She's Here!

The girl from Europe is finally here. She is staying with us until July 31. It has just been wonderful. She knows a lot of English and is so sweet. We will go bowling, biking, roller skating, to a baseball game, Bucsh Gardens, to the beach, water country, camping, and more. She said that coming to America has been a dream come true for her. Hopefully, we can teach her about God's love and give her an experience she will never forget. She's only been here a few days and she has already changed our lives and has made everything worth it.

Hiding chapter 8: A Story, a Kidnapping, a Dream

I am out of the hospital now. We are all going out to dinner to celebrate Miles’ homecoming and my recovery. Speaking of Miles, while I was still in the hospital, my mom and dad had to go fill out a bunch of forms since I was injured. Miles and Brooke stayed behind to keep me company. Little did I know that Miles would soon tell us a story that would give me a new, deeper outlook on God’s protection.

            Brooke and I were talking about various things like church, summer activities, and what school would be like in the fall. When Miles walked in, Brooke jumped up and gave him a big hug. “I’m so glad you’re home, Miles.” To be honest, I felt a little left out, since I never knew Miles. “Well, how are you feeling?” asked Miles. “Good.” I said. “A little restless though.” Well, I think I can fix that; you want to hear what happened to me when I was kidnapped?” he said. My eyes lit up with excitement, as did Brooke’s. “YEAH!” we both said together. “It all started with a knock on our door…”

            “Mommy, can you take me to the library?” asked eight-year-old Brooke. “There is a book there that I really want to read.” “But honey, your birthday is only a week away. What if you get it for a present?” reasoned mom. “Well, then I can read it over and over again. Besides, my friend Mary is going to be there.” Finally, mom agreed to take Brooke to the library. Mom told Miles that they would be back in about an hour, and then left. It was only twenty minutes later, when Miles was playing his favorite video game, that he heard a knock on the door. He went to his room and looked out the window. Seeing people he didn’t recognize, he decided not to open the door. “They must be selling something.” He thought. When he went back to play his video game, he saw the men outside the back door. Miles stood up and headed for the phone. He never got to dial 911, however, because the men ran in through the unlocked back door and kidnapped Miles.

            Miles woke up in the back of someone’s car. He felt groggy, and assumed that they had knocked him out. Seeing this in spy movies, Miles tried to punch out the taillight, but it just wouldn’t budge. He looked around for his cell phone and, not surprisingly, the men had taken it. Miles stared to pray. He prayed that God would help him find a way out. Suddenly, Miles heard the screeching of brakes and tires. A thud came, and he was banged against the trunk. Because of the force, the trunk flew open, and Miles nearly fell out. Slowly crawling out, Miles went to the front of the car and peered in. Both men were unconscious Miles looked around and saw the car that had hit them. Before he could even try to flag them down, the car took off. Miles was a little disappointed, but at least he was free for now. Miles decided to leave before his captors came to. He took off running towed home, no matter how far.

            After running for quite some time, Miles slowed to a walk. Eventually, he came to a rest stop. He went to the bathroom and asked for directions. Miles was delighted to find out that his neighborhood was only thirty miles away. Miles slept at a bench, and hitched a ride the next morning. Miles was let out on his street. He ran the last few yards, but when he got to his house, he stopped. In his front yard, he saw a for sale sign. Miles got a feeling of dread as he rushed to the door, which was unlocked. He opened it, only to find that the house was completely empty, not just of people, but of furniture as well. Miles recalled how quickly his family moved out of their house that time they were in the witness protection program. With a gasp, he realized that his family had probably moved again. Miles sank to his knees and sobbed. His family could be anywhere in the world.

            Wiping away his tears, Miles stood up and slowly walked out of the house. Miles knew what he had to do “I’ll contact the FBI and tell them my situation. They’ll pick me up and get me to my family. Nothing to worry about.” Miles went back to the car. “Um, could you take me back to where you picked me up, please?” Miles realized too late that it was not the same car. Miles looked at the driver and, just as he recognized him as the guy who was in the passenger seat of the car of the men who kidnapped him, everything went black.

            When Miles came to, it was very different from the first time. For one thing, instead of a trunk, he was in a small room, and that room was moving. Spotting a window, Miles peaked out. To his shock and horror, he was in the air over an ocean. Miles was in a plane! In a plane flying over the ocean!” Just then, a man came in, and he did not look happy. “Well, you’re a hard one to find Miles. We thought we had you until the car accident. By the way, I blame you for my brother’s death. If we hadn’t had to kidnap you, we would not have been driving that day. I’ll be able to avenge him when we land in Turkey.” Miles could hardly believe. They were going to Turkey? Before he could respond, Miles suddenly felt very tired, and he fell asleep.

