October Joy (Moments In Paradise 1) (21 page)

There was a treadmill in the corner by the window.  Getting out of bed, she lifted the shade and saw a nice view of the neighborhood.  Glancing at the bookshelf along the wall, she noticed it was filled with novels, ministry texts, travel books, and outdoor-focused titles.  She wondered how long it had taken Andrew to change things in here after Annika had been so tragically lost.  She supposed it had happened slowly over time.

On top of the long dresser with a large mirror above it was a scattering of picture frames with various photos in them.  There was one of Andrew and Annika in their younger days she had glanced at briefly last night.  It could have been of Tate and Tabitha--the two children who looked most distinctly like one or the other parent.  The other three were more of a blend between Andrew and Annika.  In some ways she felt like Andrew and Annika were some young people she had once known, and this Andrew was someone different, but she knew that wasn’t true.  Annika was a part of Andrew even if she wasn’t here, just like Levi was a part of her.  She had no desire to ignore their existence or the significant parts they had played in each of their lives, but she also knew God had some specific reasons for bringing her and Andrew together now.

She didn’t feel she was violating Annika’s memory by being in here.  Knowing Annika loved Andrew very much, she couldn’t imagine her wanting him to be alone for the rest of his life.  She wouldn’t have wanted that for Levi if she had gone first, especially if he still had so many years to live like Andrew did--another lifetime really.  If she and Andrew did get married and both of them only lived to be seventy-five, that would be twenty-five years together--the same as Annika and Andrew had, and she’d had with Levi.

She decided to go ahead and use the treadmill since she had the time.  Exercise had become a refreshing activity for her in recent years when she and Levi had begun walking the streets of their neighborhood together in the mornings before he left for the office.  Eventually they had purchased a treadmill for the seasons it was too cold to go out.  It was a beautiful sunny morning here in California, and she didn’t imagine it was very cold, but she didn’t want to get lost on her first day.

When Andrew came to the house to pick her up, she was ready to go, and she was a bit surprised by the way he was dressed.  Levi always wore a suit on Sunday.  In the summer he would remove his jacket, and during the week he didn’t always wear a tie, but pressed slacks and dress-shirts were his standard work attire.  Andrew, on the other hand, looked similar to the way he had dressed all week at the conference.  Light tan pants, a short-sleeved blue polo shirt tucked in around his small waist, and simple black dress shoes that looked really comfortable.

She was glad she had chosen her coral sun dress this morning instead of one of her more suit-like outfits, and she had a feeling a shopping trip was going to be in order if she stayed more than a week.

“Good morning,” he said, giving her a simple kiss as she rose to meet him.  She had been sipping some hot tea in the kitchen and taking in her surroundings.  This was the most beautiful kitchen she had ever seen.

“Good morning,” she replied.  “You look handsome.”

She wasn’t sure what was different about him, but he pointed it out to her.  “I forgot my electric razor this week,” he said, stroking his smooth cheek.  “I had to use one of those awful disposable things.  This is much better on my face.”

“It’s good to be home, isn’t it?”

“Yes.  I like traveling with my family, but otherwise I prefer not to leave home too much.”

She realized being at the conference all week had felt like she was away from home, but she didn’t feel that way about being here.  Making herself at home this morning hadn’t been difficult to do.  And she’d been alone until now, but it wasn’t the same kind of alone she had been experiencing for the last three months right in her own house.

“How has your morning been so far?” she asked, taking her cup to the sink and turning to follow him out.

“It’s good to be back and see everything ran just fine without me for a week.”

“For a week, maybe, but I bet not much longer than that.”

“And how about you?” he said.  “Did you sleep okay?”

“Yes.  You have a very comfortable bed.  Are you sure you want to give it to me?”

He smiled and kissed her before opening the front door.  “I’m sure.  And I’m sure I’ll get it back eventually--one way or another.”

The words from her Bible study last night came flooding into her mind. 
Go to the land I will show you...I will bless you...and I will make you a blessing to others.
The thought of being a blessing to Andrew in that way made her smile.

