“What did you think?” Caleb asked on the walk back to his truck.
Amanda pursed her lips as she thought. “The message was good, but I think the church is a little too big for me. I felt a little lost.” She had, in fact, felt like a tiny fish in a gigantic pond, and while everyone had seemed very nice, she couldn’t imagine calling the place her home.
“Right? Me too,” he agreed as he opened the passenger door for her. “I even had a hard time concentrating because it felt more like a concert than a church service at some points.”
Amanda smiled up at him as she climbed in her seat and he walked around to the driver’s side door. She hadn’t been sure Caleb had even been paying attention, but it seemed that he was on the same wavelength she was. “We can try a different one next week,” she said as she strapped her seatbelt. “I’ll do a little research online for a smaller one. I also want to find one that lists their statement of faith, because not all churches believe the same things, unfortunately, and I couldn’t find one at that church.”
“Oh yeah, that’s definitely important.” He started the engine and backed out of the parking space. “What uh is your statement of faith? I’m just curious if mine matches yours.”
“Well, I believe that Jesus is the son of God, sent to Earth to die for our sins. I believe he is the only path to salvation, and that we must have a relationship with him. I also believe in the trinity and the pre-tribulation rapture.”
“I’m sorry, I agree with everything else you said, but what’s the pre-tribulation rapture?” Caleb glanced at her before returning his attention to the road.
“Well the rapture is when Christ will return and call all the believers back to Heaven. My family and I believe that will happen before the tribulation, but some people believe it will happen midway through the tribulation. That is called mid-tribulation. Then there’s post tribulation, the belief that we won’t be taken until the end of the tribulation. I just can’t imagine that God would leave us to suffer through all seven years. I prefer to believe he will take us up to Heaven before the worst hits.”
“I definitely like your stance better,” he agreed. “I uh have some things to do this afternoon, but I’d love to hear more about the rapture tomorrow. I’m not sure my old church ever taught on it.”
“Of course, I’d be happy to discuss it with you whenever.” Amanda smiled at the interest Caleb was showing. There had been a few signs that made her wonder if he were a believer, but it appeared maybe he was and just hadn’t attended a church that taught as much as hers did.
They pulled into the dorm parking lot and Caleb placed a quick kiss on her lips before Amanda waved goodbye and headed into the dorm.
“How was it?” Jade asked as she entered the room. She was awake, but she hadn’t dressed; she was still laying in the bed sporting a cut off shirt and a pair of shorts.
“It was okay.” Amanda returned her Bible to the nightstand and sat on the bed, folding her legs beneath her. “The message was nice, but the church was too big for my liking.”
“How did Caleb like it?” Jade asked.
Amanda tilted her head at the question. Why did Jade care if Caleb liked church? “I think he felt the same, but he agreed to try another church with me next week.” Amanda stood and crossed to the closet to change out of her dress and into more comfortable clothes.
“Hmm, he didn’t seem the church-going type,” she said.
“What do you mean?” Amanda asked turning on Jade. “You barely even met him.”
“It was just a feeling.” Jade held her hands up in defense. “You know him better, so I’m sure I’m wrong.”
Amanda bit her lip as she returned to the bed. She wanted to tell Jade she was wrong, but she wondered as she replayed the morning in her mind. Caleb had seemed less engaged and his lack of knowledge about the rapture was interesting. Maybe he had never gone to church, but if that was the case, why would he say that he had?
Chapter 8
The fair was already busy when Amanda arrived the next morning. Dozens of colorful booths filled the street, and a crowd of people milled back and forth. Students for Life blazoned boldly in black on a white banner above a small booth. Jared and a group of others stood either in front of or behind the white folding informational table littered with pamphlets.
“Hey, glad you could make it,” Sarah said, “have you ever done this before?”
Amanda shook her head, a little in shock at the sheer size of this fair. She had spoken with people when they had come in JD’s center, but she had never been on the front lines, reaching out to those who may not want to hear what she had to say.
Sarah’s eyes widened and her eyebrow shot up. “Well, I hope you have thick skin. It isn’t always pretty.”
A feeling of fear mounted in Amanda’s stomach, and she swallowed. Lord, give me the strength and the words. Sarah handed her a stack of pamphlets with pictures of dismembered babies from abortions. Amanda’s stomach flipped and the contents of breakfast threatened to make a second appearance. With great effort, she swallowed the disgust that erupted in her throat.
“Yeah, it hits all of us like that the first few times.” Sarah touched her arm and then took up a position to Amanda’s left. Jared came out from behind the booth, and after flashing an encouraging smile, he flanked Amanda’s right side. As they were both taller than Amanda, a feeling of protection settled on her from their flanking.
“Help support life,” Jared said, holding out a pamphlet to a blond girl passing by.
“Get lost.”
Jared shook his head and turned to the next passerby. Amanda held out the pamphlet, trying to catch people’s attention, but fear had constricted her voice to a whisper.
“What makes you think you have a right to tell me what to do with my body?”
“What you do with your body is your own business,” –Jared’s serious tone caught Amanda’s attention, and she turned to see a blond girl who looked vaguely familiar, although she couldn’t place her face, staring off with him– “but an abortion dismembers someone else’s body.”
