“Will you pray for me?” Tabby asked.
Grace saw Tabitha close her eyes, and she knew Daddy was praying for her over the phone. It was one of their things. Ever since Mom had been gone, he often told them to call him whenever they needed that, and if they were facing some kind of crisis, challenge, or were having a difficult day, he would pray for them, and Grace knew how valuable that often was.
She pulled into the DMV parking lot and found an open space as Tabitha spoke once again.
“Thanks, Daddy. Grace is here. Do you want to talk to her?--Okay. I love you too. Have fun.”
Tabby passed the phone to her, and Grace said hello. He didn’t keep her long but he said he’d made it fine and was on his way from the airport to the hotel.
“I hope you have a nice time, Dad. Relax. You deserve it.”
“I’ll try and do that,” he said. “I have a good feeling about being here. I think God has some good things in store.”
“Will you call tonight?”
“Yes. Probably around eight your time.”
“Okay, bye. Have fun.”
“I will. I love you, Gracie.”
“I love you too, Dad.”
Chapter Three
Of all the benefits of coming to ministry conferences, Andrew always enjoyed the social aspect of them the most. He was often inspired by the main speakers in the evenings and gained practical ideas from the workshops and seminars, but what he found most valuable was talking with other pastors who understood what he was going through and exchanging thoughts, ideas, and frustrations. He loved both giving and receiving that kind of support, and he was more than happy to be arriving just in time for dinner.
He checked into the hotel first and walked the two blocks to the church rather than taking the rental car. He had been apprehensive about coming here without Annika, but the familiar surroundings and memories of their times here together brought him comfort and a sense of wholeness. Losing Annika had been very difficult, but he was thankful for all the years he’d had with her. They’d had a great life together, and she had always been by his side in ministry: loving him, supporting him, praying for him, and being his best friend. It was hard without her, but the memories were sweet and good and always seemed to come when he most needed them.
He registered at the front table and was given meal tickets with his assigned table-number on them. The ones for tonight and tomorrow were the same, and then they changed on Wednesday and Thursday. He knew from past years pastors and their wives were always seated together and then assigned to tables with other couples and pastors who were here alone. He wondered if anyone would be here he knew, and he supposed so. He’d be surprised if there weren’t at least a few pastors and couples he recognized, but he was open to meeting new people too. That was one of his greatest joys in life.
The dining room was about half-filled when he stepped through the door, and he took a moment to scan the room and search for familiar faces before looking for his assigned seat. He recognized some old-timers, especially one man who had seemed ancient to him when he’d been much younger. He had been about fifty then and was now likely in his seventies. Andrew had turned forty-nine this year and supposed he looked ancient to the younger pastors scattered around the room, but he was glad to see the youthful faces. The Church needed their energy and new ideas. He currently had two of them on his staff. James was twenty-seven and had been the youth pastor for the last three years, and Joel was thirty-two and had come on-board two years ago as their pastor of worship. Andrew loved them both immensely and wanted to help them reach their full potential in ministry. Connecting with some associate pastors here and asking how he could best serve his younger staff-members was one of his goals for this week.
“Andy Morgan? Is that you?”
Andrew saw a familiar face standing beside the table he was looking for. He gave George a strong handshake.
“Good to see you, George,” he said. “It’s been a long time.”
“Yes it has. Where you been? Is Annika with you?”
“No, she’s not. She passed away.”
George’s wife interrupted, not having heard the news. “Andrew! Great to see you. How are you?”
George answered for him. “Annika passed away.”
“Oh no,” she gasped, clutching her collar bone. “When?”
“Five years,” he said. “Car accident.”
Linda’s eyes teared up. She and Annika hadn’t gotten to know each other well. He and George had the stronger connection, so he knew her sadness was more for him. “I’m so sorry,” she said. “So that’s why you haven’t been here, not because George ran you off?”
He laughed. “Yes. It’s good to see you both, really. And I think I’m seated at your table tonight.”
“Come and sit,” Linda said, finding his place-card on the table and moving it to the space beside George and shuffling the others around. He sat down with them, and they were the only ones at the table for a few minutes. He told them more about the accident and the last five years. They were excited to hear how well the church was doing, and George wanted to know his secret.
“Honestly, I think it’s just God moving into the community and bringing them our way for whatever crazy reason.”
“Maybe because you needed it?”
“Yes, I think that has something to do with it.”
Another couple came to join them, a young couple, and Andrew introduced himself and greeted them warmly. Colton and his wife, Rachel, were expecting a child. Knowing he could have more time with George later, he turned his focus on them and learned they were from Sioux City.
“I was born in Sioux City,” he said. “Raised just outside of town. What church are you at there?”
Colton told him, and Andrew learned he was the youth pastor there. His senior pastor and his wife came to sit with them a moment later, and Andrew connected with them easily also. He knew God had some specific reasons for him being here, and he didn’t overlook God’s ability to put some of those reasons right at his table on the first night.
