It suddenly seemed like yesterday. But it wasn’t yesterday. It was eons ago when life was so much easier, but certainly not simpler.
Jacquelyn wondered for the umpteenth time how she would feel upon meeting the child God had plucked from her womb on the day of the Rapture. No doubt he or she was part of the Bride of Christ.
She couldn’t help but wonder what kind of relationship, what kind of connection, the child inside her would have with her child in Heaven?
“Lights sure look pretty,” Tamika said softly, trying to break Jacquelyn from her reverie.
“Could stare at them all night. But we can’t be late now, can we?”
“We sure can’t,” Tamika replied.
Jacquelyn stole one last glance at the lit tree. Just as she was peeling her eyes away from the window, she noticed movement in the house; feet slowly descending the steps. It was her mother-in-law.
“Tamika, look!”
It wasn’t uncommon for Sarah to go to the kitchen looking for food to eat when she knew no one else was there. What was uncommon was that she was dressed for the elements outside, including a scarf and hat she hadn’t worn, since arriving at safe house number one.
Sarah opened the front door and caught them peeking in the window, no doubt spying on her, wondering what she would do next. “Mind if I accompany you to church?”
Jacquelyn glanced at Tamika and became teary-eyed, “Seriously?”
Sarah smiled wearily and nodded yes. “It’s time. I’m tired of being cooped up in my misery, always thinking unhealthy thoughts. Besides, Doctor Singh said there’s going to be a wedding. Since I sort of know the bride-to-be, it would be rude not to attend, right?”
Jacquelyn and Tamika both said, “Praise the Lord!” at the same time.
How would Sarah feel if she knew how much the climate had deteriorated for Christians, or that the man who drove her to Chadds Ford early last August was no longer alive?
It was best not to ruin this Hallmark moment by telling her.
She would find out soon enough…
Bundled up from head to toe, Sarah locked arms with her daughter-in-law and Tamika, and the three women left at once for the church sanctuary. Each time their boots touched the slick snowy surface, they made loud crunching noises. Jacquelyn was bursting at the seams to see Brian’s reaction the moment he saw his mother. Finally, some good news!
This was Sarah’s first time leaving the house since arriving in Pennsylvania. When she first moved onto the property, she was too devastated, too heartbroken, to appreciate its stark beauty.
At least her bedroom window offered her a pretty good view of the grounds, even if limited. Last month, when the autumn leaves had reached their zenith, Sarah was practically glued to the window drinking it all in. She was rendered breathless, yet frightened, knowing the many trees providing shade and cover at the safe house would soon be bare, making it even more difficult to remain invisible to the outside world.
Once the last of the leaves fell to the ground, Sarah watched a few men she didn’t know draping camouflage netting over the highest trees. It was done all throughout the premises, to hopefully prevent drones from entering the property. She was mildly surprised that she finally found the strength to leave the house. Even a week ago, it seemed unthinkable.
Even with their faces covered, their breath was still visible as it pressed through their scarfs. Each exhale floated skyward, crystallizing in the frigid night air, before dissipating. Even with power restored, most of the 263 cottages scattered about the property sat in total darkness.
Then again, with secondary walls constructed, the few cottages with lights turned on looked dark and void of people.
But with so much snowfall outside, manmade lighting wasn’t needed at safe house number one. It was brilliantly illuminated, to the extent that flashlights and lanterns weren’t needed. It looked like daytime, minus the pitch-black sky and snow-covered dark cottages.
But even without the mass accumulation, having walked these grounds so many times the past five months, Jacquelyn and Tamika could have easily found their way to the church sanctuary, even blindfolded.
With a cloudless sky, the bright moonlight caused the windswept snow falling from trees and rooftops to glisten in the late December sky.
“Looks like a million glittering diamonds falling from Heaven,” Tamika said, marveling.
