Frantic (34 page)

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 for 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.

“Before I sleep,” Mr. Stein said, “how is our young Israeli friend, Sam?”

Judd showed him Sam's note.

Mr. Stein closed his eyes and prayed, “Father, I ask you to protect our friend and keep him from harm. Make him a bold messenger of your gospel.”

While Mr. Stein slept, Judd contacted Nada. They had agreed to call each other once a day and meet face-to-face once a week. She was excited about Mr. Stein's return but concerned for Sam. “We're not that far from his house. I could go there and give you a report.”

“No,” Judd said. “Sam asked that we not follow him. I'm hoping he'll be back soon.”

“I want to see you,” Nada said.

“Me too,” Judd said, “but you know what we agreed to. I want to show your mom and dad that we can stick to this.”

As Vicki prepared for the trip, she felt sure this was something God wanted them to do. She knew they couldn't travel and teach without God's help. There were many obstacles to overcome. The three would only have phone contact with their friends for a long time. They would need to camp at night, which Vicki didn't care for. And the traveling looked grueling.

Conrad returned with the van the next day, and Vicki went out with the others to meet him. To her surprise, four other people got out of the van.

Conrad shrugged. “I don't know how they heard about the schoolhouse, but they did. They wouldn't let me leave without them.”

Darrion took the four inside and found places for them to sleep. All had been stung by the locusts and were weak. Charlie carried blankets and pillows to their rooms, while Lenore fixed a light meal for those who were hungry.

Vicki turned to Conrad. “This is really working. Everybody's pitching in.”

Conrad nodded. “The more people we get, the more hands on deck we'll need. Maybe Judd and Lionel will come back soon.”

Vicki leaned against the minivan. “Maybe they'll stay over there.”

Conrad smiled. “They'll be back.”

Mark joined them and helped get the van ready. “We've almost maxed out our living space.”

“You can use my bunk,” Conrad said.

“What if these people scream at night like Janie?” Mark said.

“God won't give us more than we can handle,” Vicki said.

Pete arrived the next morning with fresh supplies and two more people who had been stung by the locusts. “Zeke said they were good candidates for the schoolhouse.”

Mark rolled his eyes and went back upstairs.

Pete was heading east to move food to a warehouse that would supply believers in New England. He handed Vicki an envelope that contained several thousand Nicks.