            “Hey, kid, wake up.” Miles awoke to the sound of a voice. The voice didn’t sound angry, so Miles opened his eyes. He was staring into the face of a man. Miles sat up and looked around. There were several other people in the room: Adults, teens, kids, and even a baby. “What’s going on?”  Miles asked. “Well, we were all kidnapped and brought here. Probably for ransom or something.” Some of the people introduced themselves. One of the girls, who was about his age, looked very pretty. “My name is Ella.” She said quietly. “I was brought here two years ago from Wisconsin.”  The room they were in was dimly lit. There were some books, a row of beds, a table, and a television. “They gave us TV?” I asked. “Not really, they send us messages through that. Tell us what to do and such.” Said Ella. Miles read books for a while, but then got bored. “I’ve read all of them.” Said Ella. “My favorite book isn’t here, though, it’s Treasure Island.” Miles’ smiled a little. “That’s my favorite book too. I didn’t know girls liked that type of thing.” “You treasure and pirates? Well, I’m not really like other girls.” Said Ella with a little laugh. “Yeah, I guess not.” Mile said shyly. It was good to be around other people. If he were all alone in a place like this, Miles knew that he would go crazy. That night, as Miles lay in a bed, which was very uncomfortable, Miles thought about his family. It made him sad to think of them so far away. “Did they think I was dead?” thought Miles. He didn’t even know if he would ever see them again. After all, he was kidnapped, and stuck in a room somewhere in Turkey. He wanted to see his family again, but it didn’t look as if he ever would. I looked as if he would remain without them forever.

            In a dream, Miles was in heaven. He was looking around, and he saw his family. As Miles ran to them, he realized that even if he never saw his family again on Earth, someday, in heaven they would be reunited and spend eternity together. When Miles woke up, he guessed that God had sent him that dream to comfort him. Miles smiled slightly, thanked God for his comfort, and fell asleep.

            Well, I want to finish the story of Miles’ adventure, but I wrote in this diary instead of doing my chores, so mom told me I could have it back next week. I’m a little disappointed that I haven’t finished the story yet, but I will as soon as I can.

I will post part two in one week. 

A Camping I Will Go!

Today, I am leaving for Ranch hand camp for a week. I don't know a single person, but I'm confident that God will help me make friends. The only other time I've been to camp is when my mom was a counselor. It is a big step, no, leap, in my maturity. I will write a blog post after camp to let y'all know how it went. Hopefully, I'll survive. :) Please pray that everything goes well.

Hiding chapter 7: A Thief, a Shock, a Rescue

Sometimes, things happen that are scary and dangerous. During those times one has literally nothing that can save them except God’s mercy. Let me tell you, a situation like that can be very humbling. I recently experienced such a situation, and diary, I am going to tell you all about it.

            I couldn’t believe that the school year had already ended. It seemed like just yesterday I was on the bus sitting next to Rose, on our way to our first day of school. So many things have happened this school year. Like when I went to a sleepover and learned that I can always trust my sister, or when I figured out the true meaning of a birthday party, or when Wendy became a Christian, and the miracle of my baby sister, who will be born in November. Yes, God had blessed my family, my friends, and I with many lessons that we will hopefully never forget.

            I woke up that first summer morning completely rested. It felt really nice to be able to sleep in. I walked downstairs to the kitchen to find Brooke already eating breakfast. “Well, you seem excited.” I told her. “Yeah, and in a few minutes you’ll see why.” Replied Brooke with a smile. While I was pouring milk in my cereal, mom came down the stairs with a smile on her face. “Good morning girls.” She said. “Roxanne, at the beginning of the summer, we give Brooke one hundred dollars to spend. This summer your father and I have decided to continue and give each of you fifty dollars.” I gasped. “Really? Fifty dollars?” Mom answered by handing each of us one twenty, two tens, one five, and five ones. “Wow! Thanks mom” I said with delight. I gave her a big hug and so did Brooke. With fifty dollar, I felt like I was on top of the world.

