Arrived
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Arrived
is a special edition compilation of the following Left Behind: The Kids titles:
#38: The Perils of Love
copyright © 2004 by Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye. All rights reserved.
#39: The Road to War
copyright © 2004 by Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye. All rights reserved.
#40: Triumphant Return
copyright © 2004 by Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye. All rights reserved.
Cover photographs copyright © by Punchstock. All rights reserved.
Authors' photograph copyright © 1998 by Reg Francklyn. All rights reserved.
Published in association with the literary agency of Alive Communications, Inc., 7680 Goddard Street, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80920.
Scripture quotations are taken from the
Holy Bible
, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Some Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Characters in this novel sometimes speak words that are adapted from various versions of the Bible, including the King James Version and the New King James Version.
Designed by Jessie McGrath
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-publication data
Jenkins, Jerry B.
Arrived / Jerry B. Jenkins, Tim LaHaye, with Chris Fabry.
p. cm. â (Left behindâthe kids ; #38-#40)
This is a special combined edition of three previously published Left behind: the kids titles.
Summary: Four teens battle the forces of evil when they are left behind after the Rapture.
ISBN 1-4143-0273-8 (hardcover)
1. Children's stories, American. [1. End of the worldâFiction. 2. Christian lifeâFiction.] I. LaHaye, TIm F. II. Fabry, Chris, 1961- III. Title.
PZ7.J4138Ar 2005
[Fic]dc22
2004028728
Printed in the United States of America
10 09 08 07 06 05
8Â Â Â 7Â Â Â 6Â Â Â 5Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 1
Contents
JUDD
Thompson Jr. fell into a chair and gasped for breath. It felt like the air had been sucked out of his lungs. He couldn't believe he was trapped in New Babylon, the headquarters of the Global Community.
Judd spoke with Chang Wong for a few more minutes, and Chang said he would call with any information that might help Judd and pilot Westin Jakes escape.
Then Judd joined the others gathered around several computers. Some monitored cameras set up near their safe house, while others watched the latest from the Global Community News Network.
Rainer Kurtzmann, the German leader of this small group, took Judd aside. “I'm sorry you're trapped. I feel responsible for not getting you back to your plane last night.”
Judd frowned. “It's not your fault. Westin and I made a bad choice.”
“Whatever we can do to help, we will do.”
A woman pointed to a tiny laptop computer. “Take a look at this.”
Judd watched as a temperature gauge on the right side showed things were back to normal. The woman moved a remote camera slightly to the left, and several people crawled out of an underground bunker. Their skin was pale, and they looked like they hadn't eaten in weeks.
The woman zoomed in on a smiling group. A young man ran to a burned-out area and lay down, scissor-kicking as if making a snow angel. The others with him laughed.
The mood inside the safe house wasn't cheerful. They would no longer be able to move around during the day. Westin grumbled about his plane, wondering if the GC would find it.
“We have to prepare for possible inspections by Peacekeepers,” Rainer said. “They'll be going from building to building soon.”
A live shot of Carpathia's palace showed open windows and people streaming out of the building. Judd wondered if the GC would ever estimate how many had died from the heat.
Leon Fortunato appeared at a press conference, and Judd was shocked at the way the reporters looked. The normal crowd of men and women covering international news was down to only a few people in ragged clothes. Even makeup couldn't hide their gaunt faces.
Fortunato was dressed in his usual gaudy clothing, but Judd could tell the past few weeks had taken their toll. There were dark circles under Leon's eyes, and his clothes seemed to sag.
“I'm pleased to say that your potentate will speak just before noon today to give an update on the world situation,” Fortunato said. “But I am happy to report that it appears this quirk of nature is over. We have reports from everywhere the sun is up that the heat is gone. Let us give thanks to the giver of all good things, Nicolae Carpathia.”
Vicki awoke with a gasp and sat up in bed. The rhythmic breathing of the others in the cabin calmed her, but something didn't feel right. She listened for any noise outside but heard nothing. The heat wave had done many things to help believers, even zapping insects. Rivers and lakes had boiled for so long that frogs were nonexistent. Crickets, cicadas, and other bugs had either gone into hiding or had been burned to a crisp. Vicki was glad she could go out during the day because walking at night was so quiet it was eerie.
Vicki had awakened at other times and sensed a need to pray for friends. Perhaps this was such a time. Could someone be in trouble? Judd?
She closed her eyes and lay back on the pillow, whispering a prayer. Vicki found it better to pray aloud because when she prayed silently, she got distracted and sometimes simply fell asleep.
When Vicki had first become a believer, prayer had seemed like a duty. She ticked off a list of things she needed God to do, made sure she confessed her sins, got in the right amount of praise and worship, and went on with her life. But it had been six years now, and her view of prayer had changed. Just like she looked forward to talking with Judd and spending time with him, she looked forward to her times alone with God. In fact, speaking with her heavenly Father didn't feel stiff and formalâit felt natural.
Vicki discovered what had been missing from her prayer life a few years earlier: listening. She had always thought that prayer meant
saying
things
to
God. Now she remained silent for a few minutes, letting God bring back passages she had memorized or bits of verses.
At first, she had been unsure of how to address God. Should she talk to Jesus, call out to God, Father, heavenly Father, or say something else? She finally realized that God was more concerned with her simply coming to him, but she had found calling him “Father” a comforting way to begin.
“Father,” Vicki prayed, “I don't know if something is wrong or if I'm up because of something I ate, but I want to listen now. I pray for Judd and the plans he has for the wedding and where we'll live once I get to Petra. Keep him safe, Father. ⦔
Vicki paused, suddenly thinking of a verse Marshall had quoted a few days before. The words she recalled were
perfect peace
, but she couldn't think of the rest. She flipped on a flashlight and grabbed her Bible from the floor. Shelly said something in her sleep and rolled over in the bed next to Vicki's.
Vicki remembered the passage was from Isaiah and turned to chapter 26, the one Marshall had been speaking about. She found her answer in the third verse.
You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you,
whose thoughts are fixed on you!
Is God telling me something? Vicki thought. Is something about to happen?
She continued reading the passage.
Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock
.
He humbles the proud and brings the arrogant city to the dust
.
Its walls come crashing down!
The poor and oppressed trample it under-foot
.
But for those who are righteous, the path is not steep and rough. You are a God of justice, and you smooth out the road ahead of them
.
Lord, we love to obey your laws; our heart's desire is to glorify your name
.
All night long I search for you; earnestly I seek for God. For only when you come to judge the earth will people turn from wickedness and do what is right
.
Your kindness to the wicked does not make them do good. They keep doing wrong and take no notice of the Lord's majesty
.
O Lord, they do not listen when you threaten. They do not see your upraised fist. Show them your eagerness to defend your people. Perhaps then they will be ashamed. Let your fire consume your enemies
.
Lord, you will grant us peace, for all we have accomplished is really from you
.
Vicki shook her head at the timeless words. She couldn't wait to meet the writers of the Bible and hear what they had been going through when they penned words like these. She smiled as she read the end of the twelfth verse again:
“⦠for all we have accomplished is really from you.”