“It’s because of you that my son turned on me! You and those boys took him away.”
“His friends shared the truth with him and he accepted it. As I said, it appears God is drawing you to himself. Do not wait.”
Judd prayed for Mr. Goldberg as he listened. Suddenly someone moved behind him. Judd turned and saw Lionel waving wildly. “Get back here! I think the GC are coming!”
Judd ran to the front of the house and saw two GC squad cars pull in. The men inside were wearing bulky, protective suits.
Judd banged on the side window and joined Lionel at the back. Mr. Stein threw open the back door and rushed down the steps two at a time. “Into the alley!”
Sirens from the squad cars blared as Judd, Lionel, and Mr. Stein reached a cross street. A few minutes later they found a row of trash cans and scurried behind them to rest.
“Goldberg must have alerted the GC,” Lionel said.
“So it seems,” Mr. Stein said, “but I thought I was getting through.”
Mr. Stein told them about the conversation. “As the GC came near, Mr. Goldberg put his head in his hands and said, ‘Maybe I have made a mistake.’ It was then that you alerted me.”
“Did he say where Sam is?” Judd said.
“It must be GC headquarters because he said Deputy Commander Woodruff is still questioning him.”
The three caught their breath and hurried back to Yitzhak’s house. Judd wondered if they would ever see Sam again.
The talk with Shelly made Vicki feel better, and she was able to concentrate on her message. When they got on the road later that night, Mark called and gave them information about the next stop.
“It’s Mankato, Minnesota,” Mark said.
Vicki wrote down the directions. Mark gave her the next three groups and their locations as well. “We’re getting more requests. I’m having to tell them no unless there are at least a hundred people.”
“That doesn’t sound fair,” Vicki said.
“If we said yes to every small group, you’d be on the road for a couple of years,” Mark said. “We don’t have that much time.”
Mark gave her an update on the schoolhouse and how everyone was doing. Melinda was still upstairs, but Janie was causing problems. “We caught her the other day trying to open the door to the tunnel that leads away from the house.”
“I wanted to keep that a secret from the unbelievers,” Vicki said. “Does she know what’s down there?”
“I think she was just trying to cause more trouble.”
Vicki relayed the information to Conrad and Shelly. Shelly said, “We’re going to Mankato!?”
“What’s so big about it?” Vicki said.
“I used to read the Little House on the Prairie books when I was small. Mankato was one of the towns nearby.”
Conrad rolled his eyes. Vicki admitted she hadn’t read the books.
As they drove through the night, they tried to keep the driver awake with conversation about books and movies. Their lists had changed when the kids had become believers, but as expected, Conrad liked action and adventure films while Vicki and Shelly liked dramas.
“I like it when guys risk their lives to save people,” Conrad said, “but if it’s supposed to make you cry, leave me out.”
Vicki shook her head. “What if the guy trying to save people gets killed? Aren’t you supposed to cry then?”
“I guess you could feel a little sad,” Conrad said, smiling.
The kids arrived in Mankato in time to eat something and hurry to the meeting place. There were almost two hundred gathered in an abandoned video store. The kids had moved shelves against the wall until there was enough room for everyone.
Vicki took a megaphone from the organizer and looked at the audience. She no longer thought of how high her voice was or what she was wearing. She thought about what she was teaching. This wasn’t just a seminar about Bible knowledge. Anybody could give people facts and figures. Vicki was trying to do the same thing Tsion Ben-Judah was doing with his writing. He was preparing his readers for the future and trying to set their hearts on fire for God.
As she spoke, she had to resist the temptation to just say the words. She couldn’t go on autopilot. This material had to come from her heart.
Toward the end of the evening Vicki passed out small slips of paper Mark had asked the organizer to bring. “I want you to write down the name of a person who doesn’t know God.”
Kids shared pens and pencils and scribbled down names. One boy held up a hand. “Is it OK if we put two down?”
Vicki smiled and nodded. “Now let’s spend two minutes praying for that person whose name you’ve just written down. Thank God for bringing that person into your life. Ask him to open their eyes to the truth. If there are things that person is going through, like a locust sting or family members who have disappeared or have been killed, ask God to use those things to create a hunger in that person’s heart.”
When the two minutes were up, Vicki asked for everyone’s attention. “God is the one who will speak to your friend. From today on, each time you sit down to eat, pull out this slip of paper and pray for two minutes for your friend. Pray for opportunities to show love and kindness. Ask for a chance to speak about God. Then, when your friend becomes a believer, get a new slip and write down another friend’s name. And teach the new believer how to do the same.”
A thin girl raised a hand. “My dad disappeared. My brother and me are alone and we only get one meal a day. Sometimes none. When should we pray?”
Vicki bit her lip. To think of other believers without enough food nearly broke her heart. Before she could answer, a young man in the back stood. “We’ve got more than enough at our place. See me after the meeting and we’ll work out something.”
“Thank you,” Vicki said. “You don’t have to wait until mealtime to pray, of course. You can pray at any point in the day, for as long as you’d like. I just find that if there’s something that can help me remember to pray, it’s easier.”
The next day the group was back. The man who had offered food brought the thin girl and her brother packages of vegetables, bread, and canned food.
