Teddy sat in a folding metal chair he'd mooched off one of the villagers, regretting the loss of his wooden campaign chair. His gaze rested on Jonah sleeping in his bed. The other three snored in mosquito net covered hammocks hanging under the porch outside. The blanket covering Jonah moved rhythmically up and down as Teddy pondered the day's events.
It was all so unreal. He had almost lost his son to an earthquake, but the earthquake had uncovered a priceless object directly on point to his search. He had lost his funding, only to be told by the sultry envoy of a mysterious group of financiers that it had been deliberately cancelled. That group wanted to fund his efforts—apparently with a blank check—assuming he kept "impressing" them. He turned the card over in his fingers: James Bond phone number on one side, Jason Bourne account number on the other.
What are you doing with me, Lord?
In all the excitement, he'd just been happy his boys were safe and his funding was back—he hadn't stopped to ask any questions. There was an obvious one: Who were his new benefactors and what were they going to do with anything he found? How likely was it that they were seeking the information to benefit world peace. How likely was it that he'd find anything. Maybe his recently highlighted incompetence could benefit world peace!
On the other hand, did he really want to pack it all in and return to a house full of lonely ghosts. What about the boys? What was best for them? The homeschooling commitment they'd made years ago had allowed the boys to experience real life, not just waste time bored in a classroom staring out the window at reality. The academics come naturally—given how bad the schools were today, most students had to teach themselves anyway. Besides, they both firmly believed God gives people giftings that are best identified in the home by parents.
Teddy had been walking in his faith long enough to know there were no coincidences. He'd needed funding, and while he hadn't exactly prayed for it, God had answered his unspoken prayer. The provision had been prepared well in advance. God was never surprised—which was, ironically, what he was trying to prove. Teddy was often surprised. How could it be that I needed funding, Ms. Marple needed proof and both arrived at just the right time?
Teddy looked up: What would You have me do? What would Claire and I have done?
Teddy stood and stretched his back, turning the gas lantern down low. He touched each of the boys and said a short prayer over them, as had been his custom since they were born. "Lord, thank You for giving me my boys—arrows in my quiver. Bless them and keep them, make Your face to shine upon them and give them peace."
Walking to his own bed, he knelt down and reached out to put a hand on Jonah's knee: "Thank You most of all for preserving Jonah's life today. Thank You for the find—a Tolima fighter jet—what a find! Thank You for the funding—should I take it? Thank You for taking me on this adventure… why couldn't You have brought her with us?" Teddy choked back a sob as his voice gave out. He stopped. He waited to feel it and went on, "Please give me wisdom and peace. Your will, not my own. In Jesus name, Amen."
Rising, Teddy found he was full of nervous energy. He wasn't quite ready for bed yet. Sitting in the squeaky metal chair, he tried not to wake the boys. Taking his Bible, he opened to find he was in Proverbs. Scanning the section he'd opened to, he saw these words jump off the page: Many are the plans in a man's heart, but the Lord's purpose will prevail. Proverbs 16:9
Closing his eyes, Teddy was overwhelmed with confusion. What is your purpose for me, Lord?
All at once, the tent seemed cramped. He was overcome with the jitters. Pulling the front flap back, he poked his head out to see a bazillion stars. There was no light pollution on the Altiplano and the heavens were revealed in all their glory. Until one saw the stars like this, just as ancient man had seen them, astronomically aligned pyramids, megalithic calendars and the worship of sun, moon and stars didn't quite make sense.
Modern man's ability to see God's glory is dimmed by the light of glowing televisions in every room and glaring streetlights outside. Man's opportunity to hear God speaking is frequently interrupted by the whoosh of a text, tweet or instagram. His capacity to relate to God is destroyed for lack of healthy examples of relationship. Can anyone overcome the chaos?
Pushing through the front flaps, Teddy started walking to nowhere in particular. He gazed at the stars as he wandered in circles, marking out the various constellations of the Zodiac. It was the worldwide commonality of the Zodiac that had been instrumental in launching his quest for the truth.
A single question nagged at him for years: Why was the Zodiac almost identical in all the different cultures around the world? Why did it continue to have cultural power when it had been scientifically disproven? Some claimed there was a long lost cosmic story told by the Zodiac. Teddy was enamored with secret messages from the distant past.
Stumbling on a rock, Teddy looked up to find himself standing in the mystical Sunken Temple surrounded by faces carved in stone. The disembodied faces were alternating human and animal, carved in a straight line at eye level. Turning slowly around the room he began to observe a pattern of shadows revealed by the bright starlight. Each face cast its own shadow onto the neighboring face.
Turning and turning, the faces began to blur together and come alive. He was seeing depictions of men with animal features and animals with human characteristics. The bright starlight, maybe the excitement of the day, whatever it was, Teddy couldn't believe what he was experiencing: the creatures he was seeing gave the distinct impression of genetic blending.
Teddy had found what he came looking for at Tiwanaku.