            After breakfast, we asked dad if we could have our friends over. “Sure, he said, but stay out of the woods. All the rain we’ve been having might make the creek have a fast current.” We called Wendy, Katie, and Noel (who will be leaving next month) and invited them over. Once we were all outside in our backyard, we got the sprinkler out and were soon having lots of fun. That afternoon, we went to the ice cream parlor and got some sweet treats. “Where did you get enough money to treat all of us?” asked Noel curiously. “Our parents gave each of us fifty dollars.” Said Brooke. “Really? Wow, that’s so cool!” said Katie. We heard a snicker behind us and turned to look, Sitting at the table behind us was Hillary, Lindsey, and Rose. “They’re probably gossiping about someone.” Said Wendy, clearly annoyed. As I looked at them, I saw Rose look in our direction with an interested look on her face. I quickly turned around. We soon forgot about them and enjoyed the first day of summer.

            That night, as I lay in bed, I heard a noise. It came from downstairs and it sounded as if someone was sneaking around. I wanted to go check it out, but I was so tired that I just fell asleep. When I woke up the next morning, I went downstairs to eat. “Hey!” said Brooke. “The money is gone!” “What! Are you sure?” I asked jumping up and looking in the jar where the money used to be. I told Brooke about the noise last night, and she told mom, who called the police. The police said that it was very strange that only the money was missing and not anything that was super valuable. One of them called a call, and told his partner that he had to go. “Apparently, some girl named Rose is missing.” He said before leaving. I looked out the window to see him leave and I thought I saw Rose head into the woods.

            I went outside and ran into the woods. After walking around a bit, I noticed that the creek did indeed have a swift current. I then saw Rose walk away. I followed her until I was at the edge of a clearing. I peeking out from behind the tree and spotting Rose almost at the end of the clearing. I was about to call out to her when two men jumped out and grabbed Rose. I gasped and ran over to where I last saw her. I spotted Rose struggling to get away from the two men. What one of them said nearly made me faint. “So, Vivian, thought the witness protection program would keep your family safe from us, well, guess you thought wrong.”

            I was stunned. Rose was in the witness protection program? Her whole family was? I was shocked. “Well,” I thought. “If that’s the case, then I guess I had better help her. I followed the men until they came to a helicopter. As I walked, I stepped on a twig. The men whirled around and saw me, so I ran. The men quickly caught up to me, however, and took me to the helicopter. They tied us up and went to the front. I quickly wiggled out of the ropes and started to untie Rose. “How did you do that? She whispered. “When they tied me up, I stuck out my stomach so I could wiggle out. I saw it in a movie once.” I whispered back. Rose and I quietly climbed out of the helicopter just as it took off and hid in some bushes. “They’re bound to notice that we’re missing eventually.” Said Rose. Just as she said that the helicopter turned around and started to land. “You run back to my house and tell them what happened. I’ll distract them.” I said “But…” she started to say. “Just go!” I interrupted. We went in opposite directions and I saw the men started to chase after me. I ran faster and faster until I came to the creek. I was trapped.

            I turned around and saw the men catching up. As I looked around, I spotted a log going across the creek. I went to it and started to cross. I went slowly. Step by step. I felt it wobble and I turned around The men were trying to climb on the log. I started to go faster. I slipped, and with a scream, I fell into the fast-moving water.

            I was shocked at how fast I moved. In only five seconds, the men were out of sight. I knew that, even though I was a fairly good swimmer, I would never be able to survive this. I went under and came up, gasping for breath.  I prayed to God as I had never done before. I begged him to save me. As I went under again, I held my breath. I looked up and saw a figure standing there. The last thing I saw before slipping into unconsciousness was the figure reaching towed me. The last thing I felt was warmth.

            “Roxanne? Can you hear me?” I heard a voice. I felt so weak. “Roxanne?” there was that voice again. I finally recognized it as Brooke’s “Eliza!” The urgency in her voice combined with the fact that she used my real name caused me to open my eyes. I was in a hospital, surrounded by mom, dad, Brooke, Rose (or Vivian, I suppose), and a boy I did not recognize. Hi sweetie, I’m glad you’re awake. You’ve been out for nearly a day. I widened my eyes and tried to sit up. I winced from pain and fell back. Careful honey, you’ve got some bruises on your head and your lungs are still a little weak. “What happened?” I asked in a whisper. “You nearly drowned.” Said the boy. “I pulled you out just after you hit your head on a rock.” “You saved my life, Roxanne.” Said Rose, with tears in her eyes. “Thank you.” “Who are you?” I asked, motioning to the boy.” He looked around fifteen and I had no idea who he was. “Roxanne,” said Brooke. “This is my brother, Miles.”