When Vicki finished that afternoon, she took questions. Though she had told them about the end of the locusts and what was coming next, the kids wanted to know specifics. What will the horsemen be like? Will they kill any believers? What will Nicolae Carpathia tell the world about this judgment from God?
Vicki answered the questions as best she could and referred them to Tsion Ben-Judah’s Web site as well as the kids’ Web site located at theunderground-online.com.
The thin girl came up to Vicki after the meeting and handed her a piece of fruit. “Thank you for coming. You changed my life.” The girl pulled out the slip of paper from the day before. “I wrote down the name of a friend who doesn’t know God on this side, and I wrote down your name on the other. I’ll pray for you every day.”
Judd and the others prayed each morning about Sam. Though he wanted to storm Global Community headquarters and rescue him, Judd knew that wasn’t the best plan.
“God will sustain him,” Mr. Stein said. “I feel such compassion for him, like he is my own son. But to try and deliver him from that prison would only endanger more believers.”
Judd took a call from Nada. She was upset about her brother. “Kasim and my father argued about his relationship with Kweesa in New Babylon. Kasim wants to call her and tell her the truth, but my father won’t let him.”
“Is he afraid Kweesa might rat him out?” Judd said.
“Exactly. My father says it puts us at too great a risk. Now my problem is that I know Kasim called Kweesa and talked with her.”
“You’re kidding,” Judd said. “What did she say?”
“She didn’t believe it was him for a long time. Then he told her things that only the two of them knew.”
“Did Kasim tell her about God?”
“She let him talk for a long time, but we don’t know how she
responded. We’re praying she’ll believe. Should I tell my parents?”
“If you do, Kasim’s going to hit the roof.”
“I’m sorry?”
“It’s an expression,” Judd said. “He’ll be really upset with you.”
“Yes. But if I keep this from my parents, they will punch the roof.”
Judd laughed.
“It would be much easier if I didn’t have to live in this tiny apartment.” Nada sighed.
“No matter where you go or who you’re with, you’re going to have these kinds of problems. Talk with Kasim. Maybe he’ll tell them himself.”
“Have you thought any more about us? I miss you.”
“I wish we could exercise together again,” Judd said. “Yitzhak is letting Lionel and me help pack and ship materials for unbelievers. I think we ought to stay apart for now and see where things go.”
“All right,” Nada said. “I have to go.”
Judd hung up and wondered if he was doing the right thing. He missed Nada’s friendship and their talks. But if he was kept from doing what God wanted, their relationship had to be put on hold.
Judd thought of his friends in Illinois and wondered about Vicki. They had both come a long way since meeting Bruce Barnes at New Hope Village Church. God had done so much to and through them. What would he do next?
35
THE next few weeks were a blur to Vicki as they traveled west to visit more groups of believers. From Minnesota they drove through South Dakota. Since it was only a few miles out of the way, they stopped at Mount Rushmore to see what was left of the faces carved into stone. The earthquake had ruined the national monument, and the park was closed.
Mark directed them south, through Wyoming and into Colorado. They spent a few days in a small ski town west of Denver, then continued south to Colorado Springs. The mountains were beautiful, but when Conrad pointed out Pikes Peak, Vicki nearly cried. The once towering mountain had crumbled in the great earthquake.
They followed Mark’s directions to an abandoned Christian ministry. The earthquake had destroyed all but the main building.
Conrad led them through a service entrance and up a flight of stairs. Paintings and posters hung from the walls. They found a huge room with scattered metal chairs. A few dozen people sat in the chairs. Someone had rigged a crude public-address system.
When the crowd realized who Vicki was, they clapped. Vicki walked onto the stage and was surprised to find out they were a day early. When news about the meeting spread, people who were living in different parts of the building filed in. The organizer took Vicki aside and explained there would be a few hundred people within minutes.
“How did you guys find this place?” Vicki said.
“Most of the people who are here lived in the area,” the woman said, “but some traveled a great distance. We’d all heard about this ministry through the radio, and when our families disappeared, we thought we might find some answers here.
“We found books and pamphlets that explained about a relationship with God. People came and learned. Sadly, when the earthquake hit, a lot of people in the warehouse and the lower buildings didn’t make it out.”
Vicki was amazed at the people’s organization. In most meetings she had been in, people came from miles around and straggled in. Here, they filed in and took their seats, ready to learn. Between sessions the group was served a meal from the cafeteria.
“This is an even bigger training center than the schoolhouse,” Conrad said. “We should remember this place if we ever leave Illinois.”
The kids worked their way through Utah and reached their farthest destination in the Northwest—Olympia, Washington. It was there that they noticed the locusts were gone.
After a few days, they turned south through Oregon and into California. They made five stops in California, concluding with a stay at the coastal town of Chula Vista, near the old Mexican border. Mark had told Vicki to expect a translator for those who couldn’t speak English.
Conrad pulled into a parking lot near a beach and pointed. In the distance were hundreds of kids gathered by a bonfire.
Vicki shook hands with Rosa, the one who had e-mailed Mark and set up the meeting. “We have many who know both English and Spanish, but I’ll translate for those who can’t understand you.”
