“This could get out of hand,” Darrion said.
“We have to be ready to help them no matter what they do with the message,” Vicki said. “If they reject it, we’ll help them get better and they’ll be on their way in a few weeks.”
A few others wandered onto the scene, asking what was going on. Each had been stung. Vicki saw some with bloody marks on their wrists. One man had a rope burn around his neck.
Vicki turned and walked a few steps away. Darrion followed. “What is it?”
Vicki wiped away a tear. “I was just thinking about that place in the Bible where Jesus looked at the crowds of people around him and saw all their problems. He felt pity for them. The people had no idea where to go for help.”
“Just like these people,” Darrion said.
Vicki nodded. “I memorized this part. Jesus told his disciples, ‘The harvest is so great, but the workers are so few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send out more workers for his fields.’”
Darrion looked at the people. “You know what’s weird? With everybody we’ve talked to today, I haven’t seen one believer. Is everybody hiding while these people suffer?”
Vicki put her head in her hands. “Good point. You’ve helped me make two decisions. We have to take in as many people at the schoolhouse as we can.”
“What’s the other decision?” Darrion said.
“We have to get this message out,” Vicki said. “I have to meet with as many groups as possible.”
30
VICKI returned to a flurry of activity at the schoolhouse. Mark and the others had moved the computer equipment and had set up cots throughout the first floor. Shelly had convinced the others to let Melinda come upstairs. Janie had screamed at them and remained downstairs.
Conrad made a schedule and handed it to everyone when they arrived. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were at specific times, and each person was asked to help with some duty, no matter how small. Some couldn’t help because their stings were more recent, but many were nearing the end of their suffering.
Mark came up to Vicki. He looked worried. “We forgot something.”
“What?”
“We didn’t tell Z. This is his family’s place, and we’ve just opened up a secret.”
“I’ll call him,” Vicki said.
Z answered on the first ring with his familiar drawl. He was a big man, burly, with tattoos, but his voice was high-pitched. Vicki had liked Z from the moment they had met.
“Pete told me about your trip south,” Z said. “We saw a report last night that the GC had caught up with that Traickin guy. He’s in custody.”
“He fooled a lot of believers, but he won’t anymore.”
“Pete wants to talk with you.”
“Wait. I have news.” Vicki explained Lenore’s idea and how many people they had brought to the schoolhouse. “We want to open up the schoolhouse to anyone who needs help.”
Z paused. “And you want to know if I’ll go along with the plan?”
“Will you?”
Z gave a belly laugh. “Little lady, from the moment you told me about your dream to set up a training center, it was only logical that you’d bring in unbelievers at some point.”
“Really?”
“Of course, it’s risky. If the GC gets wind of it, they’ll be crawling all over that place and taking our supplies. That’s why Dad and I located a couple of warehouses closer to us.”
“So you think this is a good idea?”
Z chuckled. “You’ve got a good heart, you care about people, and you want to do what God wants you to do. I’m with you.”
Vicki nearly cried when Z finished. Pete got on the phone and apologized for not being at the schoolhouse sooner. “We’re going over my routes. Looks like I’m headed your way with some things for the people who’ve been stung; then I’m headed east.”
Vicki frowned. “We were hoping you’d take us with you out west.” She explained the idea about talking to other groups of believers around the country.
“You’re always welcome in my truck,” Pete said, “but it might be better for you to go this alone.” Pete told her he would be at the schoolhouse in the next few days with supplies.
When she hung up, Vicki gathered the others in the computer room upstairs. They couldn’t find Charlie but decided to go ahead without him. Shelly suggested they use the station wagon for the trip.
Conrad questioned whether the car would hold up. “That thing’s so old it’ll probably break down before you get to Iowa.”
“If Pete can’t take us, what other option do we have?”
Conrad stood. “Maybe somebody knows of another car. I’ll check.”
Darrion opened a map showing cities and towns west of Illinois. Roadways were highlighted in yellow. “This is a list of areas where most of the requests are coming from. These roads are all in operation. Assuming we could contact the people, we could head out tomorrow.”
Mark sighed. “I know this was my idea, but I’ve been thinking about the risks. You’re probably going to reach a few hundred people.”
“Try a few thousand,” Darrion said.
“Hang on,” Vicki said. “God’s more concerned with people’s hearts than big numbers. He used a little boy’s lunch to feed thousands, right?”
The kids nodded.
“For a long time I’ve concentrated on how small I am, how little I have to offer,” Vicki continued. “That’s not the point. The point is how big God is and what he wants to do.”
Shelly nodded. “I wish I knew about God before all this happened. I would have told as many people as I could.”
Conrad came back into the room out of breath. “You’re not going to believe this. Come with me.”
Lionel awakened when Judd returned to Yitzhak’s house. He wanted to talk about their next move, but Judd fell into bed and went to sleep.
Things had happened so quickly after Pavel’s funeral in New Babylon. Lionel was glad to get away from there, but he really wanted to get back home, not only for himself but also for Sam, who seemed to be getting more and more concerned about being in Israel.