On the way to the church, Andrew gave her another indication of how she could be a blessing to him.  He wanted her to go into the church today being as neutral as an observer as possible.  “Imagine you don’t know me, and you just moved here, and you’re trying out our church for the first time.  What might get you to come back again, and what might make you keep searching elsewhere?”

“Am I going to be able to sit with you?”

“Yes.”

“Somehow I don’t think I’ll be getting the normal attention of first-time visitors, but I’ll do my best.”

“I haven’t told anyone about you yet except my staff.”

“Who are you going to introduce me as, your sister?”

He laughed.  “No.  You are a friend from out of town for now.  Is that all right?”

“That’s fine,” she said.

“If you decide to stay for more than a week, that will change.”

“So you don’t want me to hold your hand or anything?”

“I didn’t say that,” he said.  “I want you to do whatever you’re comfortable doing.  I’m just offering you some anonymity for today.  You may see how we do church here in California and be packing your bags this afternoon.”

She laughed.  “Somehow I doubt that.  I haven’t even seen the ocean yet.”

“Keep your eyes open because you’re about to see a piece of it.  Just up over this hill, look to your right.”

She anticipated the view, but nothing could have prepared her for such a beautiful sight.  Sparkling blue water as far as the eye could see was suddenly there, stretched out like a huge watercolor canvas.  Magazines and television specials she had seen didn’t do it justice.

“This is the top end of Monterey Bay,” he said.  “If you’re here long, we’ll be driving down to Monterey sometime where my parents live.  Maybe Friday, if you want.”

“Do you have Fridays off?”

“Yes.  We could even make it an overnight trip.  Stay with them on Friday and then come back Saturday.  There’s lots of things to do.  Shopping and such.  Annika loved to go there.”

“Have you told your mom and dad about me?”

“Yes.  I called them from Iowa on Friday.”

“Before or after you knew I was coming?”

“Before, but I told them you probably were.  I’ll call them this afternoon and let them know it’s official.”

The church wasn’t far from there, and walking beside Andrew to the front doors, she could see why Andrew dressed the way he did here.  Most people were wearing casual attire fitting for the sunny day.  Another thing she noticed were all the kids and younger people.  Teens, young couples, and lots of young families.

But there were older people too.  Middle-aged and up to those in advanced years.  Most people called Andrew by his first name only, or Pastor Andy.  And it was obvious he was very loved.  No surprise.

He introduced her to several people as they stepped toward what looked like a mid-sized auditorium.  Not as large as the one they had been in this week, but larger than the one at her church.  It was wall-to-wall people in the foyer as the previous service was letting out and those here for the next were making their way in, and Sarah could see some expansion of the building was definitely needed.  But what a great problem to have.

One of the people Andrew introduced her to was a woman who appeared to be her age.  Her name was Donna, and Andrew pointed out her husband a few paces away talking to someone else.  Andrew had been saying, ‘This is Sarah, a friend of mine, or something similar, but to Donna he said, “This is Sarah,” without any explanation, and Donna smiled, gave her a warm hug and said, “It’s so good to meet you.  I want to have you over for coffee this week.  I’ll call you.”

She said ‘okay’, and then followed Andrew through the crowd.  When they had a moment alone, she asked him who Donna was and why she seemed to know she wasn’t just a friend from out of town.

“Donna is the women’s ministry leader, and she was one of Annika’s best friends.  I pulled her aside earlier and told her about you, and if she said she’ll call you, she will.  I hope you don’t mind.”

“No, that’s fine,” she said.

She met two other people as they approached the front of the auditorium who also knew about her.  Pastor Alan was the associate pastor, and his wife’s name was Elena.  She knew from talking to Andrew about his staff that Alan was the most recent addition, but Alan and Elena had been longtime attenders here.  Alan had left the ministry years ago because of a bad experience in another church, but Andrew had offered him the job before they searched for anyone else, and Alan agreed to give it another try.  Alan did a lot of the in-home and hospital visitations and counseling Andrew didn’t have time for.  And Elena was the children’s ministry leader.  They both greeted her warmly, and Elena gave her a hug that said, ‘We’re glad Andrew found you.’

