The Wreck Emerged

by Joseph Webers

  “That wasn’t the question. It was God’s question, not mine, and he is asking, would you be willing to trade places with your mother?”

  “That’s not fair!”

  “No, it’s not fair. It’s not fair that your mum got cancer. It’s not fair that hundreds of people are dead in that airplane out there. It’s not fair that Jenny died, and you might think it’s certainly not fair that Jenny is alive now. But please listen to the next part of our story.”

  Maggie paused, giving Juan a chance to speak if he desired. He sat quietly, wiping away tears, so she continued.

  “I didn’t understand why, but I felt compelled to answer the question that Matt was asking on God’s behalf. Like you, Juan, I tried to think of a way out. I wondered, if I traded places with Jenny, maybe I could watch her grow up from heaven. Matt asked me why I thought I’d go there, and I told him I thought everyone went there. But they don’t. Hell is real, and some do go there. Deep down, we all realize God’s standards are very high and we don’t measure up. Adam and Eve blew it, and the whole human race has suffered the consequences ever since. It’s part of our very nature to refuse to meet the standards.”

  She looked over the group of Marines, took a sip of water, and adjusted herself on her chair.

  “I can tell you, I didn’t measure up for sure. It was torture, trying to decide. In the end, even though my love for Jenny was so strong, that wasn’t the reason I said yes, I would trade places with her. Rather, there was something deep within me telling me to just trust God, even though I didn’t deserve anything good for the life I’d lived. I didn’t really know what that would mean, but once I decided, that was my final answer. I started to cry, even though I knew I made the right choice. When I looked up, Matt was smiling, even gleeful. He said that was so much the right choice. He said, ‘This is what God said, “Tell her I did the same for her, and she is worth it!” ’

  “I said, ‘Huh?’ and he told me how he, God, died so I might live, even though he’s God. How he had to create a human body for himself to live in, to meet all the standards in spite of the temptations, and for that human body to die a horrendous death. And how that death was acceptable to God, to pay the price we couldn’t pay. That human body has a name, and I heard some of you saying it on your way here—Jesus.

  “He died and was buried, but God raised him from death to show that his death was acceptable as payment. Now it’s possible for us to have a new nature, the one Adam and Eve were created with. And because Jesus paid the price for all people, God made him Lord of all creation.”

  Maggie paused, letting her words sink in. Wow, God, she thought, this is amazing! She glanced over at Matt, who smiled and nodded. She continued, telling of God’s desire for people to have that new nature, and of the new relationship God wanted with the people he had created. Of his desire to lead them in fulfilling things rather than destructive things like she had been doing all her life. Of his desire for them to choose life and leave death behind. Of his desire for them to trust him.

  The question was still gnawing at Juan. “I would like to see my mother live,” he said. “I want to choose that picture. But how would that work?”

  Maggie looked over at Matt again, as if to say, “Jump in if you think I need help.” Then she answered.

  “Juan, it’s a matter of trust. Trusting God to do what he said. In order to get this new nature full of life and peace and joy, the old nature must die so the new nature can replace it. This is what Jesus’s death enables God to do, to make that trade. Do you trust God?”

  “As you’ve been talking, things have been making more and more sense. And I see in you what you’re talking about. The things I said to you didn’t get you upset. I want that new nature. It’s been getting stronger and stronger as you spoke. But I keep thinking about my mother, too.”

  “Would you want this new nature even if your mother was not in the condition she’s in?”

  “Yes, how can I do that?”

  Maggie looked around. “Would anyone else like God’s forgiveness and new life?”

  Several hands went up. One Marine took the opportunity to leave and go outside. Lieutenant Colonel Washington didn’t stop him.

  Maggie was trying to remember how Matt had put it. “It would be a secret transaction, just between you and God. You would have to die. Don’t worry about the death part, though. You will not even notice it. I didn’t. But you will surely notice the coming alive part. He will change your life forever!

  “First, though, you need to know what your part of the transaction is. You must believe in your innermost being that God raised Jesus from the dead, since that is the evidence that the price is paid. This is not the same as believing it in your mind, since then you would have to have proof of some sort. This kind is believing with no proof. God himself, by his spirit, will provide the proof as you say the words. And you must receive him, Jesus, as the master and ruler of your life, since God made him to be that. If you understand your part and are still willing, then you are ready.”

  They all were ready.

  Maggie continued, “It’s a secret transaction, but it starts out in public, with your words. Don’t worry, God will help you with the words. He’s been calling you, getting you ready for this moment, so talk to God now.”

  There was a low babble as four sets of words went up to heaven. Then silence. Maggie, Matt, and Paul were watching as joy slowly settled on four faces. All four were smiling when they finally opened their eyes.

  Juan Wilson spoke for all of them. “Wow!” Then he added, “I think I know what to do now. God, I choose life for my mother. Please heal her of this cancer. Thank you, Jesus.”

  Lieutenant Colonel Washington wanted a brief break for his men. “Come with me, Lance Corporal Wilson. Let’s go call your mother!”