“It’s not alive,” the girl shot back.
A courage descended on Amanda, and she jumped into the conversation. “Actually, he or she is. At just six weeks that baby has a distinguishable heartbeat. He or she has distinct chromosomes and DNA that is only half yours. The other half belong to the father which is why men should have a say too.”
“Every child should be a wanted child,” the girl replied, venom dripping from her voice.
“Every child is wanted.” Amanda returned the girl’s even stare, and the boldness cycling through her blood grew. “You may not want the baby at the time, but there are millions of couples waiting to adopt. They want that baby.”
Amanda gestured to the surrounding crowd. “Americans will have garage sales to try to make money off unwanted junk, but instead of giving the most precious gift of a baby to a loving couple who desperately wants one, we choose to cut the living baby to pieces and throw it out with the trash.”
The girl stared. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. Amanda stared back, not knowing exactly what was happening, but feeling power flow through her body. The surrounding noises stopped, and for a moment so did everyone around them. They seemed to fade into a hazy fog until it was just the girl and Amanda.
“Open your eyes and see.” The voice that came out of Amanda’s mouth didn’t even sound like her own. An unseen electric current flickered between their eyes. Slowly, the girl’s hand rose in the air and took the pamphlet. At the touch, the noise resumed, and the girl walked away.
With wide eyes, Jared turned to Amanda. “What was that?” he whispered.
“I have no idea.” Amanda shook her head, her eyes mirroring the confusion in his. The power, whatever it had been, was gone.
Jared watched Amanda closely the rest of the fair. She had seemed so unsure of herself at the beginning, but after her confrontation with the blond, a new boldness shone from her fac
e. He wondered what she had felt in that moment. Though he had heard nothing, the air had appeared to grow cold when the two girls locked eyes, and then slowly the blond had accepted the pamphlet and walked away.
“So, how was it?” Jared asked Amanda as they packed up.
She bit her lip as she thought about her answer. “It was harder than I thought it would be. Some of them are so angry. I feel like I need to add all of them to a weekly prayer list, but I don’t even know their names.”
Jared nodded. “That part never gets easier, and I know exactly what you mean. Thankfully, God seems to know who we are talking about if we just pray for them in general. We have to remember that his plan is bigger than our plan.”
“Thank goodness for that,” Amanda said with a smile.
Jared inhaled deeply as he pondered his next words. “Would you uh like to go get coffee with me?”
Indecision flickered in Amanda’s green eyes. “Uh, I would like to, but I feel the need to tell you that I’m dating someone or at least I think we’re dating. It’s pretty new.”
Disappointment filled Jared’s heart. He should have known she would be dating someone. “Oh, I understand. Well, are you still planning to come to the office on Tuesday to help out?”
“Of course,” she said. “I wouldn’t miss it.”
Amanda’s heart was troubled as she watched Jared’s face fall. He had been so nice and he was attractive, so why hadn’t she just said yes? The truth was she found Caleb more exciting. Jared was predictable and reliable while Caleb was… well, she wasn’t sure what Caleb was yet other than unexpected. She had never thought she would fall for the fraternity type, but the way he looked at her sent her heart pounding in her chest, and she didn’t get that feeling from Jared. Still, she didn’t like hurting him, and there was some connection she felt with him.
After saying her goodbyes to the rest of the group, Amanda headed back to her dorm and thought back on the experience with the blond. Though the power hadn’t returned after the experience with the girl, the feeling had lingered. That had been God speaking, Amanda was sure of it. But why that girl and no one else? Who was she and why had it been so important?
An intense pressure mounted in Amanda’s heart, and the need to get on her knees and pray overcame her. She fell to the ground near a large oak tree, and the words tumbled softly out of her mouth. She prayed for Jade and for the unknown girl. She prayed for a revival. She prayed for herself, her family, and for Jared and Caleb. Names and faces jumped into her mind one after the other and Amanda prayed for them all. When she had finished, she was tired, but she managed to make it the rest of the way to her dorm room before exhaustion overtook her completely. Amanda crawled onto the bed and closed her eyes.
Chapter 9
When Tuesday morning arrived, Amanda rose from bed with an extra spring in her step. Today was the day she would be doing her first volunteer shift at Students for Life. Jared had warned her it might be boring, but Amanda was just glad to be getting connected.
She glanced over at Jade who was still sleeping, her dark hair splayed across her pillow case like spilled ink. Though still guarded, Jade had asked her about the Bible yesterday and they’d had a semblance of a conversation until she clammed up again. Amanda knew more questions resided there, but reaching Jade was like chipping away at a brick wall with a toothpick.
Inviting her to church would have been the perfect option back in Mesquite, but Amanda hadn’t found a church home in Lubbock yet. She didn’t want to take Jade to a place she wasn’t comfortable at because for some reason, Amanda had the feeling she might only have one shot with Jade. She mouthed another silent prayer for the sleeping girl before she left for class.
Time seemed to drag as Amanda sat through each class. She continually checked her watch, tapping the face to make sure it was still working. Each class felt like three hours instead of one, and by the time the last class ended, she felt like she had been sitting for twelve hours instead of only four.
