOD

HAS BEEN PREPARING YOU FOR

THIS ALL OF YOUR LIFE.

YOU DID HAVE TIME WITH THE

LORD AT THE START OF YOUR

DAY, LIKE YOU ALWAYS DO.

YES.

I KNOW TODAY THAT GOD

ACTUALLY PREPARED ME FOR A

PURPOSE.

THAT WAS ONE REASON I WANTED

TO WRITE MY BOOK, TO ALLOW

PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT I WAS AN

ORDINARY WOMAN, JUST LIKE

ANYBODY ELSE.

I GOT UP AND SPENT TIME WITH

GOD, BUT GOD PREPARED ME FOR

THAT PURPOSE WHEN I WAS

YOUNGER, THROUGH ABANDONMENT

ISSUES AND EVERYTHING.

IT WAS JUST MY NUMBER BEING

CALLED FOR HIM TO BE ABLE TO

USE ME.

Terry: TALK A LITTLE

BIT ABOUT HOW THINGS

ACTUALLY FINALLY CONCLUDED

AT THE SCHOOL.

BECAUSE YOU ACTUALLY -- WHEN

MICHAEL SAID TO YOU, I AM

GOING TO DIE, THIS IS THE

LAST DAY OF MY LIFE.

YOU WERE ABLE TO SAY TO HIM,

NO, YOU'RE NOT.

IT'S GOING TO GET BETTER.

THAT'S BECAUSE YOU HAD SEEN

GOD WORK IN YOUR LIFE.

HE ACTUALLY LAID DOWN ON THE

FLOOR.

TALK ABOUT THAT.

HE TRIED TO LAY DOWN AND

COMMIT SUICIDE.

AND I SAID, NOPE, WE'RE NOT

GOING TO HAVE THAT.

EVERYBODY IS GOING TO GET

OUT OF HERE ALIVE TODAY.

HE WOUND UP PUTTING ALL OF

THE AMMUNITIONS OUT OF HIS

POCKET, LAID DOWN PROS

PROSTRAIT BEFORE THE LORD,

AND WITH HIS HANDS BEHIND

HIS BACK AND ALLOWED THE

POLICE TO GET HIM.

Terry: UNBELIEVABLE.

HE HAD ENOUGH AMMUNITION TO

HAVE KILLED EVERYONE IN

THERE.

AND GOD INTERVENED.

YES.

Terry: A LOT OF TIMES

WE HAVE PEOPLE ASK US, HOW

DO I HANDLE THAT?

AND THE COMMON THREAD I REED

IN YOUR BOOK, NO MATTER HOW

MUCH HARDSHIP YOU WENT

THROUGH, YOU STAYED WITH

GOD.

YOU WERE IN THE WORD.

YOU PRAYED WITH GOD AT NIGHT

AND IN THE MORNING.

IS THAT WHAT MADE A

DIFFERENCE?

YES.

I KNOW FROM ALL OF THAT IT

MADE A BIG DIFFERENCE.

BECAUSE I NOW STARTED TO

HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH

GOD.

IT WAS NOT JUST GOING TO

CHURCH ON SUNDAY OR GOING TO

CHURCH ON WEDNESDAY, BUT IT

WAS DEDICATING MY LIFE,

GIVING GOD WHAT I GAVE MY

HUSBAND FOR 23 YEARS.

AND LEARNING HOW TO, NO

MATTER WHAT, LOVE GOD JUST

LIKE I LOVED HIM, AND EVEN

MORE.

Terry: SO WHERE ARE YOU

AT TODAY?

YOU'RE AN AUTHOR?

YES.

I AM NOW GOING NATIONALLY

AND INTERNATIONALLY

SPEAKING, ALLOWING OTHERS TO

BE PREPARED FOR THEIR

PURPOSE.

PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE

WORLD DONATED TO MY FUND.

WE STARTED A NON-PROFIT,

WHICH IS "KIDS ON THE MOVE

FOR SUCCESS."

AND WE JUST GAVE AWAY OUR

FIRST SCHOLARSHIP A FEW

WEEKS AGO FOR A STUDENT TO

GO TO COLLEGE.

IT IS A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE

TO BE ABLE TO HELP OTHERS,

TO REALIZE THEY ARE, TOO,

PREPARED FOR THE PURPOSE, NO

MATTER WHAT AGE YOU ARE.

Terry: AND IT IS SO

MUCH BIGGER THAN YOU CAN

IMAGINE OR ASK FOR.

RIGHT.

WHEN GOD SAYS HE WILL OPEN

UP THE WINDOWS AND POUR OUT

YOU A BLESSING, YOU HAVE

ROOM ENOUGH TO ACCEPT IT.

Terry: ANTOINETTE'S

BOOK IS AVAILABLE WHEREVER

BOOKS ARE SOLD.

IT IS A VERY INTERESTING

STORY.

THANK YOU FOR BEING.

IT IS A PLEASURE TO BE

WITH YOU TODAY.