The Calling

by Deborah A Hodge

  “Sarah, your daddy has to go home. He has many things to do,” Mrs. Garcia said.

  “That’s true,” Cate agreed.

  David sheepishly said goodbye to Mrs. Garcia and dismissed himself.

  After dinner, Cate helped Mrs. Garcia with the dishes while Sarah helped Mr. Garcia feed his collection of animals. Mrs. Garcia took the opportunity to offer Cate her condolences. “Miss Cate, I am very sorry about your troubles. I do not believe that Miss Janet is behaving as God would like.”

  Cate leaned against the sink, running a dish towel through her hands, “Mrs. Garcia, I am sure that Miss Janet thinks she is doing what God would have her to do. She believes I’m unfit to teach at the mission school.”

  “Mi querida, I do not believe that you are unfit. God has made you fit. I know that you are a godly woman.” Mrs. Garcia spoke with conviction.

  “God has forgiven me of my sin, including any that had to do with my divorce. But, that doesn’t matter to some people. They see divorce as anathema,” Cate explained.

  “Ana-anna-anth-”

  Cate smiled, “Anathema, it means a terrible sin, an unforgivable sin.”

  Mrs. Garcia shook her head, “I am so sorry chica bonita.”

  Cate smiled at the “beautiful girl” reference, “I’m sorry too.”

  “But, God forgives all sin,” Mrs. Garcia reminded her.

  “That’s true, but some people don’t,” Cate said, with great sadness.

  Mrs. Garcia glanced upward, “Everyone should be like God.”

  “That would indeed be wonderful,” Cate replied, “but I fear that won’t occur this side of heaven.”

  “I am glad you are here with me,” Mrs. Garcia hugged Cate, “I will take care of you as if you were my own daughter.”

  “Thank you,” Cate hugged back.

  Once they had finished the dishes, Cate and Mrs. Garcia relaxed in the back yard, and watched Mr. Garcia, as he allowed Sarah to play with the animals. As the sun went down, they enjoyed a spectacular sunset and later, a beautiful star-studded, moonlit night.

  When Sarah fell asleep sitting in her lap, Cate carried her into the house, and tucked her in. Cate turned out the light, but she didn’t go to bed; instead she stared at the mountains in the distance. She found herself meditating on Psalm 46 and praying that God would be her present help in this time of trouble. “Please Father work in this situation however you see fit. Help me know if I made a mistake in understanding Your guidance when I came here. Please help me know what to do. I’ll do anything you want.” She prayed fervently with tears for two hours before falling asleep.

  Twenty Five

  She awoke the next morning with a verse of Scripture on her mind. Psalm 57:2: “I will cry to God Most High, Who performs on my behalf and rewards me, Who brings to pass His purposes for me and surely completes them.” It was confirmation to her soul that God had answered her prayers and was indeed working out His will for her life. For the first time she felt a sense of peace, and found herself silently praising the Lord for His love, grace and goodness.

  She had been reading her Bible and praying for about thirty minutes before Sarah woke up. Cate watched as she began to stir, I couldn’t love her anymore if she were my very own. She prayed that whatever God had in store for her that it might somehow include Sarah. She wanted very much to continue to be a part of Sarah’s life.

  As Sarah opened her eyes, Cate welcomed her to the day. “Good morning sleepy head.”

  “Good morning.”

  “I guess we better rise and shine so we can get ready for church,” Cate sat down on the bed beside her.

  “Yeah, I like church.”

  “I know, and I’m very glad that you do.”

  “Ever since He came to live in my heart, I like to hear about Jesus and to sing songs about Him,” Sarah said.

  “I’m glad you asked Him to come to live in your heart.”

  “He’ll live in my heart all my life, and someday I’ll go to heaven to live,” Sarah said, with child-like simplicity.

  “You’re exactly right.”

  “You know what else.”

  “What else?”

  “I’ll see Mommy again someday.”

  Cate paused, “You sure will, Baby Girl,” and hugged her.

  Sarah looked up, “Cate, I miss Mommy.”