Lionel was also upset about Judd and Nada. He had gone back and forth about confronting Judd. Was it any of Lionel’s business what Judd did with his personal life? Finally, Lionel had talked with Judd and told him what he thought. Now that they were relatively safe from the Global Community, Lionel feared they would stay put.
Sam awoke and met Lionel at the breakfast table. The boy looked troubled. “I’ve been having dreams,” he said.
“About what?” Lionel said.
“My father. He is running after me in his GC uniform. He has a weapon and yells at me to stop. He says he wants me to tell him where Tsion Ben-Judah is hiding. They catch me and put me in prison.”
“What happens then?” Lionel said.
Sam looked away. “That is what scares me most of all. In the end I tell him. Dr. Ben-Judah is found and arrested.”
“But you don’t even know where Tsion is,” Lionel said. “None of us do.”
“I know that,” Sam said, “but it still frightens me.”
Judd finally awoke and came to the table. He told them about Nada’s parents’ reaction to Kasim.
When he was finished, Lionel said, “I’m happy for Nada’s family and that you’re back together, but we need to talk about Sam.” Lionel shared Sam’s nightmares.
“How long have you had these?” Judd said.
“For the past three nights. I wake up sweating because they’re so real.”
Judd pursed his lips. “I used to think dreams came because of something you ate, but now I pay more attention. Do you think God’s trying to tell you something?”
Lionel smirked. “Yeah, he’s telling us to get out of here and go home.”
Judd ignored Lionel and turned to Sam.
“I assume God’s telling me I’m in some sort of danger. My fear is that my father will come through the door any m
inute and arrest all of us.”
“I wouldn’t worry about that,” Judd said. “This place is safe. Just keep praying for your dad.”
“Since I came with you, I’ve prayed for him every day.” Sam stared at the floor.
“What is it?” Lionel said.
“I have a confession. I went out earlier to find a pay phone and called the hospital.”
“You what?” Judd said.
“What did you find out?” Lionel said.
“I didn’t tell them who I was. They would only say that my father was released some time ago.”
Judd shook his head. “You can’t make contact. Like you said, it’s dangerous, not just for you but for all of us.”
Sam nodded and Lionel asked to speak with Judd privately. When they were alone, Lionel said, “You can’t bring him back here and expect him not to wonder about his own flesh and blood. You’d do the same thing if it were your dad.”
“Don’t lecture me,” Judd said sternly.
“I’m not lecturing,” Lionel said. “I’ve been telling you we need to take Sam to the States, but you won’t listen. You’re too . . .”
“Too what?” Judd said.
“You don’t seem with us anymore,” Lionel said. “You’re more concerned with your love life—”
“That’s it,” Judd said. “I don’t have to take this.”
“Maybe I’m wrong,” Lionel said. “Finding Kasim was a good thing, but it just feels like we’ve lost you as leader of the Young Trib Force.”
Judd ran a hand through his hair. His beard was fuller now, and his hair was getting longer. “We’re not going anywhere right now. There aren’t any commercial flights, and the pilots with the co-op aren’t giving rides.”
“If I could find one, would you go back with us?” Lionel said.
“I don’t know,” Judd said.
Vicki and the others followed Conrad downstairs. Several of the unbelievers who were suffering greatly had moved into a darkened room down the hall. But in the old computer room they found Charlie talking with one of the teenagers Vicki and Darrion had met the day before. The girl sat with her back to the door, and Charlie looked up when he saw Vicki and the others. He excused himself and came into the hall. “She wanted to know more, so I told her! Her friend didn’t want to hear it, but she did. I borrowed your Bible, Vicki; I hope that was OK.”
“What are you talking about?” Vicki said.
“I think she’s going to pray the prayer!” Charlie said. “I was just about to read her some of the stuff from the Bible.”
“Wait,” Mark said. “I thought we were going to take this slow and make sure—”
Vicki interrupted. “You talked with her about God?”
“Oh yeah,” Charlie said, “I told her how I really wanted one of those things on my forehead, and I thought I had to do stuff to make God like me. And Jenni said, that’s her name, she spells it with an i instead of a y . . .”
“What did she say?” Mark said.
As Charlie talked, he became more excited. “She always felt left out with kids at her school and her church, and she was always trying to do stuff to fit in but it never worked.”
“OK,” Vicki said. “Go back and talk to her.”
Charlie smiled and ran back into the room. The other kids went back upstairs, but Vicki stayed by the doorway and listened.
“Those were my friends,” Charlie said. “They’re cool. Now, you said that after you got stung, you just kind of walked around and didn’t know where to go, right?”
“Yeah,” Jenni said. “I was in so much pain I didn’t even care what happened to me.”
“Look at this verse,” Charlie said. “The words in red are the ones that Jesus said. He’s the guy I told you about.”
Jenni placed a finger on the Bible and read the words slowly. “‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.’”
“See,” Charlie said, “Jesus doesn’t just tell us the way to go; he is the way. And if we believe the truth about him and about ourselves, he’ll give us life.”
