“Wow, that’s so pretty!” Gracie squealed, pointing toward the window at the sunset glowing over the ocean. The other girls oohed and aahed in agreement.
“This room is as big as my house,” Hope said. “We could play basketball in here!”
“But we probably shouldn’t,” Glory said with a laugh.
“Seriously, it’s the size of our whole church!”
Glory shook her head. “It’s not that big!”
“Hey, Glory, tell us about the church we’re going to tomorrow. What’s it like?” Gracie asked.
Glory shrugged and laid her sleeping bag down on the floor next to the couch. “It’s small. The pastor is really funny. Last time I was here, he was talking about his dog.”
“What kind of dog?” Honor asked.
“A Chihuahua that doesn’t like anybody.”
The girls laughed.
“Why was he talking about his dog?” Hope sat down and started tossing her basketball-shaped pillow up and down.
“Because it always got out and barked at the neighbors,” Glory said.
“Did that have something to do with the sermon?” Honor asked.
“I don’t know—I guess. I don’t remember anything except for him talking about Waffles.”
“Waffles?” Gracie laughed. “Is that the dog? What a name! No wonder that dog didn’t like people.”
“The pastor should get another dog and call him Syrup,” Hope joked.
“What about a big bulldog named Bacon?” Honor said.
“And a little white poodle named Egg,” Faith chimed in.
Glory laughed and raised her hand as if she was in class. “Oh, oh, and then another called Hot!”
“Hot?” Hope asked.
“Yeah,” Glory said. “You know—as in Hot Dog?”
“Yeah, but we were going for a breakfast theme,” Faith explained.
“Oh, I get it! So maybe a dog named Milk or Orange Juice?”
They all howled with laughter. Glory felt happy. She loved making her friends laugh.
• • •
With all their sleeping bags rolled out in the living room, Glory sat behind Honor and gave her friend a French braid, while Faith watched to learn Glory’s technique. Gracie and Hope were putting together a puzzle of puppies playing.
“Ashley and I braided our hair like this at the beach last summer,” Glory said.
“Who’s Ashley?” Gracie asked.
“A friend who went to church with us, but she moved away—before school started,” Glory said.
“I guess I was still living in Pennsylvania then,” Gracie said. “Last summer seems so long ago.”
“I’m glad you moved here,” Glory said.
“Me too. Our group wouldn’t even exist without you, Gracie!” Hope said.
Glory noticed how the compliment made Gracie smile.
Glory’s mom stood in the doorway wearing her robe. “Time for bed, girls!”
“Do we have to go to sleep now, Mom?”
“Well, you have church in the morning, so don’t stay up too late,” she said. “Okay, Glory?”
“Yes, Mom.”
Once her mom said good night, Glory whispered to her friends. “Good thing my dad’s not here. He would have made us go to bed. They used to argue about bedtime. And about everything else.”
Nobody said anything, so Glory said, “Sorry for making things a bit . . . awkwaaaard.”
Making the girls laugh broke the tension.
“I’ll never be able to sleep,” Honor said, looking out the windows at the beautiful ocean view. “I’m too excited.”
“We should tell stories,” Hope said.
“Scary stories?” Gracie asked. “I don’t like those.”
“No, way better than that,” Glory said. “We can take turns telling a true story where each of us is the star!”
“Yeah, a true adventure story!” Hope said.
“Oh, that’s easy for me,” Gracie said, sitting up in her sleeping bag. “I had a big adventure when my family moved.”
“Ooh, I want to hear that one,” Faith said.
Glory nodded and agreed. “Yeah, tell us that one!”
FACING NEW CHANGES
Gracie’s Doubt
I have hope when I think of this: The Lord’s love never ends. His mercies never stop. They are new every morning. Lord, your loyalty is great.
—Lamentations 3:21–23
Philip Thomas! Open this door! Now!”
Gracie’s dad was upstairs trying to get her younger brother to unlock his bedroom door while Gracie’s mom brushed her daughter’s hair. It was nearly time to leave for church, but PT refused to go. And now Dad was using his full name, which meant trouble.
“If you don’t open this door in five seconds, there will be no video games for the rest of the summer! One. Two. Three—”
Gracie heard the door swing open.
“Why do we have to go to church?” PT asked.
“Because I said so,” her dad said. “Now march.”
Gracie’s mom finished her hair, and they went out to the minivan to wait. Dad wasn’t angry often, but moving had been hard for all of them.
Gracie couldn’t remember the last time they’d all gone to church. That’s probably why PT didn’t want to go. Why did they need to go now when they never went to church back in Pennsylvania?
Gracie wondered, but she knew better than to ask. At least not now.
Gracie followed her parents into the small church with PT moping behind. The building looked like the kind she saw in movies—white, with lots of windows and a tall steeple. In the entryway, groups of people stood talking. They all seemed to look at her family as they walked in.
The dress Gracie was wearing felt a bit too small, but Mom had said it looked fine. She tugged at the collar and wished she could just wait in the car until church was over.