  “I know.”

  “Do you think she misses me?”

  Sarah’s question tugged at Cate’s heart, “Of course.”

  “Do you think Mommy’s sad when she misses me?” Sarah continued, with a child’s inquisitiveness.

  “No one’s sad in heaven; so if she misses you, Jesus reminds her that she’ll see you again one day and that makes her happy.”

  “I’m glad Jesus is taking care of mommy, and that you help take care of me.”

  “I’m glad too,” Cate looked toward the window and blinked her eyes.

  Mrs. Garcia’s knock on the door ended their conversation. “Good morning Miss Cate, breakfast is almost ready. You and Sarah must get up now if you are to eat breakfast before church.”

  “We’re up. We’ll be in shortly.”

  Cate and Sarah dressed quickly and went to breakfast. Before they finished eating, David arrived and shared breakfast with them. With David’s arrival, there was an added dimension to the conversation. Mr. Garcia and David talked about Mr. Garcia’s animals, his work at the school and his participation at church while Mrs. Garcia, Cate and Sarah ate and listened. Mrs. Garcia and Cate smiled as they observed the two men’s mutual respect and admiration for each other.

  When the service was over, people milled around and visited. Cate tried to avoid Miss Janet’s glare. It had begun as a glare of disapproval, and morphed into a glare of condemnation, but more recently, it had mutated into one of bitter resentment.

  The pastor was still greeting people. As Cate, David and Sarah approached, he reached out his hand and greeted them warmly. Each one including Sarah told him how much they enjoyed the sermon. He thanked them sincerely and wished them a blessed day.

  During the drive home Cate was silent. She was absorbed in her predicament. She couldn’t help but hold herself responsible for what was happening. After all, her sin of rebellion had opened the door for the unwise marriage which resulted in the divorce that seemed to be the source of all of her present problems. Therefore, I’m at least partially responsible for Miss Janet’s attitude. She also found herself wishing that she could talk to her dad.

  Once again, Mr. Garcia insisted that David join them for lunch. The fact that Cate was preoccupied during the meal did not escape Mrs. Garcia’s attention, nor did the fact that David watched Cate throughout the meal.

  After lunch, Mrs. Gracia suggested that David and Cate enjoy the beautiful day by taking a walk. Much to her surprise Cate agreed without a protest.

  They left Sarah and Mrs. Garcia washing dishes and Mr. Garcia in the backyard with his animals. Cate and David walked down the street toward the path that went down to the stream that had its source in the mountains. At first, they walked silently, Cate still absorbed with her thoughts, and David not quite sure what to say.

  After a few minutes of walking, he decided to speak. “Cate, I know this situation is hurtful to you. I want you to know that I’ll do whatever I can to help you. I wish that there was a way that I could make things better.”

  “Well, there is one thing.”

  “Name it.”

  Cate stopped walking and turned to face David, “Could I possibly use your phone to call my dad?”

  “Sure, would you like to do it now?”

  “Yes, if you don’t mind.”

  “Not at all,” they picked up their pace and headed toward his house.

  When they arrived, Cate went to the phone and made her call. Wanting to give her privacy, David went to the backyard.

  “Hello,” Cate heard her dad answer the phone.

  “Daddy,” she said, a depressed tone in her voice.

  “Cati
e what’s wrong?”

  “Oh, Daddy, almost everything,”

  “What can I do to help?”

  “I need to tell you about what’s happened. I need your advice.”

  “Okay,” her dad replied.

  Cate gave a detailed account of what had happened, Miss Janet’s attitude, the meeting with Dr. Patterson, Miss Janet’s call to Matthew’s father and Cate moving in with the Garcias. She told him about the verse in Psalm 57 that the Lord had awakened her with and how she felt it was a confirmation that He would work out His will in her life. “Daddy, she won’t listen. It’s like she’s got it in for me and there’s nothing I can do to change that.”

  “I’m sorry Catie,” her father’s voice was tinged with deep love and empathy.

  “Daddy, what do I do? This woman wants to drive me out of Ecuador.”