  80

  They all gathered back in the Stallion for Maggie to continue her story. Before she could start, however, Lance Corporal Wilson stood up with a story of his own. “They were trying to get hold of me. They wanted to tell me there was nothing they could do. They had taken her off life support. She went into cardiac arrest twice. Each time, her heart just started beating again. Her vital signs were going down really fast. She had only minutes to live. Suddenly, right before I called, everything became stable. They couldn’t believe it. They said it was a miracle. I said, ‘I know!’ They’re keeping her in a coma for now, to see what happens next.”

  After the cheering and wonder died down, Maggie asked Matt to tell about the dreams and messages he had gotten before they exited the plane. Then she told about the shark bringing Jenny back, God giving her the ability to nurse, Jenny coming alive and her foot being healed, and finally about calling up the island and how it rose up under them.

  Lieutenant Colonel Washington also had part of the story to add. “There are so many supernatural things that happened to you two over the last day and a half.” Then turning to the group of Marines, he continued, “Here’s one I’d like to add. There is a group of military and civilians, very high up in the terrorism investigators in our government, who were in a video meeting to look into this plane being shot down. They were watching the island with a very powerful satellite camera. The satellite was more than two hundred miles above them. As soon as the camera moved to focus on these two, they immediately turned to it and waved!

  “The group in Washington DC was stunned into silence for several minutes. But them waving at the satellite allowed their pictures to be taken, and compared to the passport photos of everybody on the plane. When we went to pick them up earlier, I asked them how they knew to wave at the satellite, and do you know what they said?” No one did, so he told them, “Matt said, ‘God spoke to Maggie and told her!’

  “There’s one thing I’d like to ask Matt and Maggie before we finish up,” he went on, “and that is about the dirt. You’ve said several times there will be dirt. Is the dried white mud what you’re talking about?”

  Matt answered, “No, in the hil
ly areas, and in a lot of the flat areas, there will be a covering of good old brown dirt up to almost a foot thick. We don’t know how that would be possible, or when it would happen. Perhaps God is waiting to bring it, in order to show that this didn’t occur by accident, since we are telling of this before it comes.

  “You see, I suppose it would be possible to imagine a scenario in which the island suddenly appeared because of natural causes, and Maggie and I got here before everyone else and took a tour of the island before you flew in. But this dirt will be just as supernatural as the rest of our story. God is not finished yet!”

  Maggie added, “It won’t be just plain sand, either. There will be life in the dirt, things starting to grow right away.”

  LtCol Washington thanked the two of them. There was a short round of applause from the Marines. Matt gave Jenny back to Maggie, and said, “It looks like we will be around for several days. If anyone has further questions, please come ask us.”

  81

  In a small parlor in a large city on the other side of the world, two men were discussing their options. The project had not been progressing according to plan.

  “Rishaan, I just learned they found the plane.”

  Rishaan Chabra’s teacup clattered back into its saucer. “Ridiculous! They sank the plane in five thousand meters of water. The search boats could not even have gotten there yet. The pilots told Maria there was nothing left on the surface.”

  “Yes, all that is true. But it seems an island rose over five thousand meters off the bottom and brought everything to the surface. The plane—all its parts—as well as most of the baggage and the three fuel tanks they blew up. The island is over two hundred fifty square kilometers. How could this have happened?”

  “I don’t know, Dasya. How do you know this?”

  Dasya turned on the television. The story was on three of the four news channels. He stopped at the one showing a distant picture of the site, perhaps from an aircraft or satellite zoomed in as close as possible. The front of the plane was separated from the fuselage, which was lying upside-down on the white surface of the island. Four round shiny blobs were scattered nearby. A short distance away, a helicopter sat in the middle of a jet-black circle, barely visible in its camouflage. “Look how well our pilots did.”

  They sat watching the photograph for a few minutes, thinking. The newscaster was offering all kinds of opinions and conjectures, and little in the way of facts. Finally, Dasya offered an opinion of his own. “Only your God could do this. Unless there is another explanation, our project is doomed. We should abort now while we have that option.”

  “No, damn it! God directed us to this project! I believe God is simply testing our resolve.”

  Dasya rubbed his bushy eyebrows with hands as thin as the rest of his frame. “You are the only one who heard that from God. I am just saying what my eyes and mind are telling me.”

  Rishaan was not ready to give up. “We are still acquiring the materials. The tanks are to be delivered soon. We will see what the world does in the meantime. If we are not discovered, we will take that as a sign. If we are discovered, we can abort. We meet with the others soon, and we will discuss this again then. Dasya, do you still believe in our project?”

  At the beginning, there had been a little doubt in Dasya’s mind. The more he considered the project, the more that doubt diminished. Dasya was now fully committed to the project, and didn’t need God telling him what to do. To Dasya, if there were a God, he was probably far away and very angry. “Oh, yes. Absolutely! It’s the only way, really, and we are the ones to do it.”

  82

  Darkness was descending as Paul took Matt and Maggie aside after the second group of Marines started leaving the Stallion. “I just found out they want to examine those tanks back at Langley, so they’ll be sending another Stallion to get them tomorrow, if they are clean enough. There are other things they want, too, like samples of the mud, water from the river, and several pieces of baggage. An FBI team will be aboard to start their investigation here. One of the two Stallions will be leaving Monday morning, and I’m told the three of you will be on it. I will be sending Lance Corporal Wilson back also.”