Sarah already knew she was happy to have been found by Andrew, but the feeling only increased as the morning went on.  The worship was wonderful, like something she would experience at a conference or other special event.  She didn’t hold Andrew’s hand or show him any affection for now, but not because she was worried about what others would think.  She was simply connecting with God and thanking Him for bringing her here.

Andrew’s message was very good--encouraging, challenging, and deeply touching during several moments.  Without a doubt she knew coming here wasn’t just about being with Andrew and meeting his family, but it was also about what God had to show and teach her.  He spoke to her several times through Andrew’s words, and she was ready to listen.

Andrew talked about being at the conference, but not about meeting her specifically.  Near the end he said something she knew related to her, however.  “None of us know what we will encounter this week: who we will meet or what experiences lie in our path, but believe this: every moment is designed by God, and His ways are good.  Not always easy, but good.

“So surrender this week to Him.  Say, ‘Whatever You want me to do, help me to do it.  Whatever You want to teach me, help me to learn it.  Whatever You want to show me, help me to see it.  However You want to heal me...help me...comfort me...bless me; help me to receive it.’  That is submission to a holy God who loves you deeply.  Let Him prove that to you this week.”

***

Annika smiled as a great cheer arose around her.  And her heart was bursting with pride for her beloved husband and his truthful words being spoken to a small congregation of Joshua’s followers on Earth, and to the large gathering here along the shore of the Crystal Sea.  She always came here on the first morning of a new week unless she had been summoned to another part of the City at this time.  Only those who had known Andrew personally on Earth, or had seen him interacting with their loved ones through the Great Window, would know who the preacher for the morning was, and she didn’t imagine that was a very big number in this crowd, so she knew the cheers were not for Andrew personally, but for the words of truth he spoke.  Not every preacher was given such a privileged opportunity to speak to a Great Assembly in Paradise.

Annika knew Andrew had no idea he was doing so, and she hadn’t known if she would ever see him on the Big Screen, but she wasn’t surprised.  Andrew was a simple but sincere man.  A man of great integrity.  A man after Joshua’s heart.  A God-seeker through and through.  And although he had been through some major struggles down on the Battlefield, he had overcome, and his heart had become purer than ever, like gold refined in the fire.

Annika had a big party at her cottage that afternoon, and her guests spilled onto the front and back lawn and the shoreline of the sea.  Levi was there, and since he didn’t know anyone besides her, she made a special point to make him feel welcome and among those she had grown to care about here in Paradise.

“He’s a fine preacher, Annika,” Levi said.  “You should be proud.”

“Oh, I am.  But I know Sarah had something to do with that passion I heard in his voice this morning.”

“She was a great encouragement to me too,” he spoke tenderly.  “I’m not sure I ever let her know that.  I asked Joshua to make sure Andrew does.”

“No worries, Levi.  He will.”

“You should take pride in your children too, Annika.  The way they welcomed Sarah so easily last night--are you sure they haven’t been here before?”

She laughed.  “Yes, but they’re close to Joshua, so it’s the same thing.”

Chapter Twenty-one

When Andrew came down from the stage, he felt a high like he’d never felt before.  He had always enjoyed preaching, and more so in the last few years since he’d come to the realization his teaching had to come from his own life.  However God was working in his life, that’s what he talked about.

Sometimes if God had been showing him something specific over several month’s time, like last year when He’d been teaching him about enjoying Him more, then he would make a series out of it to share what he had learned, but often he did what he’d done today: Taken the circumstances of the past week, what God had taught him, and explained it the best way he knew how to those who were listening.

He had preached the same message during the other two services, and he felt like it came off fine, but during this half-hour with Sarah sitting out there, an excitement had entered his soul in a unique way.  Several times images flashed through his mind of being with her this week, especially last night at the house.