  “Cate, what I am going to say may seem like preacher talk, but honey, it’s daddy talk. What you need to do is trust God. From what you’re telling me, you’ve done all you know how to do. You’ve prayed, searched God’s word, talked to Miss Janet, and sought her forgiveness for your perceived sin. Honey, you’ve done everything you should do. Now you must trust God to honor your obedience and faith.”

  “Daddy, this is the most difficult situation that I’ve had to deal with since Justin. This woman, who was my friend, now hates me and says I’m unfit to serve God.”

  “Honey, if she hates you, she’s wrong and she’s the one who needs forgiveness.”

  “I know. I have forgiven her, and I’ve been praying she’d realize that her attitude is wrong.”

  “Catie, you are fit to serve God. God’s forgiveness and grace is not just for most sins. It covers all sins. I know what kind of relationship you have with the Lord, and I know He has, can, and will use you.”

  “Daddy, I don’t know what Matthew’s dad is going to do about Miss Janet’s accusations.” Desperation tinged her voice, “I may have to leave Ecuador.”

  “If you do have to leave, you can still trust God. Even though this woman may be successful in her machinations, God is still in control. Trust Him no matter what.

  Remember too, if you have to leave, your mother and I will be waiting for you.”

  “How’s mom?”

  “She’s doing very well. She has two more treatments, and recently the treatments haven’t made her so sick. We’re very hopeful that there will be no signs of cancer when it comes time for the CT-scan.”

  “Can I say hello to her?”

  “Sure, honey,” he called for his wife to come to the phone.

  “Hello, Cate.”

  “Hi Mom, how are you?”

  “I’m okay honey. How are you?”

  “Not so good Mom. Dad will fill you in.”

  “Cate, what can I do?”

  “Pray for me. I need lots of prayer. Please pray for David and Matthew too.”

  “Honey, you sound so upset.”

  “It’s okay, Mom. Well-not really, but I’ll be okay as long as I know that you and Dad are praying for me.”

  “Mom, since I’m on David’s phone, I better say goodbye. I love you.”

  “I love you too,” her mom said.

  “Mom, can I speak to dad one more time?”

  “Sure, honey.”

  “Yes, Catie,”

  “Daddy, can we pray together right now over the phone? Mom too?”

  “My thoughts exactly,” he took his wife’s hand and began praying for his daughter.

  During the prayer, Cate’s mother realized how difficult a time Cate was having in Ecuador. Once Dr. Jones had concluded his prayer, Mrs. Jones took the phone once more, “Cate I love you. I’ll be praying for you.”

  “Thanks mom. I love you too,” Cate swallowed hard, wiping away tears.

  They exchanged one more goodbye, and hung up the phone. Cate was sobbing. Talking to her parents had helped, but it caused her to miss them. She cried for a little longer as she continued to pray.

  Because the windows were open to take advantage of the February breezes, David had overheard Cate’s conversation. It broke his heart to hear her recount everything to her father and it pained him to hear her talking about the hurt she was experiencing because of the situation. But, the thing that really wrenched his heart was hearing her say that she might have to leave Ecuador. He had known that was a possibility, but he hadn’t allowed himself to think about it because he didn’t want her to leave. He found himself hoping and praying that Miss Janet would leave so Cate wouldn’t have to, but he knew that Miss Janet’s leaving would not completely solve the problem. Cate’s fate was in Dr. Kennedy’s hands. Helplessly, he sat outside, listened to her sob, wished that things were different, and prayed that God would comfort her.

  Ten minutes later, she stopped crying, and went to David. “I’m sorry I took so long.”

  “That’s fine. I wanted you to take as long as you needed.”

  “I appreciate you allowing me to use your phone to call my parents. It really helped.”

  “I’m glad, are you ready to return to the Garcias now?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  As they were about to leave, they heard a knock at the front door. It was Matthew and Kim.

  “We thought we might find you here,” Matthew said, as David opened the door.

  “Cate, wanted to call her parents.”

  “I thought she might,” Matthew said.

  “We missed you both at church this morning,” Kim told David.

