by Doug Draper
“Hello! May I help you?” asked a man behind Ben.
Startled, Ben quickly turned to face the man who stood at the entrance of the chapel. Concerned that he had broken church rules, Ben stowed the hymnal in the rack and then walked briskly toward the man.
“I’m sorry about wandering around,” Ben said. “I came for the Thanksgiving dinner, but I’m a little early and didn’t know where to go, so I waited in here.”
“That’s fine, this is the house of the Lord and open to all,” the man said, initiating a firm handshake. “I’m Pastor Jonathan and glad you came. I apologize if we’ve already met and I’ve forgotten your name.”
“We haven’t,” Ben said. “I’m Ben Baker, a student at SUSC and work with Cindy Carson at the hardware store on Main Street. She invited me here.”
“Of course, Ben, I’ve been expecting you. Cindy told me that you’re very hardworking, polite, and know everything about tools.”
Ben laughed. “Not really. I learned a lot about tools from my dad, but I’ve found out that he gave me some bad information along the way. But thanks anyway for the compliment.”
“And I bet your mother taught you to be polite.”
“Yes, sir. She told me many times that it’s an essential character trait of a successful person.”
“She’s a wise woman,” the pastor said before turning toward the door when an older man and woman entered. He greeted them, pointed at the hall to the left of the chapel, and told the couple “follow the smell of turkey to the social center.”
Returning his focus to Ben, the pastor smiled and said, “We should go that way ourselves.” Ben walked next to the pastor as they headed down the hall.
“Did your parents teach you about the Bible as well?” the pastor asked, causing Ben to hesitate as he worried that a Mormon wouldn’t be allowed to attend the dinner. He didn’t know if Cindy understood that he attended the LDS Church because they had never discussed religion at work. He decided to avoid mentioning his LDS Church membership.
“They tried and so did my Sunday school teachers, but I didn’t pay much attention, so I know more about tools than the Bible.”
With a laugh the pastor said, “You’re not alone, even though the Bible is the perfect tool chest to use when you need to fix life’s problems.”
Ben smiled and answered a few questions about school—his major, favorite class, and other interests—before they reached a room filled with folding tables, which included some covered with trays of food and others with empty plates and utensils.
“As you can see, we’re almost ready to eat,” the pastor said. “We’re only waiting for a couple more servers to show up.”
Preferring to work instead of mingling with strangers, Ben said, “I’d be glad to help serve. My mother taught me that if you don’t work, you don’t eat.”
“All right, we usually don’t put first-time visitors to work,” the pastor said, “but I’ll accept your generous offer. Perhaps you’d like to work next to my daughter.”
Without waiting for a reply, Pastor Jonathan waved at a group of men and women chatting in front of an open door to an adjacent room. He asked, “Is my daughter still in the kitchen? I have a recruit who needs instructions for working in the chow line.”
One of the women shouted through the doorway, “Chef Cindy, time to get out of the kitchen. The boss needs your help.”
Not expecting the “chef” to be Cindy Carson, Ben was surprised when she came through the crowded doorway. As she approached him, Ben smiled and hoped he could work next to her instead of only admiring her from a distance.
“Ben, thanks for coming!” she said, before glancing at Pastor Jonathan. “I’m sorry that my dad put you to work already. He usually gives visitors a month before presenting opportunities to serve.”
“Oh no, don’t give me any credit for recruiting this hard worker,” the pastor said. “Ben volunteered. Please show him what to do while I greet our other guests.”
Shaking hands with Ben again, the pastor promised to chat with him later and then moved on to talk to a stream of new arrivals. Cindy gently touched Ben’s arm and said, “Thanks again for showing up. I wasn’t sure if you really planned to come, but I’m glad you did and are willing to help me.”
“Thank you for the invitation,” Ben said, delivering the line he had rehearsed for this moment, and then improvised. “I’m impressed that you’re the chef for such a large dinner.”
Pointing at the woman who had called her “chef,” Cindy said, “Don’t believe what Sheila says. She was only joking. My mother is the chef and I’m merely her assistant.”
Cindy assigned Ben to adding scoops of green bean casserole and herbed corn to the guests’ plates, depending on their preferences, as they passed through the line. When serving began, he stood next to Cindy who dished out mashed potatoes and gravy. At the head of the line, Cindy’s mother, Amy, handled the key job—distribution of the turkey slices. Other servers helped with cranberry sauce, rolls, salads and desserts.
As the guests went through the line, Ben learned that most of them belonged to the church, with only a few visitors included. The church members welcomed Ben and added comments such as “Hope to see you on Sunday.” One guest pointed at Cindy and Ben and voiced her observation, “You two make such a cute couple.”
“I hope Pastor Jonathan agrees with me and lets you date his daughter,” the woman said while gesturing for Ben to add green bean casserole to her plate. “He has run off other young men that weren’t suitable, so you’d better be on your best behavior.”
“Thank you, Clara, for embarrassing me in front of my new friend who hasn’t even asked me out on a date yet,” Cindy said with a laugh. “Please move along before you scare away our visitor.”
After the woman had reached the end of the serving line, Ben whispered to Cindy, “You didn’t warn me that you’re a celebrity here and that your father is in charge.”