For a brief moment, seeing the naked tree branches flailing from side to side in the darkness, and feeling the bitter cold air on her face brought her back to the night she desecrated her grandfather’s grave in Brooklyn, which ultimately led to her being at safe house number one. It looked and felt eerily similar to this, minus the snow.
Tamika blinked it away. “Recalculating!” she told herself, under her breath. With 13 months to finally accept things for what they were, knowing beyond a certainty that her mother and two sons were in Heaven, with Jesus, and she wasn’t sitting in a New York City jail cell, she was slowly learning to embrace the chaos.
Tamika started humming, It Came Upon A Midnight Clear.
Jacquelyn joined in, as they trudged through the deep precipitation.
Sarah still wasn’t in the mood. She mumbled to herself, “Wonder if Dick’s attending Christmas Eve mass now?”
“What?”
“Oh, nothing,” Sarah replied to her daughter-in-law, whom she hoped to get to know so much better in the coming days.
But more than anything, after five months of no contact, Sarah missed the sound of Dick’s voice and wanted to be with him now, if only to comfort her husband, knowing he was all alone this Christmas.
What saddened her most was that they didn’t spend their 36th wedding anniversary together last October. She couldn’t help but wonder yet again if she’d made the right choice by leaving Dick.
From a spiritual standpoint, the answer was a resounding yes. Other than that, she was still tormented wondering if her daughter would still be alive had she not left him. Give me the strength, Lord, just for today…
At any rate, it felt good breathing in the cold winter air again.
As Tony Pearsall and his crew shoveled walkways leading to the church, Brian and Charles sprinkled rock salt on the ground outside the main entrance, so no one—especially the brides to be—would slip and fall.
Once they were finished, Charles excused himself, saying he’d be back before church service began. He didn’t say where he was going. And Brian never bothered asking. He knew his friend was exhausted after driving all the way from northwest Idaho so he could spend Christmas with them. Surely, he would sleep good later.
With everyone living at safe house number one soon to arrive, Mulrooney went back inside the sanctuary to turn on a few more space heaters for added warmth. With power restored, the generator was turned off and electricity was used…
40
INSIDE THE CHURCH SANCTUARY, with power restored, a soothing array of acoustical Christmas music streamed through Dolby surround sound speakers. Many watched online and listened, as they waited for the church service, to include two weddings, to begin.
Silent Night was currently playing.
Two twelve-foot Douglas fir trees flanked the back of the stage. Both were draped with hundreds of bright, colorless lights, but no tinsel, garland or any other decorations. Handmade wreathes—made by some of the residents—were adorned with red bows and ribbons and hung neatly throughout the sanctuary.
The largest wreath was hung on the wall behind the pulpit. It, too, was adorned with colorless lights. Sconces were mounted on the walls all throughout, boasting three candles each.
The church looked tastefully festive. Not counting Sarah Mulrooney, residents at safe house number one worked hard to create this humble environment, which harkened back hundreds of years—save for the thousands of Christmas lights.
The reason they put forth so much effort was to hopefully quell the mounting fear all Christ followers felt following Yogesh Patel’s death, when Romanero
ordered the detainment of many of them worldwide. If they felt so fearful living in safehouses, how much worse for everyone with no such places to stay?
It was a terrifying thought, to be sure.
Their hope was that this brief moment of peaceful ambiance would transcend all borders and touch the heart of each ETSM viewer, whether ten miles away in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania or ten thousand miles away in China or Japan. Right now, it was badly needed.
A roaming camera was mounted to the ceiling at the midway point of the sanctuary, capturing images for all to see. It slowly swept back and forth, left to right, then back again, so online viewers could bask in the ambiance inside the sanctuary, as they listened to the music, prayed, and read their Bibles, feeling blessed to be under the ETSM umbrella.
Even with power restored, this was the only building without a heating system in place. As the space heaters slowly roared to life, Mulrooney paced the stage still bundled in his winter gear, mentally rehearsing what he would say after reading Luke chapters 1 and 2, before Tom Dunleavey performed the wedding ceremonies.