• • •
A smiling older couple walked over to welcome them.
Gracie turned to shoot her brother an encouraging smile—but stopped short. Oh no, she thought.
PT’s dress shirt was buttoned up wrong. Half of his shirt was untucked, too, and he’d forgotten his belt. This somehow made Gracie feel even more self-conscious.
As the grown-ups talked, Gracie saw three girls standing next to a table where donuts and coffee were being served. They were laughing and talking. None of them saw her yet.
She turned and looked at PT, hoping for at least somebody to talk to. But her brother had already found a friend his age. By the donuts, of course.
Now she really wanted to slither away. It would be hard enough to try to fit into a new school soon. Now she had to fit in at church too?
“Hi, I’m Honor.” One of the girls from the donut table was reaching out to shake Gracie’s hand, just like a grown-up. “Is this your first time here?”
Gracie nodded as a pair of identical twin boys ran past them and nearly knocked her over.
“Don’t mind them,” Honor said with a smile. “The Abston twins are always rowdy like that. But they’re nice enough. Come on—let me introduce you to everybody.”
Gracie had just met the other two donut-table girls—Glory and Faith—when the music started. All the kids stood to sing songs about God and Jesus. The words to the songs were on a large screen, so even though she’d never heard them before, she kept up pretty well and even sang along. She liked the music. It made her feel good inside. She didn’t want it to end.
• • •
When the music stopped, the students separated into groups based on their ages. Honor, Glory, and Faith were all Gracie’s age, so they invited her to walk with them. They showed her a small classroom with chairs circling a large table.
“This is where we learn our Bible lesson,” Honor said.
She actually sounds excited, Gracie thought.
The girls Gracie sat with made her feel welcome. Glory complimented Gracie’s shoes, which made her feel better about her too-tight dress.
“And I like your bright-blue boots, Glory.”
“Thanks! My mom surprised me with them. See how they match the flower on my sweater?”
The teacher started to talk, so Gracie had to be quiet. Faith sat beside her, drawing pictures in her notebook while listening to the Bible story.
It turned out Honor wasn’t just friendly; she was also really smart. Whenever the Sunday school teacher, Mrs. Schamberger, asked a question, Honor raised her hand. That told Gracie that Honor knew a lot about the Bible. All three of the girls were so nice. Maybe this church thing would be all right after all.
But halfway through the class, Gracie started to worry. Mrs. Schamberger was talking about the Israelites and how they were wandering in the wilderness. Who were the Israelites, and why were they in the wilderness? Gracie wondered. Were they lost? I feel like I’m lost right now.
Then the teacher handed out markers so they could draw and write on the papers she handed out. Oh, no, Gracie thought, a quiz! What if I fail? Gracie felt nervous and not very smart.
She never used to feel this way back home. Gracie missed her old house and her friends. She missed no-church Sundays when she rode her bike down the street. Gracie was so distracted that she didn’t see one of the Abston twins toss an open marker to his twin brother. It landed right on Gracie’s arm, making a big red mark on her too-short dress. The Abston twins laughed.
“Sorry,” they said in unison.
Gracie froze.
“Here, wear my sweater,” Glory said. “It’ll cover that mark right up. And look how it matches your dress perfectly!”
Faith smiled and nodded.
“Perfect,” Honor said.
Gracie felt better right away.
When it was time to go home, the teacher asked Honor to pray and close out the class.
“Dear God,” Honor said. “Thank You for this class. Thank You especially for Gracie. Thank You that she’s coming to our church. Please help us have a great week. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
As they all said their good-byes and left the room to find their parents, Mrs. Schamberger asked Gracie to stay and talk for a minute.
“What do you think about Sunday school?” Mrs. Schamberger asked.
“It’s fine.”
Of course, Gracie didn’t really feel this way, and Mrs. Schamberger knew it. After talking a few minutes, Gracie told her the truth.
“I just—I don’t know what to say. I feel so dumb. I don’t know a lot about the Bible.”
“That’s okay.” Mrs. Schamberger smiled. “I’m no expert either.”
“I thought we’d be talking about Jesus,” Gracie said. “Not the wandering Israelites.”
“The Israelites are part of the story of Jesus,” the Sunday school teacher said. “I can’t wait to show you how it’s all connected.”
Gracie nodded, looking down. “It’s just—I like Glory and Faith and Honor—they’re really nice. I just feel kinda weird.”
“I moved when I was your age, Gracie. It’s hard to be the new kid, right?”
“Yes.”
“I have an idea,” Mrs. Schamberger said. “Kids meet here Wednesday evenings with small groups to talk more about the Bible. I think you’d really like it if you came.”
Another meeting at the church? Gracie shrugged.
“Just think about it, will you?”
Gracie promised she would.
That night Gracie thought about Sunday school and about what her teacher said about the small groups. I guess I should see if we even have a Bible for me to read, she thought.
Gracie asked her mom if they had a Bible in the house. It took a few minutes for them to find it. Gracie took it to her room and found the book of the Bible called Lamentations. They had been talking about it in Sunday school.