***
Grace was sitting in a chair at the DMV, waiting for Tabitha to return from her test, when she heard someone say her name.
“Gracie?”
She looked up and saw a face she hadn’t seen in a long time. “Daniel?”
He smiled and she rose from her chair to give him a hug. Daniel had been her first boyfriend. They dated for a few months during their senior year of high school after her family moved here mid-year. Daniel had enlisted in the Navy after graduation, and she hadn’t seen him since. She hadn’t fallen in love with him, but he had been a good friend.
“Are you living here now?” she asked.
“Yes. My wife and I just bought a house.”
“That’s great. So you’re out of the Navy?”
“I got out last year, was living in Monterey and met Hannah, and we got married this summer. We started looking for a house up here and just moved in a couple of weeks ago.”
“It’s great to see you,” she said. “Have you found a church yet?”
He laughed. “Not yet. Is your dad still at Sunrise?”
“Yes. Nine years now. Are your parents still in Sacramento?”
“No, they moved again. To Arizona a couple years back. How’s your family?”
“Good,” she said. “Did you hear about my mom?”
“Yes. I’m sorry. How long has she been gone?”
“Five years.”
“Are you married?”
“No, not yet. Drew got married last year, but the rest of us are still single. Tabitha is seventeen. I brought her here to get her license today.”
“Tabby is seventeen? That makes me feel old. She was like six the last time I saw her.”
“I know. It’s hard to believe we graduated almost ten years ago. I suppose we’ll be having a reunion next summer.”
“That will be a kick,” he said. “I haven’t seen anybody since graduation. Have you?”
“A few here and there since I’ve been back. Some of us stayed local, but I wasn’t here long enough to get to know anyone that well.”
“Except me.”
“That’s true,” she laughed, seeing Tabitha coming through the door with a big smile on her face. “Come to the church this Sunday. It’s a little different since you were there last.”
“We’ll do that,” he said, letting her go meet Tabby. “Nice seeing you, Grace.”
Grace stepped over to hear Tabitha say what she expected.
“I passed!”
She gave her a hug and congratulated her. “Good job. Time to smile for the camera.”
While Grace waited for Tabitha to finish up with the process, she retook her seat and thought about her fond memories with Daniel. He was a really nice guy, and letting him go when he enlisted in the Navy had been difficult, but she hadn’t felt strongly enough about their relationship to try and hold on. She knew she had made the right decision, then and now, and it was good to see him happy.
She’d had a few men in her life since then. Three in college who were nice but not exactly what she was looking for. In the years that followed it had been difficult for her to date. She’d had too many responsibilities between her job and her family, and even grieving for her mother made it hard to open herself up to anyone she didn’t feel could relate to what she was going through.
The friends she made in college were too far away, and when she moved back home, she didn’t know anyone well. Abbie had been her best friend during the last five years, but she often held her at a distance too. It seemed like everyone she had ever been close to was lost in one way or another: her high school friends she’d to leave halfway through her senior year when her family moved to California, Daniel when she graduated, her college friends when she finished school, and most of all, her mom. She was close to her family now out of sheer necessity, but if she had a choice about forming a close relationship with anyone else, she didn’t. She couldn’t take any more good-byes.
***
Annika had some joyful tears in her eyes as she saw Tabitha smile for the camera. Her driver’s license photo wouldn’t do her justice. Tabitha had a beauty you couldn’t capture on film, although her senior photos had turned out nice.
“She’s growing up, Joshua,” Annika said.
“Yes, she is. And she’s going to be fine,” He assured her. “Andrew’s doing everything I’ve told him to do with her, and she’s listening to him and to Me.”
The picture of life on Earth disappeared, and Annika walked beside Joshua out of the large building in downtown New Jerusalem. She didn’t have anywhere she needed to be until later, and she asked Him if they could go for a walk through the New Earth Gardens, the southwestern corner anyway. It would take weeks to walk through the entire thing.
“I’d like that,” Joshua said. “You’ve been busy this month.”
She laughed. “I know! What’s with all these new people I’m meeting? None of us can figure out what You’re doing.”
“You’ll know soon,” He said. “You’ve met just about everyone now.”
“Tommy thinks James and Grace are finally going to get together. Is he right?”
Joshua just smiled. Annika didn’t know what Erika had done to get a secret out of Him. She hadn’t figured out the trick yet.
“What do you think of Levi?” Joshua asked.
Annika smiled. She had first seen Levi three months ago at his Arrival. At the time she had no idea why she’d been invited, and then she hadn’t seen him again until a couple of weeks ago when she was scheduled to meet him on Jasper Island. They had enjoyed a mid-day symphony performance at the concert hall and then had dinner on the rooftop terrace overlooking the breathtaking view of New Jerusalem from the island, a sight she never got used to. Generally, appointments scheduled by Joshua on Jasper Island were of great significance, making her all the more curious about who exactly Levi was.