One wedding turned into two after Donald Johnson and Mary Johnston happily agreed to let Joaquim Guzman and Leticia Gonzalez get married alongside them, at the conclusion of the Christmas Eve service.
Unlike when the property was under construction and two church services were needed, the sanctuary would only be half-full this night.
Still, just knowing so many would be watching online—including the former President of the United States of America—filled Brian with great angst and twisted his stomach in knots.
When the next song Away in a Manger started playing, Brian stopped pacing and raised his hands skyward, not even thinking that the camera was streaming his image to so many online.
“Father, You know everything there is to know about me, including how many breaths I took today. Not a single heartbeat occurred inside my chest without Your permission. You even know the exact number of hairs on my head. It’s impossible for me to fathom such remarkable truths. Your Sovereign power never ceases to amaze me!”
With most residents out shoveling snow or taking hot showers in their cottages for the first time in months, only a handful of people were inside the sanctuary. One of them was Joaquim. Deeply moved by Brian’s words, he lowered the sound of the music and placed the camera on motion sensitive mode, so it would remain on Brian at all times.
Even speaking softly, everyone streaming online heard him with remarkable clarity. Brian sighed, “It hasn’t been easy following you, Lord. From day one, You turned my whole world upside down and completely estranged me from my former life. It’s difficult being labeled a monster for things I didn’t do. The anger and hatred many have toward me frightens me, especially my father…”
Halfway to the church, Jacquelyn checked the sanctuary cam app on her phone to see if the tree lights were on. Seeing her husband praying, she stopped walking and positioned her phone screen so Tamika and Sarah could watch. It didn’t take long before all three had tears streaming down their frosty cheeks.
“It’s only by Your grace that Mom had the strength to leave Dad in the first place. I can’t imagine the pain in her heart from being separated from him all this time. It’s a heavy cross for anyone to carry. But she’s been cooped up in her room for nearly five months now. Give her the strength to overcome Chelsea’s death so she can function again.
“My heart aches for my father knowing he’s all alone in New York. Please bless and comfort him during this difficult time. Change his heart, Lord. Open his eyes and ears to Your saving knowledge, so he will reject the false system he keeps clinging to. Only then will he experience Your peace that transcends all understanding.
“Though I don’t tell anyone, I still feel partly responsible for Chelsea’s death, Renate’s too, and for Mom and Dad being separated. Remove the overwhelming guilt from my heart, Lord, as only You can. Heal my family. Jacquelyn’s family, too…”
Sarah twitched upon hearing her late daughter’s name being uttered. It was like a knife stabbing violently at her heart.
Jacquelyn brushed back more tears. And to think my folks think he’s a monster!
“I know what the future holds, and I’m eternally grateful for the salvation you freely gave me, Mom too, but right now, Lord, I’m overwhelmed by everything. It’s getting scary out there.”
The next song, Joy to the World, started playing, breaking Brian from his sadness. Raising his arms toward the ceiling again, he choked back tears, “No matter what comes my way, You are my God and I will exalt thee and praise Your name forever. Your love for me is too amazing to put into words!”
Brian paused before continuing, “From the bottom of my heart, thanks for blessing me with such a remarkable wife. My love for Jacquelyn intensifies daily. I never knew two people could love each other so deeply and intensely. From a human standpoint, she’s my everything. I adore her and couldn’t imagine life without her. Bless and protect the baby in her womb...
“Finally, Lord, this will be my first time preaching Your Word to so many. Please calm my nerves and sanction my every word and deed. May You be glorified with every word I speak, Lord Jesus, in Your sweet and precious name I pray, Amen!”
Brian heard a noise outside and easily recognized the distinct sound of feet sloshing and crunching through wet snow mixed with rock salt.
He rushed to the door to greet whoever it was. Seeing Jacquelyn and Tamika at the door, he exclaimed, “Merry Christmas, my dear la…”
Brian gasped. His eyes grew wide with shock when the two women stepped aside, allowing him to see his mother standing behind them, looking like a frightened little girl. Since she never bothered to join them for Thanksgiving dinner last month, he didn’t expect to see her now.