“What do you mean, the truth?” Jenni said.
“The truth about God is, he’s perfect. The truth about us is that we’ve all done bad stuff. To be with God we have to be perfect, but we’ve messed up, so we can’t.”
“I believe that,” Jenni said.
“But God loved us so much that he made a way for us. Read this.”
Charlie flipped a few pages and Jenni read, “‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.’”
“See,” Charlie said, “God made a way for us to be forgiven for the bad stuff we’ve done. Anybody who believes the truth and asks God to help them, God promises to give them life.”
“You mean, when we die?”
“Both then and now,” Charlie said. “Since I prayed that prayer I told you about, you wouldn’t believe how much more alive I feel. And I know I’m going to heaven because Jesus said it. You can trust him because he’s the truth.”
Jenni wiped a tear from her face. “I want to believe that so much.”
“God will hear you if you pray to him, I promise.”
“OK,” Jenni said. “What do I do?”
“Well, I got down on my knees because . . . well, I guess that’s the way I always saw people do it.”
Jenni slipped out of her chair and Charlie knelt beside her. “Just tell God you know you’ve messed up and you believe that Jesus is the way.”
“God, I’ve done a lot of bad things, and I’m sorry,” Jenni said. “I believe Jesus is the way and that he died for me. Please forgive me.”
“Good. Now just give your life to God and ask him to change you.”
“God, I want you to change me. Whatever is left of my life, I give it to you. And thank you for these people who are giving me a place to stay.”
Phoenix walked up beside Vicki and licked her hand.
Vicki patted his head.
Charlie helped Jenni to her feet and pointed to his forehead. “Do you see this?”
Jenni did a double take. “When did you put that there?”
“I didn’t. God did. And look at this.” Charlie opened the Bible to Romans and read another verse. “‘For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.’”
“That’s what I just did,” Jenni said.
Charlie saw Vicki through the open door. He turned Jenni around.
Vicki covered her mouth with a hand. On Jenni’s forehead was the unmistakable mark of the true believer.
31
JUDD thought about what Lionel had said and couldn’t sleep. He wished he could talk to someone who would understand what he was going through. He had feelings for Nada, no question. But was Judd chasing after something he needed to let go of? He admired and respected Nada, but was he ready to commit himself to her?
Judd prayed that God would give him someone to talk to about his dilemma. He peeked into the room where Lionel and Sam were sleeping and noticed Sam’s cot was empty. He woke Lionel and the two searched the house. Finally, they went back to the bedroom and found a note under Sam’s pillow.
Lionel and Judd,
I know you won’t like this and you may not understand it, but I have to talk with my dad. I keep having the dream and it scares me. One of the verses I’ve read lately is in 1 John. It says, “Such love has no fear because perfect love expels all fear.” So I think God wants me to face this. If I don’t, I’ll live the rest of my life wondering about my dad.
You don’t have to worry about me giving you guys up. The GC can do anything they want, but I’ll never give them any information about the Force.
In case something happens, don’t come looking for me. If I can make it back to you, I will. I still dream about visiting the schoolhouse in the States.
God bless you. Thank you fo
r showing me the truth and for being my friend.
In Christ,
Sam
Lionel sat on the cot. “This wouldn’t have happened if you’d agreed to go home.”
“Don’t blame me for this.”
Lionel shook his head. “You think we can catch him before he gets to his house?”
“It’s hard telling how long ago he wrote this. He could already be there.”
Someone pecked at the back door, and Judd rushed to see if it was Sam. He opened the door and gasped. “Mr. Stein!”
Vicki and the others talked with Jenni about what it meant to be a follower of Jesus. Charlie had done well. He had explained the gospel clearly but hadn’t revealed too much to the other people living with the kids. When Jenni heard that the kids needed a different car than the station wagon, she told them about her parents’ minivan. It was still in the garage where her parents had left it.
“What happened to them?” Vicki said.
“They were visiting some friends when the earthquake hit,” Jenni said. “They didn’t make it.”
“Could we use it?” Vicki said.
“It’s yours.”
Conrad volunteered to walk into town and get the van the following day while the others prepared. Since Shelly had driving experience, the kids decided she should go with Vicki. Darrion also wanted to go, but Lenore said she would need her help at the schoolhouse.
“It’s not fair,” Darrion said, “but if I’m needed here, I’ll stay.”
“You need at least one guy along,” Conrad said. “Once the locust stings wear off, there’s probably going to be a lot of weird stuff going on.”
The others agreed, and the kids voted that Conrad should go with Vicki and Shelly. The three looked over the route Darrion had mapped out. Mark said he would begin e-mailing people to set up meetings.
“How long do you think we’ll be gone?” Conrad said.
Vicki looked at her calendar and jotted a few notes.
“If we follow this route, it could be weeks. Maybe months.”
Judd and Lionel greeted Mr. Stein and woke Yitzhak to tell him the news. Everyone wanted to hear Mr. Stein’s story, but the man was exhausted. He promised to tell them what had happened when he awoke.
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