The meeting was like nothing Vicki had ever experienced. The smell of the salty air, the sounds of the seagulls squawking overhead, and the crackling fire made the teaching even more special. Vicki watched the glowing faces of the participants as she spoke. Rosa translated. It was difficult to get used to stopping and waiting for someone to say your words in a different language, but soon Vicki got the hang of it.
Many unbelievers just getting over their stings strolled by. Some stopped, curious about the meeting. When Vicki mentioned “God” or “Jesus,” a few walked away. Others lingered. She guessed there were about fifty who stayed.
Vicki felt God wanted her to give these people the message. She spoke through a loudspeaker and asked those on the outskirts of the group to gather closer. Vicki clearly explained the message of God’s love and prayed. When she finished, she saw many had received the mark of the true believer.
Vicki looked at the kids sitting in the sand. “Find a new brother or sister and welcome them to the family.”
The next day the group had grown. Vicki, Shelly, and Conrad decided to postpone the next meeting in Arizona a few days. God was doing something special in California, and they didn’t want to miss any of it.
Judd and Lionel had thrown themselves into whatever work needed to be done. Every day new witnesses arrived in Israel. Mr. Stein helped write new materials to print and deliver, and spent much of the time poring over Tsion Ben-Judah’s Web site.
Though they prayed for Sam, they had heard nothing from him. Mr. Stein held out hope that he would return. “Perhaps God will speak to Sam’s father, and the boy will be released.”
When the locusts vanished, Judd feared the Global Community would increase their efforts to arrest believers. Slowly, airplane flights resumed as more and more people returned to their daily lives.
“We still have a great opportunity to spread the message,” Mr. Stein said. “Many are still suffering from stings they received just before the locusts disappeared.”
“You still want to head back to the States?” Judd asked Lionel.
“I’d go in a second if Sam were here. But I can’t leave him.”
Judd had been in touch with Nada once a week. She hadn’t talked with her parents about Kasim’s call to Kweesa. The apartment was still crowded, but Nada said she had learned to cope.
A few days after the locusts disappeared, Judd called Nada but got no answer. He tried again later in the day, but still no answer. Finally, he told Lionel he was going to check on her after dark. Lionel went with him.
When they reached the building, Judd saw something strange. There were no lights on in Nada’s apartment. Lionel pointed to the stairwell, and Judd saw a strip of yellow tape covering the door. “Looks like a GC crime scene. They could be waiting up there.”
Judd closed his eyes and leaned against the lobby door. The tape meant one thing. Nada and the others in the apartment had been arrested. “Go to the other side of the street and wait.”
“Judd, you can’t—”
“Just do it,” Judd said, gritting his teeth.
Lionel backed away and found a safe spot across the street. Judd pushed the doorbell and ran. He and Lionel crouched behind a railing and watched. Minutes later a GC squad car pulled up and two officers got out. They checked the front door and walked to the back. When they returned, an officer radioed a message to headquarters.
“A neighbor heard the buzzer and called us,” the man said. “Nobody’s here.”
When the squad car left, Judd and Lionel scampered out of their hiding place and rushed to Yitzhak’s home. Judd didn’t look at Lionel.
“Come on,” Lionel said, “you don’t know that the
GC got them.”
“I feel it,” Judd said. “They must have traced Kasim’s call to Kweesa. Nada should have told her parents.”
Judd and Lionel explained what they had seen to Mr. Stein and the others. Mr. Stein put his head in his hands and prayed.
“I have feared this type of thing would happen to us,” Yitzhak said. “The GC is offering rewards to those who turn in rebels.”
Someone knocked at the door. Yitzhak put a finger to his lips and turned off the lights. He ruffled his hair, put on a bathrobe, and opened the door. “I’m sorry it took so long for me . . .” Suddenly, Yitzhak threw his arms around the person at the door and pulled him into the darkened room. Judd stood.
“We must have a celebration,” Yitzhak shouted. “Our wayward lamb has come home.”
Lionel turned on the lights, and Judd couldn’t believe his eyes. It was Sam Goldberg.
Vicki took a call from Mark as they drove into Arizona. She told him about the success of the Chula Vista meeting.
Mark’s voice quavered. “I’m afraid I have some bad news.”
Vicki immediately thought of Judd and Lionel. Had something gone wrong?
“We got an e-mail from Tsion this morning about Chloe Williams. Buck’s still not back from Israel and she’s about to give birth any day. I know how close you two were.”
“Yeah,” Vicki said, stunned.
“Tsion says there may be something wrong with the baby too. Tsion asks us all to pray.”
“I will.” Vicki remembered when Chloe had first shared the news of her pregnancy. Everyone was excited, and Vicki had wanted to be nearby so she could baby-sit. That clearly was impossible now. Vicki longed to talk with Chloe and ask her questions.
Mark told her about the schoolhouse and how many of the new people had become believers. Some had left as soon as the effects of the stings were over, but most had stayed.
“What about Janie and Melinda?”
“Melinda is back to normal. She helps Lenore a lot with Tolan. Janie’s another story. She won’t do anything. She says she still has pain and can’t help.”
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