Brian covered his mouth with his left hand, “Mom?”
“Merry Christmas, son,” Sarah said softly, humbly, lowering her head. “Sorry for the way I’ve acted of late. I know my behavior has caused you many anguished moments.”
Brian started weeping. It was a power mothers had over their children. It took a while, but he finally said, “I admit part of me thought you blamed me for everything that happened.”
Sarah tipped her eyes up, “Yeah, I heard you praying on Jacquelyn’s phone on the way here. Sorry for making you feel like it was your fault. I was devastated and didn’t know how to control my emotions.”
“I know the feeling, Ma. But your silence kept me awake many nights. One day I heard you wailing for hours on end. I knocked on your door repeatedly, but you kept ignoring me.”
“Must have been one of two nights; either my anniversary or the day I watched Chelsea’s video.” Sarah’s lower lip started quivering, “Her suicide drove me deeper into my hole. All I wanted was to be left alone. The reason I’m so thin is that I tried starving myself to death many times since coming here.”
Sarah paused, “But if there’s one thing I learned from Renate and Chelsea, it’s that suicide doesn’t end the pain. It just passes it on to someone else. I realized my constant isolation was merely my way of passing my pain onto you. I’m so sorry, Brian.”
Brian wrapped his arms around his mother and they both wept.
After a while, Sarah said, “Thanks for not giving up on me, son. I know I haven’t lived up to my responsibilities here. But don’t worry, you can count on me to do my part from this day on…”
Brian let his mother’s affection wash over him. It was as if a thousand pounds were lifted off his shoulders, leaving 9,000 pounds still there.
Looking skyward, he said, “That was fast!”
Sarah placed a hand on Brian’s shoulder and one on Jacquelyn’s, “I’m not sure about the timing of it all, but thanks in advance for making me a grandmother.”
Brian and Jacquelyn knew she was being sincere despite the fear in her eyes. Did she know what was going on outside their walls? Probably not. Otherwise, she’d still be in her room.
Brian kissed his mother on the cheek. T
hen Tamika. “Welcome to the very first ETSM Christmas Eve service and wedding ceremony!”
Jacquelyn got the real thing. She whispered in his ear, “By the way, I couldn’t imagine my life without you, either!”
It earned her another kiss on the lips.
They went inside. Sarah took a moment to let her eyes wander over the sanctuary. She was instantly struck by the calming peace she felt.
“There’s a face I recognize!”
Sarah craned her neck back. It was Mary Johnston. “Good to see you again, Mary.”
“You too, Sarah. It’s been a while…”
Sarah felt shame and momentarily broke eye contact with her. “Doctor Singh said you’re getting married tonight after church service.”
A smile appeared on Mary’s face. “As it turns out, we’re not the only ones exchanging vows. Joaquim and Leticia asked if they could join us.” Realizing Sarah had no idea to whom she was referring, she switched gears, “Would you like to meet the man I’ll be marrying?”
Mary recognized the confused expression on Sarah’s face, “I know, we’re not supposed to be seen together before the wedding ceremony. It’s bad luck, right? I thought that way my entire life too.
“There’s no time for those foolish superstitions. Besides, we just met four months ago. We’re still in the getting-to-know-each-other phase. Preparing for our wedding together has deepened the bond between us.”
The way Mary said it made Sarah yearn for Dick. It was written all over her face.
Mary shouted to Donald in the back of the church. “Honey, can you come here for a second?”
Sarah was completely astounded. When they rode to Chadds Ford last August, Mary was calm and reserved. Now she seemed so sure of herself, even in these perilous times. It was impressive.
Whereas Mary’s feet had apparently landed on solid ground, Sarah was still sinking in quicksand. For every step Mary took forward in her personal growth, Sarah took five steps backwards. At least that many!
The Sealing Page 26