“Yeah, I wanted to keep my identity secret, but now I’ll have to admit that I’m a pastor’s kid. I didn’t tell you because people have strange ideas about us and I was hoping that you’d get to know the real me first.”
“I’ve only met one pastor’s kid and one pastor—and both seem very nice to me.”
“Thanks! If you haven’t met a pastor before, does that mean you’ve never attended church?”
Ben regretted his error in guiding the conversation into church participation and reluctantly answered Cindy’s question. “I have in the past, but lately I’ve been using Sunday mornings to go for long runs or hikes. When I went to church, the leader was called ‘bishop.’ That’s why your father is the first pastor I’ve met.”
“Bishop? Does that mean you’re Catholic or Mormon?”
“I’m a Mormon,” Ben said, wondering if that admission would lead Cindy’s father to run him off for not being “suitable.” Hungry, Ben hoped that he would at least get to eat first.
CHAPTER 45
Instead of being sent away, Amy Carson, Cindy’s mother, insisted that Ben go through the food line as the first server to be fed. He followed his father’s advice to always load up his plate when the food is free and enjoyed a robust Thanksgiving dinner with Cindy seated next to him. The meal lasted for two hours, which normally would have been far too long for Ben, but he never looked at his watch or thought about leaving the noisy social center.
He learned that Cindy had lived most of her life near Dayton, Ohio, with her parents leading a small church there and raising three children—Cindy and two younger brothers, Daniel and Matthew. Two years earlier, her father moved the family to Cedar City to take his current role. The move came shortly after Cindy’s high school graduation, so she enrolled at SUSC to begin her work toward a bachelor’s degree in secondary education. To Ben’s disappointment, Cindy didn’t know the explorer Kit Carson and whether they were related.
From Ben, Cindy received a firsthand description of scenic places to visit in Southern Utah. By probing, she p
icked up details about his academic plans, hometown, and family. He explained that he rarely traveled home due to a tight budget, saying, “I’m on my own when it comes to school. My parents can’t help.” He didn’t get near any of the family problems that truly kept him away from Alma.
After most of the guests had left, Ben looked around and wondered if he should go before he wore out his welcome as a “first-time visitor,” but he wanted to spend more time with Cindy. He noticed a young couple starting to gather plates and utensils from the tables and asked Cindy, “Should we help them clean up?”
“I should, but you’ve already done too much,” Cindy said. “You should go and enjoy the rest of your day off.”
“I’d enjoy helping you and there’s plenty of work to go around.”
Cindy said “Thanks” and they took the lead in washing and drying the dishes. Within an hour, they had cleaned and put away all the dishes. Cindy sent Ben out of the kitchen with a new assignment. “Mom and I will finish in here. Please see if my dad is ready to put the tables away.”
While wiping crumbs and punch off one of the tables, the pastor noticed Ben approaching him and said, “It looks like the ladies finally let you out of the kitchen. Are you getting ready to take off?”
“No, Cindy asked me to help you put away the tables.”
Despite the pastor’s objections, Ben stayed to help fold and store the tables in a large closet. They completed the project within ten minutes. Seeing no other work yet to be done, Ben decided to go before being politely pushed out the door. He said, “Unless there’s anything else I can help with, I’ll be heading back to campus now.”
“Thanks for your help and for spending your holiday with us,” the pastor said. “You exceeded the lofty expectations that Cindy set for you.”
“You’re welcome and thanks for dinner. It was delicious. I’ll have to run an extra five miles before work tomorrow morning to burn off the calories.”
“Will we see you on Sunday? Our service begins at ten-thirty, plus we have Sunday school at nine. I teach one of the classes—it’s for newcomers and might be something you’d find interesting.”
“I’ll think about it. I’m usually about ten miles into my long run at that time.”
“Give yourself a break and only run eight miles. Then you’ll be able to join us. We’re casual, so you can even show up in your running clothes.”
Ben repeated his promise to think about it and then headed for the exit after a quick goodbye. The pastor walked with him and said, “Before you go, let me tell Cindy that you’re leaving. I’m sure she’ll want to say thanks for coming and helping.”
“No, she’s busy,” Ben said as he kept walking, not wanting to give the impression that he was dating the man’s daughter or even considering it. “I’ll see her at work tomorrow. Please tell her goodbye for me.”
The pastor nodded and watched Ben leave. Despite having enjoyed the dinner, Ben still liked getting outside. Walking briskly in the chilly fall air was refreshing. With Main Street deserted and the campus empty, he found it easy to go deep into his thoughts. He reviewed the long afternoon in the church and the pastor’s invitation to return. He wanted to go on Sunday to be near Cindy. At the same time, he worried that she might only be recruiting him to be a new member of her father’s church and had no interest in them becoming a “cute couple.”
CHAPTER 46
Fearful of rejection, Ben avoided Cindy the next morning, but she caught him in the paint department while taking her lunch break. “Hey, Ben, you left the church yesterday without giving me a chance to say goodbye and thanks for all you did for us,” Cindy said. “My parents appreciated your help and enjoyed meeting you.”