As she gathered her books, she stretched her sore back and checked the watch one more time. It was nearly one and she had told Jared she’d be there at one-thirty, so she had just enough time to grab a quick snack on her way.
Amanda stopped to zip up her light jacket as she stepped outside. Though still warm, the wind was fiercer today and carried a slight chill. The red, orange, and yellow leaves flew off the trees and danced in the air before lazily floating down to the ground. Her auburn hair lifted off her neck and followed a similar pattern.
A touch football game caught her eye as she crossed the quad. The guys were covered in dirt, but the sound of their voices belayed their enjoyment. The roar of a lawn mower started nearby, creating a cacophonous noise, and she was glad when Holden Hall loomed before her.
The heavy doors blocked most of the outside noise as they closed behind her, and the air inside the building was still and quiet. Quickening her pace, Amanda hurried to room 145.
Jared looked up as she entered, a welcoming smile on his face. “Hey, good to see you, Amanda.”
Relief flooded Amanda that Jared didn’t appear uncomfortable around her. She had worried it might be awkward after she turned down his coffee date request, but Jared appeared to have either forgotten it or gotten over it. “Thanks. I’m glad to be here, but I’m a little nervous.”
“Don’t be,” he said. “First of all, I’ll stay with you today, but you seem a natural. Also, we don’t get a lot of calls, so it might be really boring.”
“Doing God’s work is never boring,” she said with a smile. Amanda glanced around the small room, wondering where she should place her things. A small well-worn tan couch and coffee table sat against the back wall. A battered shelf filled with pamphlets butted against one wall and a few folding chairs leaned against the opposite one.
“Just drop your bag back there and pull up a chair,” Jared said, seeming to read her mind. She followed his finger to the back of the small room and set her bag on the squat brown coffee table before grabbing a chair and returning to join him at the front desk.
“So, when a call comes in,” he explained, “first we assess where they are. If they are agitated or seem adamant about an abortion, we take their number and transfer them to the crisis center. We take their number in case they hang up before the transfer goes through. In that case, we call the crisis center and have them call the girls. If they are simply looking at their options, as most are, then we discuss the available alternatives and get them set up with one. We can’t actually counsel them, but we have numbers we can transfer them to. Do you have any questions?” he asked.
“Not about that,” Amanda said, “It seems straight forward, but do you know a good church around here? Caleb suggested this place called Experience Life, but it was a little big for me.”
Jared stiffened slightly and cocked his head. “Who’s Caleb?”
A blush spread across Amanda’s face, and her eyes dropped to study her hands. “Um, he’s the guy I just started seeing, the one I told you about. I guess we’re kind of dating. We haven’t really labeled it, I mean.” As the words tumbled out of her mouth, she realized she had no idea what Caleb and she were. Was he her boyfriend? Were they just dating? She would have to get some clarity on that subject.
“Oh, right” Jared said slowly. He leaned back in his chair and looked at his lap for a minute before raising his eyes again. “Well, I go to Indiana Avenue Baptist. It’s big, but not too big. I haven’t been to Experience Life, but I’ve heard you sometimes get lost in the shuffle.”
“That’s exactly what happened,” Amanda said tentatively. Why was talking about Caleb in front of Jared so uncomfortable? And was it just her or was he feeling it too? “I’ll check out yours then if that’s okay. My church back in Mesquite was probably about one hundred each service. I don’t want much bigger than that.”
He smiled. “I can understand that.”
For a minute, they sat in companionable silence then an uncomfortable silence. Th
e phone stayed silent, the office empty, and Amanda hated that the talk of Caleb had stalled their normally friendly banter. She pursed her lips and tapped the desk lightly with her index finger, trying to think of something else to say.
“I’m glad you joined us,” he began before being interrupted by the musical announcement of a text message on Amanda’s phone. Blushing, she hit the silent button and looked up for him to continue. Just as he opened his mouth, the phone vibrated. “You better see what that is. Someone is persistent,” he sighed.
“Sorry,” she said, swiping the screen to see two texts from Caleb.
Where are you?
Want to meet up?
Amanda stared at the phone, at a loss for a minute. Though she did want to meet up with Caleb, she was also enjoying chatting with Jared.
“Is that him?”
“Huh?” Her eyes popped up, and a feeling of guilt coated her.
“On the phone, is that the guy?” He nodded his head, using his raised eyebrow as an indicator.
Heat flared across her face, and she knew it must now be the color of her hair. She nodded.
“Well, tell him to come by. I’d love to meet him.”
“Really?” Her voice squeaked as it escaped her lips.
“Sure. We’ll be spending a lot of time together. He ought to get to know me and the others when they’re here,” he hastily added. “Maybe he’ll even want to join us.” Though Jared’s face held a smile, it didn’t quite reach his eyes, but Amanda took him at his word and texted Caleb back.
Jared resumed his conversation and told Amanda about his life in California growing up. “I just wish–Jared visibly stiffened and Amanda turned to see what had caused the change. Caleb stood in the doorway, also stiff and cold.
When Hearts Collide Page 7