            It turned out that Miles eventually escaped and stowed away on the helicopter, having no idea who was on it or where it was going. Rose and her family were in the WPP because Rose’s grandfather was in the mafia and had hidden lots of money somewhere. Rose had taken mine and Brooke’s money to try to get away. Now that the bad guys were arrested, Rose’s family was free. They are going to move in with her aunt in Maryland. Rose told Brooke and I that she was really sorry for all she had done. She was very grateful that I had saved her despite everything. I told her that God said to love my enemies; she said she might have to check out that church stuff in Maryland. With Miles back, I think this summer is only going to get better. For now, everyone is safe, and we have God to thank for it.      

             

Bringing the Mission Field to Us

This summer, my family and I are hosting an Eastern European orphan for five weeks. Although she is no longer adoptable, we can show her the love of Christ while she is here. She will arrive at the end of June with only the clothes she will be wearing. We will provide her with clothes, toiletries, and anything she needs, which she will be able to take back with her. We plan to do many fun things with her, like swimming, camping, going to Butch Gardens and much more. Before we decided to host this teenager, there was another girl we were considering, but God led us to the other. Recently, the other girl we were praying about got chosen and will come to, out of the whole United States, Williamsburg, VA! We will be able to get together several times. That was definitely God working. We had a garage sale on May 9-10 to raise money. People from our church donated things for us to sell. We raised over one thousand dollars, which was our goal. Also, a buyer told us that she has a neighbor who from the same place that the orphan we are hosting is from. We will talk to her before she gets here and while she's here. God is so good!

Camping

On May 2, we went to a campground for my brother's fifth birthday. We had strawberry shortcake instead of birthday cake. My sister and I slept in a tent all by ourselves, though we have bruises on our legs from sleeping on the ground. The next day after a softball game, we all went canoeing on the lake in the campground. We tried fishing but we didn't catch anything. We roasted marshmallows on a fire both evenings. The next morning, our dad woke us up really early to try fishing again. After fishing for a little bit, I caught a croppy, while looks like a sunfish, except larger. I looked up in the tree and spotted a hawk. A few minutes later, I heard a giant splash. At first, I thought the hawk had died and fallen into the water, but I looked and realized it was trying to catch a fish. It suddenly flew out with a trout in its talons. It flew around three times and then flew away. everybody was amazed. I thought two things. One: that bird was a lot better at fishing than we were. And two: I don't think he was planning to do a catch and release. Anyway, we had a great time last weekend. We also made sure all our equipment was ready for when we go camping more this summer. It was really fun.  

Hiding chapter 6: A Mystery, a Miracle, a Surprise

Tomorrow, we go back to school. It’s amazing how many things can happen in one spring break, how things can change so fast. When I explain what happened during spring break, you’ll understand what I’m talking about.

            I watched the clock with anticipation, while looking at a diagram of the structure of a cell is “fun” and all; I knew that, in a few seconds, school would be out for a whole week! I continued to stare. Three seconds; two seconds, one second… When I heard the bell, it took all my strength to keep from squealing with delight, but when we got outside, I let it all out, because we were now on spring break.

            When Brooke and I got home, we called Katie, Wendy, and Noel and asked them to come over. Once they arrived, we hung out for a while, and then Katie said she had something to show us. With that, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a cell phone. We all gasped. “Where did you get that?” asked Noel. “Well, my older sister, Daniel, got a new cell phone from our grandma when she started college, and so Daniel gave me her old one.” We admired Katie’s new cell phone with amazement. “This phone has an app that can allow me to keep score at a ball game.” Katie said excitedly. “Hey, let’s go to the park, form a kickball game with some of the kids there, and you can keep score, Katie.” Said Brooke. Everyone thought it was a great idea, so we headed to the park.

            It took a while, but we finally had enough players for a kickball game. Both teams played really well. Soon, the score was 11 to 8. Then, however, one of the girls had to go home, and the other team was short a player. Katie was asked if she could kick for them, and she agreed. With the bases loaded, Katie stepped up to home plate and kicked the ball really far. She ran all the way around the bases and the other team won, with the score 12 to 11. I was helping Wendy pick up the bases when we heard Katie say, “Oh no!” we ran over, to see what was wrong. Katie told us that she left her phone on the park bench, and now it was gone. We looked around, but we couldn’t find Katie’s cell phone. It was gone.