While transferring paint cans from boxes to the store shelf, Ben smiled and said, “I liked your parents. You’re lucky to have such a good family.”
“We’re not good all the time, but I know that I’m blessed to have a wonderful mom and dad and brothers that aren’t too annoying.”
“I appreciated the invitation. That was my best Thanksgiving ever.”
“Oh, that can’t be possible. But I’ll accept the compliment on behalf of the church and invite you to come back this Sunday. My dad would like you to attend his Sunday school class at nine. Will you be able to make it?”
Ben took one look at Cindy’s beautiful brown eyes and warm smile and made a snap decision. “OK, I’ll cut my morning run short and be there. Where do I go for the class?”
“Meet my dad inside the main entrance and he’ll show you where it’s at. I help teach a class for young kids, so I might not see you until we break for the worship service. That’s at ten-thirty. If you’d like, we could sit together.”
Ben agreed, hoping he didn’t appear to be too eager. On Sunday, he again showed up fifteen minutes early. Only a few cars were in the parking lot, but he went inside the church and found the lights and heat on. As he waited for the pastor, church members began to arrive and greeted Ben when coming through the entrance. Most of them stopped to ask him if he was new and needed help. He declined, letting them know that the pastor planned to meet him there.
The pastor soon arrived, giving Ben a firm handshake and pat on the shoulder. “Ben, I’m pleased to see you,” he said.
“Good morning, Pastor Carson, it’s good to see you too.”
“Please call me Pastor Jonathan. Nobody here uses my last name.”
Ben nodded his understanding and followed the pastor down the hallway to a small classroom with eight chairs set up in a circle. “You’re such an early bird that you beat me to the door,” the pastor said. “I hope you didn’t wait long.”
“Only a few minutes. I’d rather be early than late.”
“Me too, but I’m usually running behind schedule because someone has grabbed me for a quick chat, so I have to be flexible.”
When they entered a classroom, the pastor added, “And as you can see, we have plenty of room for other class members, but it might just be the two of us today due to holiday travels. Instead of waiting, let’s get started.”
Pastor Jonathan prayed for wisdom and guidance for their discussion and then asked, “Do you believe in God?”
Ben stammered in trying to deliver an honest answer that wouldn’t insult this man who had devoted his life to God. “I grew up going to church and talking about God as if he is real, but I don’t know if I believe in him. I like the ideas that God represents and do my best to live a good life. On the other hand, I’ve never seen God and can’t say for sure that he exists.”
“That’s a great answer,” the pastor said. “It’s honest and shows that you have a questioning mind, which is essential for you as a scientist. I haven’t seen God either, but I’ve experienced him in my daily life, especially in times when I turned to him for help that I couldn’t get elsewhere. Have you ever had one of those moments?”
Ben paused before responding because the question triggered a sudden, vivid memory that he had never shared with anyone. He studied Pastor Jonathan who patiently waited for a response. Ben wondered if he could trust this man he barely knew. Something had connected with Ben when getting ready to jump off the cliff in the Wasatch Mountains six years earlier, but he didn’t know if God had touched him or if he had made up something in his head to explain his abrupt change of mind. The pastor didn’t let him evade the question by asking a new one or launching into a sermon. He quietly waited, and Ben finally gave in to his patience.
“Something strange happened to me when I ran away from a Boy Scout camp in the mountains,” Ben said. “I don’t know where the thoughts came from that entered my mind that day, but the message was clear and kept me from making a terrible mistake.”
Ben divulged the story of leaving the camp, disabling the motorcycles, and leading Derek and Luke to a frigid, snowy mountaintop. He talked about the harsh weather and the deep despair that led him to the edge of the cliff. Finally, he described the force that drove him back from death and gave him hope that things
in his life would get better.
After Ben finished his story, Pastor Jonathan shook his head and said, “Ben, if that experience doesn’t make you want to find out if God is real, then what would it take to get your attention? I believe God spoke to you that day through the power of the Holy Spirit. It’s the same power that led me to invite you to this class today. I’ve strongly received the impression that God still wants to reach you.”
“I don’t know if that’s true,” Ben said. “What happened to me on the mountain might have been nothing more than a hallucination caused by nearly freezing to death.”
“I understand that your science background has given you a desire for proof,” the pastor said. “But have you ever researched the existence of God or are you relying on other people’s views about God?”
“I grew up going to church every week and sat through hundreds of Sunday school lessons,” Ben said. “I’d call that research and it didn’t do much for me.”
“Did you do more than merely hear the words of your teachers? Did you analyze their comments and study the message further to see if it was true?”
Ben felt compelled to be honest. “No, I had other things on my mind.”
“Let’s conduct an experiment to see what would happen if you truly studied this issue. Would you be willing to do that with me?”
“I don’t know. I’m pretty busy.”
“How much time do you expect to spend studying for your toughest biology class this quarter?”
“That’s hard to say,” Ben said and paused to calculate the time spent on reading the textbook and studying for quizzes and exams. “Probably more than a hundred hours, plus I’m writing a paper due at the end of the quarter.”
“Then, here’s the experiment,” the pastor said, picking up a notebook from the chair next to him. He began writing on a page.
