A Look Back: 2017, A Year of Tragedy and Praise

It has been a year of twists and turns across the nation and around the world.

The news never takes a day off and that was especially true in 2017. In fact, some of the biggest news stories of the year happened on Saturdays and Sundays.

 Terror in London

It was a Saturday night in London, when violence came to town.

On June 3, three men in a van plowed into pedestrians on London Bridge.

Then they got out of the van and stabbed several more people. Eight were killed and more than 40 injured.

Devastating Hurricanes

2017 was also the year of the devastating hurricane. 

First there was Harvey, then Irma, followed by Maria.

On a Saturday in Texas, CBN News National Security Correspondent Erik Rosales and photographer Mario Gonzalez traveled through the floods to find stories of survival and hope. 

They found those stories through churches and volunteers already on the scene.

“We were on an island. Nobody could get in and nobody could get out and God provided so much food, so much water. It was truly amazing,“ said one survivor.

Violence in Virginia

But it was a Saturday in Charlottesville, Virginia, that shook the nation to its core.

 White nationalists gathered for a Unite the Right rally and clashed with counter protestors.

In the end, 32-year old Heather Heyer was killed when a man drove a car into a crowd of the counter protestors.

Two Virginia State Police officers were also killed when their helicopter crashed while patrolling the violence. 

Praise Above All

But there was also the good news, stories of faith, hope and the best of mankind.

In 2017, CBN News traveled to outdoor festivals that represented a time of celebration and renewal despite the nation’s tragedies.

Events like Awaken the Dawn, where thousand of people filled Washington DC’s National Mall for a weekend on non-stop worship.

There were also concerts like Kingsfest and Joyfest, where thousands of people, young and old, descended on tiny Doswell, Virginia, for a weekend of praise and worship.

There, CBN News spoke with award-winning artists like Travis Greene and David and Tamela Mann, who reminded believers of the importance of humility and gratefulness. 

“For me, I fell four floors out of a window and was pronounced dead while we were in Germany. Maybe that’s not anyone’s specific testimony, but we all fell. If it wasn’t for God catching us and it wasn’t for His grace, literally giving us another chance, we would all be dead,” Greene recalled.   

“I want the Lord to know I’m depending on Him at all times, that I’m entrusting Him to go before me and to touch the hearts of the people. Just use me as the vessel,” said Tamela Mann.