Frantic (38 page)

As she spoke, she had to resist the temptation to just say the words. She couldn't go on autopilot. This material had to come from her heart.

Toward the end of the evening Vicki passed out small slips of paper Mark had asked the organizer to bring. “I want you to write down the name of a person who doesn't know God.”

Kids shared pens and pencils and scribbled down names. One boy held up a hand. “Is it OK if we put two down?”

Vicki smiled and nodded. “Now let's spend two minutes praying for that person whose name you've just written down. Thank God for bringing that person into your life. Ask him to open their eyes to the truth. If there are things that person is going through, like a locust sting or family members who have disappeared or have been killed, ask God to use those things to create a hunger in that person's heart.”

When the two minutes were up, Vicki asked for everyone's attention. “God is the one who will speak to your friend. From today on, each time you sit down to eat, pull out this slip of paper and pray for two minutes for your friend. Pray for opportunities to show love and kindness. Ask for a chance to speak about God. Then, when your friend becomes a believer, get a new slip and write down another friend's name. And teach the new believer how to do the same.”

A thin girl raised a hand. “My dad disappeared. My brother and me are alone and we only get one meal a day. Sometimes none. When should we pray?”

Vicki bit her lip. To think of other believers without enough food nearly broke her heart. Before she could answer, a young man in the back stood. “We've got more than enough at our place. See me after the meeting and we'll work out something.”

“Thank you,” Vicki said. “You don't have to wait until mealtime to pray, of course. You can pray at any point in the day, for as long as you'd like. I just find that if there's something that can help me remember to pray, it's easier.”

The next day the group was back. The man who had offered food brought the thin girl and her brother packages of vegetables, bread, and canned food.

When Vicki finished that afternoon, she took questions. Though she had told them about the end of the locusts and what was coming next, the kids wanted to know specifics. What will the horsemen be like? Will they kill any believers? What will Nicolae Carpathia tell the world about this judgment from God?

Vicki answered the questions as best she could and referred them to Tsion Ben-Judah's Web site as well as the kids' Web site located at
theunderground-online.com
.

The thin girl came up to Vicki after the meeting and handed her a piece of fruit. “Thank you for coming. You changed my life.” The girl pulled out the slip of paper from the day before. “I wrote down the name of a friend who doesn't know God on this side, and I wrote down your name on the other. I'll pray for you every day.”

Judd and the others prayed each morning about Sam. Though he wanted to storm Global Community headquarters and rescue him, Judd knew that wasn't the best plan.

“God will sustain him,” Mr. Stein said. “I feel such compassion for him, like he is my own son. But to try and deliver him from that prison would only endanger more believers.”

Judd took a call from Nada. She was upset about her brother. “Kasim and my father argued about his relationship with Kweesa in New Babylon. Kasim wants to call her and tell her the truth, but my father won't let him.”

“Is he afraid Kweesa might rat him out?” Judd said.

“Exactly. My father says it puts us at too great a risk. Now my problem is that I know Kasim called Kweesa and talked with her.”

“You're kidding,” Judd said. “What did she say?”

“She didn't believe it was him for a long time. Then he told her things that only the two of them knew.”

“Did Kasim tell her about God?”

“She let him talk for a long time, but we don't know how she responded. We're praying she'll believe. Should I tell my parents?”

“If you do, Kasim's going to hit the roof.”

“I'm sorry?”

“It's an expression,” Judd said. “He'll be really upset with you.”

“Yes. But if I keep this from my parents, they will punch the roof.”

Judd laughed.

“It would be much easier if I didn't have to live in this tiny apartment.” Nada sighed.

“No matter where you go or who you're with, you're going to have these kinds of problems. Talk with Kasim. Maybe he'll tell them himself.”

“Have you thought any more about us? I miss you.”

“I wish we could exercise together again,” Judd said. “Yitzhak is letting Lionel and me help pack and ship materials for unbelievers. I think we ought to stay apart for now and see where things go.”

“All right,” Nada said. “I have to go.”

Judd hung up and wondered if he was doing the right thing. He missed Nada's friendship and their talks. But if he was kept from doing what God wanted, their relationship had to be put on hold.

Judd thought of his friends in Illinois and wondered about Vicki. They had both come a long way since meeting Bruce Barnes at New Hope Village Church. God had done so much to and through them. What would he do next?

35

THE
next few weeks were a blur to Vicki as they traveled west to visit more groups of believers. From Minnesota they drove through South Dakota. Since it was only a few miles out of the way, they stopped at Mount Rushmore to see what was left of the faces carved into stone. The earthquake had ruined the national monument, and the park was closed.

Mark directed them south, through Wyoming and into Colorado. They spent a few days in a small ski town west of Denver, then continued south to Colorado Springs. The mountains were beautiful, but when Conrad pointed out Pikes Peak, Vicki nearly cried. The once towering mountain had crumbled in the great earthquake.

They followed Mark's directions to an abandoned Christian ministry. The earthquake had destroyed all but the main building.