            The next day, Brooke, Katie, and I went to the park to look more for her cell phone. We spotted some kids who were at the park when she lost it, so we asked them if they saw who took it. One of them said that they saw Hillary sit down at the bench, take something from the bench, and leave. Katie went over to where Hillary and Rose were standing to confront Hillary. Brooke and I followed. “Hillary, why did you take my cell phone?” demanded Katie. “What are you talking about?” asked Hillary, clearly annoyed. “Yesterday, at the park, you sat down at the bench and took my cell phone, give it back, and maybe I won’t go to the police.” Said Katie. “I don’t have your cell phone, Katie. Come on Rose, let’s go” and with that, Rose and Hillary left. “I can’t believe Hillary didn’t give my cell phone back.” Said Katie. “Actually,” spoke up Brooke, cautiously. “I don’t think Hillary took your phone at all.

            Katie and I stared at Brooke. “What do you mean?” I asked. “Well,” started Brooke. “I don’t think Hillary would do something like this.” “You’re defending here?!” questioned Katie accusingly. “No, but Hillary just doesn’t strike me as the type of person to steal something.” Said Brooke defensively. “I don’t believe this!” shouted Katie. “A bully steals my cell phone, and the my best friend takes her side.” Brooke started to deny it, but Katie turned around and marched away. I could hardly believe what just happened. Brooke turned to me and asked if I thought the same way. “No, I don’t think we should accuse someone because of what they did in the past, but I think that Hillary is a suspect.” Although my reassuring made Brooke a little less sad, she was still heartbroken that Katie was angry with her.

            The next day, mom went to the doctor because the baby had not yet exited the body and she thought maybe something was blocking it. A mom across the street asked me if I could watch her son, Billy, while she went to the post office. I agreed and went to Billy’s house. I was helping Billy build a model airplane. Suddenly, a crow came flying down and took one of the pieces. “Hey!” Billy shouted. “Bring that back!” Billy asked me why the bird took the piece. I told him that crows were attracted to shiny things and that, since the piece it took glistened nicely in the sunlight, it made sense that… I stopped, because at that moment I realized that there was now a new suspect in the mystery of Katie’s missing cell phone. After Billy’s mom came home, I told Brooke to follow me. I called Katie and asked her to meet us at the scene of the crime. Once we were there, I went to the bench where the cell phone was. Sure enough, there was a tree next to the bench. I climbed it and saw a nest. Inside, lay Katie’s lost cell phone. I climbed down and handed the cell phone to Katie. She took it and started to cry. She told Brooke that she was so sorry for accusing her of taking Hillary’s side. Brooke forgave Katie without hesitation. Katie said goodbye, thanked me for finding the phone, and went to apologize to Hillary.

            Brooke and I walked in the house to find mom and dad sitting on the couch crying. Brooke ran to them and asked what was wrong. “These are tears of joy.” Said mom. I walked over to them and sat down. “Honey, we went to the doctor to get another ultrasound to see why the baby wasn’t coming out, and they found something.” Said dad, with tears in his eyes. “What did they find?” I asked. “They found a heartbeat. It’s a miracle!” said mom. I couldn’t believe it. The baby was alive! We celebrated and thanked God with all our hearts. God had brought the baby back to life.

That day was probably one of the happiest days of our lives. We called all our friends and family to tell them the good news. We announced it at church, and Everyone was so happy for us. Daniel told me that it was not a miracle, and that the doctor’s equipment was just not working when they gave us the bad news. I was so happy that my brother or sister was alive, that I didn’t even hear him. When I asked mom what the gender of the baby was, she told me that I was going to have a baby sister. I could hardly contain my excitement.

Wendy called all of us (Katie, Brooke, Noel, and me) and said she needed to tell us something. We all met at her house and her mom got us a snack. Wendy then said that she had some news. “Since becoming a Christian, my parents were very excited for me, and recommitted their lives to the Lord. They began praying about something that they have been talking about for a long time. Yesterday, they decided that God was saying yes.” I asked her what God had said yes about. Wendy cleared her throat and continued. “My mom and dad have decided to homeschool me.” Brooke and I looked at each other. “You mean, you won’t go to our school anymore?”  asked Katie. “Nope, I start homeschool in one week, the day after spring break ends.” Said Wendy. None of us could believe how everything changed so fast. “Don’t worry though, this doesn’t change anything about our friendship. We can still hang out.” Everyone agreed and congratulated Wendy. We were very happy for her.

So you see, this spring break has taught me many lessons, like to not accuse someone without evidence, or to trust God in everything. I think that if I can learn all that in one spring break, I can’t even imagine how many lessons God will teach me in my lifetime. All I have to do is be able to receive them.