  “We were there,” David responded. “We just sat in the back and stayed out of Miss Janet’s line of sight. I figured Cate had taken enough glares and verbal shots from her.”

  “I don’t blame you for that,” Kim said. “After the meeting yesterday and especially when Cate didn’t come back to the house last night, she ranted and raved about what had happened and the special treatment that Cate seemed to be getting. When we got home from church today and she discovered that Cate’s things were missing, she crowed with triumph, thinking that maybe she had gotten rid of her.”

  David shook his head, “I would never have believed that Miss Janet could be like this.”

  “Neither would I,” Matthew agreed.

  “It’s as if Miss Janet hates her now. She has no kind word for her.” Kim turned to Cate, “I’m glad you found another place to stay. Frankly, I wish I could move too.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was that bad for you,” Matthew said.

  “It’s not like it was for Cate. She’s okay with me. I just can’t stand her attitude toward Cate.” Kim sighed, “I don’t like being around anyone with an attitude like that.”

  “Have you tried talking to her?” David asked, grasping at straws.

  “Sure, but I got absolutely nowhere. I’m telling you her attitude is etched in stone. I can assure you; she is not going to change her mind.”

  “That doesn’t bode well for Cate,” David said.

  “No it doesn’t,” Kim agreed.

  “Matt, have you talked to your father?” David hoped he could offer Cate a glimmer of hope.

  “No, I haven’t. I tried to call him several times yesterday, but got no answer. To tell you the truth, I’m rather surprised that he hasn’t called me.”

  “Yeah, I’m surprised too. I heard Miss Janet on the phone when she called him. She put things in the most terrible light possible,” Kim said.

  As they walked out, Matthew could see how down Cate was and tried to cheer her up.

  “Hey, beautiful, how you doing?” Matthew walked over and kissed her on the cheek.

  “Okay,” Cate tried to sound convincing.

  “Hang in there Cate. This too shall pass,” Kim advised her.

  “I sure hope so.”

  “Cate, no matter how this thing works out, remember God’s in control, and we are in your corner,” David said.

  Cate gave a halfhearted smile, “I’ll remember, but all three of you are on Miss Janet’s bad list because of me. Maybe it would be best
if the three of you aren’t seen with me until this thing has been settled.”

  “Not gonna happen,” David said.

  “Exactly,” Matthew put his arm around her shoulder.

  “Sorry, Cate, you’re stuck with us. We aren’t going anywhere,” Kim stated, with firm resolution.

  David and Matthew took Cate back to the Garcias, picked up Sarah and offered the Garcias a ride to church.

  Home alone, Cate was free to pray aloud and unburden her heart to the Lord. She played her father’s words over in her mind, and begged God to help her learn whatever it was that she was suppose to learn from the situation. She asked fervently that He would help her to trust Him to work out His will and help her to be completely submissive, even if it meant leaving Ecuador.

  Twenty Six

  Today was National Community Day, a national holiday of sorts, so she needed to be there early. It wasn’t a normal school day; it was a day of celebration and festivities, during which the students at the mission school would perform a musical program. After it was over, everyone would go home and celebrate with their families and neighbors.

  When she arrived, she discovered it would definitely not be a day of celebration and festivities, not for me. Matthew’s parents had arrived the night before and his father wanted to settle the matter concerning Cate in an expeditious manner. He had decided to take advantage of National Community Day. This would give him the opportunity to meet with Matthew, Miss Janet and Cate without pulling them away from their normal duties.

  When Matthew informed him that Cate was in charge of the music program of the kindergarten through third grade, Dr. Kennedy asked him to put another teacher in charge so that they could go ahead with their meeting. Matthew met Cate shortly after she arrived to inform her of what was about to take place. “Cate my parents arrived last night.”

  “Oh,” Cate never imagined the Kennedys would arrive this quickly. “Have you spoken with your father about the situation?”

  “I tried, but he wanted to wait until everyone was present.

  Cate rolled her eyes, “I’m sure that he’s heard Miss Janet’s side.”