Conrad led them through a service entrance and up a flight of stairs. Paintings and posters hung from the walls. They found a huge room with scattered metal chairs. A few dozen people sat in the chairs. Someone had rigged a crude public-address system.

When the crowd realized who Vicki was, they clapped. Vicki walked onto the stage and was surprised to find out they were a day early. When news about the meeting spread, people who were living in different parts of the building filed in. The organizer took Vicki aside and explained there would be a few hundred people within minutes.

“How did you guys find this place?” Vicki said.

“Most of the people who are here lived in the area,” the woman said, “but some traveled a great distance. We'd all heard about this ministry through the radio, and when our families disappeared, we thought we might find some answers here.

“We found books and pamphlets that explained about a relationship with God. People came and learned. Sadly, when the earthquake hit, a lot of people in the warehouse and the lower buildings didn't make it out.”

Vicki was amazed at the people's organization. In most meetings she had been in, people came from miles around and straggled in. Here, they filed in and took their seats, ready to learn. Between sessions the group was served a meal from the cafeteria.

“This is an even bigger training center than the schoolhouse,” Conrad said. “We should remember this place if we ever leave Illinois.”

The kids worked their way through Utah and reached their farthest destination in the Northwest—Olympia, Washington. It was there that they noticed the locusts were gone.

After a few days, they turned south through Oregon and into California. They made five stops in California, concluding with a stay at the coastal town of Chula Vista, near the old Mexican border. Mark had told Vicki to expect a translator for those who couldn't speak English.

Conrad pulled into a parking lot near a beach and pointed. In the distance were hundreds of kids gathered by a bonfire.

Vicki shook hands with Rosa, the one who had e-mailed Mark and set up the meeting. “We have many who know both English and Spanish, but I'll translate for those who can't understand you.”

The meeting was like nothing Vicki had ever experienced. The smell of the salty air, the sounds of the seagulls squawking overhead, and the crackling fire made the teaching even more special. Vicki watched the glowing faces of the participants as she spoke. Rosa translated. It was difficult to get used to stopping and waiting for someone to say your words in a different language, but soon Vicki got the hang of it.

Many unbelievers just getting over their stings strolled by. Some stopped, curious about the meeting. When Vicki mentioned “God” or “Jesus,” a few walked away. Others lingered. She guessed there were about fifty who stayed.

Vicki felt God wanted her to give these people the message. She spoke through a loudspeaker and asked those on the outskirts of the group to gather closer. Vicki clearly explained the message of God's love and prayed. When she finished, she saw many had received the mark of the true believer.

Vicki looked at the kids sitting in the sand. “Find a new brother or sister and welcome them to the family.”

The next day the group had grown. Vicki, Shelly, and Conrad decided to postpone the next meeting in Arizona a few days. God was doing something special in California, and they didn't want to miss any of it.

Judd and Lionel had thrown themselves into whatever work needed to be done. Every day new witnesses arrived in Israel. Mr. Stein helped write new materials to print and deliver, and spent much of the time poring over Tsion Ben-Judah's Web site.

Though they prayed for Sam, they had heard nothing from him. Mr. Stein held out hope that he would return. “Perhaps God will speak to Sam's father, and the boy will be released.”

When the locusts vanished, Judd feared the Global Community would increase their efforts to arrest believers. Slowly, airplane flights resumed as more and more people returned to their daily lives.

“We still have a great opportunity to spread the message,” Mr. Stein said. “Many are still suffering from stings they received just before the locusts disappeared.”

“You still want to head back to the States?” Judd asked Lionel.

“I'd go in a second if Sam were here. But I can't leave him.”

Judd had been in touch with Nada once a week. She hadn't talked with her parents about Kasim's call to Kweesa. The apartment was still crowded, but Nada said she had learned to cope.

A few days after the locusts disappeared, Judd called Nada but got no answer. He tried again later in the day, but still no answer. Finally, he told Lionel he was going to check on her after dark. Lionel went with him.

When they reached the building, Judd saw something strange. There were no lights on in Nada's apartment. Lionel pointed to the stairwell, and Judd saw a strip of yellow tape covering the door. “Looks like a GC crime scene. They could be waiting up there.”

Judd closed his eyes and leaned against the lobby door. The tape meant one thing. Nada and the others in the apartment had been arrested. “Go to the other side of the street and wait.”

“Judd, you can't—”

“Just do it,” Judd said, gritting his teeth.

Lionel backed away and found a safe spot across the street. Judd pushed the doorbell and ran. He and Lionel crouched behind a railing and watched. Minutes later a GC squad car pulled up and two officers got out. They checked the front door and walked to the back. When they returned, an officer radioed a message to headquarters.

“A neighbor heard the buzzer and called us,” the man said. “Nobody's here.”

When the squad car left, Judd and Lionel scampered out of their hiding place and rushed to Yitzhak's home. Judd didn't look at Lionel.

“Come on,” Lionel said, “you don't know that the GC got them.”

“I feel it,” Judd said. “They must have traced Kasim's call to Kweesa. Nada should have told her parents.”