He had been in his early fifties when he died, and he left behind a wife named Sarah and two children who were close to the same ages as Drew and Danae. They didn’t think their children could have known each other because they had never lived in the same cities or gone to the same colleges. Since Levi was close to Andrew’s age, she wondered if they had known each other at some point during their lives, but Levi didn’t recognize the name. They had all lived in Iowa but at different times.
“I like him,” she told Joshua. “He’s very intrigued by Paradise. It’s not what he was expecting.”
Joshua laughed. “Yes, I know.”
“Should I even bother asking why you wanted me to meet him?”
“I’ll give you a hint,” He said, plucking a bright red apple from one of the trees and handing it to her.
“A hint? Really? I haven’t heard that before.”
Joshua smiled. “Tomorrow you’ll be getting an invitation to the Great Window for a specific time. Levi will too. I think you’ll figure it out.”
***
Sarah felt overwhelmed by everyone’s concern and support. After meeting Linda and George outside, she had barely gotten in the door when some others who had heard about Levi came to express their sympathy. Levi had been very loved here among the friends they made over the years, and even though she hadn’t formed especially close relationships with only seeing them once a year, she realized many of them had equated knowing Levi well with knowing her too. If they loved Levi, they loved her, and their words and genuine concern did a world of good for her lonely and grieving heart.
George and Linda had gone ahead of her into the dining room while she was talking with another couple, and then several others had stopped her as well. By the time she got in there and walked toward where Linda was sitting, the room was nearly full, and she was the last one to arrive at the table. Taking the empty chair beside Linda, she glanced at the others but didn’t recognize anyone, for which she was grateful. She was ready to talk about something besides life without Levi. Not talking at all and just listening to everyone else would be even better. Levi had been the social one, not her.
Linda introduced her to everyone without saying she had lost her husband three months ago. Sarah’s eyes naturally fell on the other two women at the table, and she exchanged pleasant smiles and a quick hello with both of them. The young pregnant woman was very beautiful, and her husband was equally striking. She loved seeing young couples in ministry together, and it seemed to be on the rise in recent years. A welcome and necessary ingredient in the Church today, in her opinion.
After their bread had been served, Linda made a special point to introduce her to the man sitting beside George. Sarah thought he looked familiar, but his name didn’t stand out to her.
“This is a good friend of ours who hasn’t been here for a few years,” Linda said. “Andrew Morgan from California.”
“California?” she said. “We don’t get many pastors from the West Coast here.”
“Andrew is from Iowa originally,” Linda answered for him. “He has family here.”
“Oh, that explains it,” she said. “Your parents?”
“My wife’s. My parents used to be here too, but they gave in and moved to California to be closer to their grandkids.”
“How many children do you have?”
“Five.”
“What ages?”
“Twenty-seven to seventeen. Three girls and two boys.”
“And they’re all in California with you?”
“Yes. One is married, two are in college, and the other two are still at home.”
Andrew reminded her of Levi in several ways. They sort of looked alike with those gentle blue eyes and thinning but wavy light brown hair, and they had the same build. With Andrew sitting, she couldn’t tell how tall he was, but he appeared to be about the same height as George. It wasn’t Levi, but she didn’t stop herself from imagining it was her beloved husband sitting there on the other side of George and talking with him like Levi would be doing if he
was here.
Dinner was relaxing, and everyone at the table communicated freely with the special connection of being in ministry together, even if they weren’t all at the same church or from the same area of the country. People everywhere needed God’s message of love, she heard Andrew say. He really did sound a lot like Levi, and some of his mannerisms were the same. If Linda and George hadn’t said they knew him from a few years back, she would have wondered if he was an angel God had sent on a mission to sit at her table tonight and let her know this is where she needed to be.
“Are you going to stay for the meeting tonight?” Linda asked her while they were eating dessert. Sarah had told her earlier she might just have dinner and go to bed early, but now she felt like staying.
“Yes, I think I will,” she said. “You were right. I need to be here.”
Chapter Four
Andrew was curious about Sarah. She was a beautiful woman who appeared to be in her forties. Her features were different than Annika’s: brown hair instead of light blonde, brown eyes rather than blue, fair skin but not as fair as his wife’s Scandinavian tones; But there was a gentleness about her that reminded him of Annika. She seemed happy to be here, and yet there was something missing: her husband.
Andrew had been to conferences for anyone in ministry, not just pastors and their wives, but this wasn’t one of them. And he knew there were women pastors, but he doubted that was the case. His best guess was she was widowed and had attended here in the past with her husband, but she looked too young to be widowed, and she was still wearing a ring. Of course he was too, and he had been too young at forty-four to become a widower, so perhaps her husband had died tragically or he had been a lot older.
During dinner he talked with George and Linda and the other couples at his table. But it was difficult to talk to Sarah because George and Linda were between them, and if he said something to Sarah, all three of them heard it. Linda often interrupted to answer for Sarah, George, and even himself.
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