  “Wow, that’s good news!” Maggie said, hugging Jenny tightly. “It will be good to get back.”

  “Yes,” Matt agreed, “and tomorrow I’d like to make a call or two on your satellite phone, if that would be okay. One business and one personal.”

  “Sure. Just let me know when.”

  “Okay. Oh, do you have a Bible with you? I’d like to show Maggie a few things.”

  Paul reached into his backpack and pulled out a plastic zipper bag with a small camouflaged book in it. “Here’s the New Testament, psalms, and proverbs for you, Maggie, courtesy of the Gideons. I always carry some extra ones, for troops who need one. I have four more to give away, too.

  “Thank you for sharing your stories with my men, especially the first group. We train our Marines to be the most feared warriors in the world. You might think showing emotion is somehow inconsistent with that, but our fierceness in battle is prompted partly by the fierceness of the loyalty we have for each other. From the day we enlist or are commissioned, until the day we earn the right to be called a Marine, we are taught honor, courage, and commitment. It lasts throughout our careers. Passion, properly directed, is a good thing.”

  The evening was clear, and the mud had hardened to the extent that the Marines not on duty all elected to sleep under the stars, except for the two pilots. They, along with Matt and Maggie, pitched their camp inside the Stallion. Matt laid out the two coffin pads putting Maggie next to a wall, with a used MRE case between the two, into which Maggie was arranging the velvet coffin liners as a bed for Jenny.

  Sleeping arrangements complete, Matt said to Maggie, “Bring Jenny, and let’s go look at the stars while you feed her.”

  “Okay, good. I want to ask you about what went on with the second group of Marines.”

  They walked a short way from the helicopter. When they were out of earshot, they sat down on the dried ground facing each other. A warm soothing breeze played with them. Maggie distractedly smoothed Jenny’s hair, her own hair, and Jenny’s velvet covering. Matt knew she was disappointed about something, and even knew what it was, but wanted to wait until she started nursing her daughter and was able to put her thoughts in order. It was warm, like it had been the previous evening. After they had enjoyed the stars for several minutes, Maggie began telling Matt what was bothering her.

  “That first group was great! I could tell God was showing me brilliant things, words and pictures and just what to say. And four Marines gave themselves to Jesus. It was so easy. It really felt wonderful. Then the second group came, and everything went just the opposite. They all seemed squirmy, some even bored. They were polite enough, and seemed to appreciate our story, but I felt like I was walking uphill the whole time. I was expecting things to be easier the second time. What happened? I got the distinct feeling I disappointed Jesus somehow.”

  “I’m glad this happened. I could sense your distress, and you did a good job of not showing it.”

  Maggie was on the verge of tears. “What? How could you be glad this happened to me?”

  “The second time you told the story, it was just as good, if not better, than the first time. So what was the difference, and why was I glad? I was glad that it happened to you while I was around to explain it. The same thing happened to me, where I felt I let the Lord down after pouring my heart into the story I told. Only nobody was there to help me understand. What happened was inevitable, because you have to understand how the story works.”

  “What do you mean? We have a wonderful story of God’s goodness and love, and we were simply telling it.”

  “Yes, indeed. And why were you telling it?”

  “Why was I telling it? We were both telling it.”

  “Yes, but why? One day, you will be telling the story by yourself. Why?”

  Maggie swallo
wed hard, trying to get rid of the lump forming in her throat. “Oh, I see.” She thought for a moment before answering. “Because I want them to know Jesus like I know him.”

  “Yes, that’s right. And when they didn’t receive him like you received him, you blamed yourself.”

  “Yes, I did.”

  “Do you know what that tells me? Think about it.”

  She thought about it. “No, what?”

  “It tells me that for the first group, you gave yourself the credit.”

  Maggie opened her mouth to speak, but thought better of it, and waited for Matt to continue.

  “Who did all the work in them, to draw them, to call to them as we spoke? To convince their hearts of God’s trustworthiness? Of his desire for them?”

  “The same one who drew me, who called to me, who received me! Oh, Matt, you never took any of the credit, I realize that now. Oh, Lord, I’m so sorry!”

  “Maggie, look at me! I learned this exact same lesson the exact same way. Our job is just to tell the story. The rest is up to him.”

  “God’s Holy Spirit.”

  “Yes!”

  “I feel like such a dunce right now.”

  “You oughtn’t to. That feeling doesn’t come from God. I can tell you, he is incredibly proud of you.”

  “He is? After what I just did?”

  “Yes, absolutely! Look, in about a year, Jenny will take her first step or two. You’ll be so proud. You’ll cheer and congratulate her and call your mom. Then she’ll try to take another step and fall right smack down on her butt. How will you think about her then?”

  “I get it. I’ll still be proud. I’ll lift her up, give her a big hug, and help her try again.”

  “Of course you will. Did you know that’s why God lets us be parents, so we’ll understand how he is as our father?”