Cradling the heavy 50 in my arms I scouted ahead as the group of children rested back behind me. Our needs were simple.
We needed water and secondarily food as the vandals had left nothing alive in my raised planting beds. Typical of humanity gone over the edge to destroy the very plants that could have born them even more food if left alive.
Although our needs were simple they were becoming increasingly dire by the moment. Thankfully though I had an outlet to express my needs.
"God, Your Word says you know what our needs are before we do so…. well…. help please."
I crested over the top of a ridge and glanced down with surprise at what lay below me. I stood still and watched long and thoughtfully upon the abandoned looking homestead located below.
A pond of water stood off to the one side of the house and offered the promise of fulfillment for the raging thirst I had acquired. I stayed where I was though in indecision.
Finally, I expressed my fears to my Creator, "Is it safe?"
"Yes, son." Came an affirming response from within my soul, but not willing to be tricked at this stage of the game I tested the voice by Scripture to ascertain that I wasn't being tricked because to me there seemed to be a demonic theme to the personification of darkness that I beheld in almost everything these days. My doubts, however were cast aside though as I received confirmation that I was indeed speaking to a representative of the Spirit of God and I headed back for the others, even as a warmth from within spilled throughout me and said, "Well done son."
~~~~~~~
JaLin's mouth was dry, but looking over at Pastor she wouldn't be denied from speaking any longer as to what she knew had occurred. She wanted to make sure.
Reaching over she shook his shoulders slightly and tiredly, his eyes opened with alarm.
"No, no, nothing to fear. I…. I want to talk. May I?" JaLin asked respectfully.
Pastor Joseph straightened up from leaning back against a rock and said fluently within her own language, "Of course you can."
She looked away, but then back to him as a bubble of joy lit her up from within, "Last night I prayed to your God. I know He is God. I know this. I didn't know though if He wanted me. I thought maybe He would as why would He give me to such a good man like Adam and... but anyway…." JaLin paused as remembered angst came back to her in full force.
Pastor Joseph put a consoling hand over top of hers and squeezed and suddenly very emotional JaLin met his kind gaze and said, "I thought I would die! I had to hide and the only place they not look would be in the floor and so I tried to fit into the space, but I couldn't! I couldn't!!!" She pressed heavily in exclamation and Pastor nodded knowingly.
"I prayed. Not to my people's false god, but to Adam's God and God's Son Jesus. I..." JaLin's voice trailed off and Pastor pressed, "What happened next JaLin?"
Wiping at her eyes that felt like they should be crying, but lacked the moisture to do so she said, "The wood moved. It moved and I fell into the spot like I was made smaller and yet I'm still my size. I'm too big to have fit into the floor!"
Pastor nodded, smiling and asked, "Is that all?"
"No, the floor piece slid over top of me and clicked down into place. I never touched it. It was so tight in the hole. I couldn't breathe and then the Man, Jesus, He came to me somehow and He said, "I'll breathe for you JaLin. Tomorrow I want you to complete your journey, but for now I'm here and I love you and you're going to be all right." I felt such peace at His saying of that and truly I don't remember anything else until I heard Adam's voice in the bedroom."
Then moving onto her knees before Pastor she asked, "What is it I should do now? I know your God is real. I want to serve Him like you and Adam do. I want His Spirit in me like Adam has and like I see in your eyes. What do I do?"
Pastor took her hands in his and said, "Well JaLin it's actually very simple. You believe in Jesus, that He is God's only begotten Son?"
"I do."
"Do you know when Jesus died for you on a cross a long time ago that when He did so He took your sins and everyone else's to the grave, but that after three days' time He rose from the grave because death couldn't conquer Him?"
"I believe you. I've seen him. He could do anything!" JaLin said earnestly.
"Well then, even as Jesus died for your sins, will you confess yourself as a sinner and ask Him to forgive you and for His Father's Holy Spirit to come into you and make you forever from now on a child of God and an heir to spending all of eternity in His Father's presence forever more?"
"I do!" JaLin said emotionally.
"Say it." Pastor encouraged.
"I want you Jesus! Please forgive me for everything I've done wrong. I want you! I need Your Father's Spirit like I see it in Adam! Please save me, teach me, and make me Yours for forever!"
Pastor was smiling and squeezing her hands as she dissolved into tears of joy he said, "Your His now JaLin! Nothing can ever separate you from His love for you! Not death, no, not anything! Your story no longer ends at the grave. You're free JaLin. Free!"
Crying as the full knowledge of that swept through her JaLin pressed her hands to her face and cried joyfully as the children looked on with teary-eyed faces that bespoke of the joy that they shared with JaLin because they too because of Pastor's example to them along with his many prayers on their behalf had come to the saving knowledge of Jesus. Even though the conversation had taken place in a language different from their own they full well comprehended what had just occurred and despite their tiredness they pressed close and hugged their arms about JaLin and Pastor.
Pastor Joseph looked upwards to the bright sky overhead and in English said, "It's going to be a great day! Wouldn't you agree Adam?" He said at the last, glancing over at me to where I stood as a silent witness to the exchange that had occurred between him and JaLin and I nodded my head as tears of my own streaked down my face.
"Yes Sir! It certainly is!" I affirmed.
JaLin's head picked up at the sound of my voice and rising up, she waded through the children until she got to me. Her arms swept around me and I hugged her to me fiercely.
We stood that way for a long moment as more joy than I had known in a long time seemed to inflect the day with its cheer as it washed away all the horrors of the night and the days of our time. Tipping her head back, she gazed up at me out of those beautiful almond shaped eyes of hers and haltingly said in English, "I love you, Adam."
I'd heard her say, 'I love you', in her language to me many times as I had lain partially asleep at night and doing my very best to replicate the sounds of her oft repeated phrase at night, when she thought I was asleep, I said, "I love you."
To my own ears, I'd totally botched the tonal frequencies of her language, but she knew and with a desperate cry, she pulled on my shoulders and I lifted her so that we could kiss and for a moment her love for me totally dominated the kiss, until I showed her with equal desire that I felt just the same about her. If the children hadn't been present we would've celebrated love and new spiritual life in an entirely different fashion, but as it was we contented ourselves with the knowledge of the life that we would spend with each other from this day forward.
Knowing now best of all that death no longer held any sway over our futures and so if we had a week, an hour, or a hundred years it didn't matter. We had right now and thanks to Jesus we didn't have to fear the eternity to follow.
Life had never been fuller or sweeter than it was in this moment and I thanked God intensely for it over and over in my spirit as I continued to hold onto the priceless gift from a Father who knew what I needed most of all. Even in the midst of the hell of our circumstances His eternal will reigned supreme and in no way had it been overcome.