The cool thing about Lamentations, Mrs. Schamberger had said, is that it’s a collection of songs written to God about how sad and lonely the people of Israel felt when they had to move away from their homeland. This stuck with Gracie. Not just because she had moved recently but also because she loved to sing.
• • •
As she looked through the chapters, the middle of a verse caught her eye. The man who wrote it said he suffered because of God’s anger. He must’ve done something really bad, Gracie thought. But just when the man was feeling hopeless, suddenly he learned the truth.
In Lamentations 3:21–23, Gracie read, But I have hope when I think of this: The Lord’s love never ends. His mercies never stop. They are new every morning.
Gracie fell asleep thinking of that.
Every day God loves me.
When Gracie woke up, she read a little more from Lamentations. It didn’t take long to find another encouraging verse. In verse twenty-five in the same chapter, Gracie read, The Lord is good to those who put their hope in him. He is good to those who look to him for help.
Gracie lay in her bed thinking about the week ahead. She would be visiting her new school for the first time and meeting her new teacher. What if she didn’t like her teacher? What if the classes were too difficult? What if the kids in her class were mean?
The Lord will be good if you put your hope in Him.
She had to remember that. So Gracie wrote a short and simple note to herself:
He is good. Be hopeful! Just ask for help.
Gracie prayed she would be strong and would find friends. Not just friends for Sundays but friends she would see through the week as well.
For a moment, as Gracie got dressed, she couldn’t help being jealous of PT. He was planning on having his newfound friend from church over today. Her mood changed when her mom came in with a smile and handed Gracie the phone.
“It’s your new friend,” she said.
Gracie was surprised to hear Honor on the other line.
“Good morning, Gracie! Mrs. Schamberger gave me your number,” Honor said.
“Do you want to come over today? Our cat just had a bunch of kittens. They’re adorable!”
“That sounds great,” Gracie said. “I love kittens.”
“Good!” Honor said. “Glory and Faith are coming too. See you soon!”
Gracie’s mom took the phone to talk to Honor’s mom.
Gracie looked at the note she’d written again. She had asked for help, and God had listened.
Dear God, thank You that Your love for us never ends. Thank You that every morning I wake up knowing You still love me. I’m going to put my hope in You. Thanks for hearing our prayers and even answering them! Amen.
Talk About It
1.Have you ever moved or had to join a new school or church? What was it like?
2.How do you act when a new student joins your class?
3.Do you ever struggle to read the Bible or to understand parts of it?
4.Does God always hear your prayers? Even when they aren’t answered?
DEALING WITH THE UNEXPECTED THINGS IN LIFE
Glory’s Pain
After the earthquake, there was a fire. But the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a quiet, gentle voice.
—1 Kings 19:12
Glory’s bed was piled high with shirts, sweaters, jeans, dresses, skirts, and jackets. Choosing the perfect outfit for the first day of school was a lot of work. Glory plopped onto her favorite chair. She’d narrowed her options down to three. But there was a problem.
The outfit she really wanted to wear was perfect except for one thing—she needed boots to go with it. Brown ankle boots, just like the ones her favorite singer wore in her new video.
Normally, Mom helped out with things like this, but she was nowhere to be found. Glory discovered her mom in the kitchen making dinner and asked her about the boots.
“We’ve already bought you enough new clothes to fill your closet,” Mom said.
“But I don’t have boots that match what I want to wear. All my boots are too dressy. Or too old.”
Mom shook her head, appearing to be in no mood to argue. Glory was det
ermined.
“But you promised I could pick out what I wanted to wear!”
“I said you could pick out your outfit, not pick out something new to buy,” Mom said.
“But all the boots I have—” Glory started to say.
“But, but, but! If I hear you say that word again, I’ll pick out your outfit myself. You need to be grateful. You’re fortunate to have so many things to choose from. Not all girls are so blessed.”
Glory froze, shocked by her mom’s reaction. Mom never snaps like that. Glory needed to drop the subject and talk about something else.
“Dinner smells good, Mom. Should I set the table?”
“Sure, thanks. It’ll just be you and me.”
That wasn’t unusual. Glory’s older sisters were rarely home for dinner, and it seemed like her dad was out of town on business more often than not. As she got out the plates, Glory knew something was bothering Mom, and it didn’t have anything to do with boots. What could it be?
• • •
Glory was putting away the last of her clothes when she heard her dad call her name. That’s weird. She thought he was still traveling for work.
“Come on down,” he called from the base of the stairs. “Your mother and I want to talk to you.”
Glory closed her closet door. She looked at the family photo in a silver frame on her dresser. All of them were smiling and happy—her two older sisters on one side, and Mom and Dad on the other with Glory in the middle. She suddenly felt nervous. Was she in trouble? Was her mom still mad about the boots?
When she walked into the kitchen, Glory saw Mom wipe away a tear.
“Mom? Are you okay?”
Tommy Nelson's Brave Girls Confidential Page 2
