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Emma woke up to the sound of a flight attendant, "Ma'am, the plane is about to land, I suggest that you put you're seat belt on."
Emma smiled, "Thank you," and clicked it into place, she looked out the plane window and saw the city of London take form in the fog. Emma sighed, the school year had been amazing, Jess and Emma and a few other kids had gone to museums, and even the Eiffel Tower.
Everything was going fine until a few days after school ended, two soldiers from the army came to the door an announced that her father and other soldiers were ambushed and almost all of them had been killed or taken hostage. Her father was one of three taken hostage.
Her mother had said that it was better than being dead because there was a chance that they could rescue him, but Emma could tell her mom didn't believe it. Of course, Emma would have thought that that would have been the worst of it but of course her mom got deployed.
Her mom had told her to have faith and no matter what would happen it would be okay, Emma had a hard time believing that would happen. She tried to find God in this mess that her parents had told her on the rare times when they were deployed at the same time.
The reason she was in London was for a church camp type of thing that lasted the weekend, her aunt and uncle had encouraged her to go, "It'll be good for you, God will help you, remember what your dad told you."
Emma grabbed her suitcase and followed a girl from church, she had no idea how this was to help her out but she would do anything than listen to her aunt and uncle tell her everything was going to be okay because nothing was okay and it never would be.
When she got to the hotel she got a text from the head pastor saying to wear something white. Weird, Emma thought to herself as she reached into her suitcase and grabbed a solid white lace cold shoulder blouse. She took the hair tie out of her hair and decided to wear it down.
The girl walked in from the other room, "Ready to go?" she had an english accent and spoke good english.
Emma looked up and grabbed her phone, "Yep." she spoke good english so she replied in english.
They walked out and and saw tour buses, there was a woman standing with a clip board and lanyard with the name "Christy" on it. "She was talking to a group of teenagers and pointing to one of the buses. The girl walked up to Christy and said hi.
"Hey girls, go ahead and take a seat on the bus, we'll be heading to the church in a few minutes." Emma smiled and thanked her, Emma and the girl climbed into the bus, it was practically full. The sun was setting and it was getting pretty dark outside.
When they got to the church the sun had set and you could see the moon. When Emma stepped into the church she was shocked, it was the biggest church she had ever seen in her life.
Emma took a seat in the dimly lit auditorium filled with people, Emma looked around more closely and saw that most of people in the room were teens. She looked at the stage and saw what looked like a tub. It was long and wide, the walls were transparent so you could see the water dancing to the sound of the background music.
A huge cross hung against the back wall of the stage with red paint splashed on made to look like blood. The lights turned off and the only light came from several partially lit spotlights in the center of the ceiling.
The pastor walked to the center of the stage and spoke in a loud voice that reminded her of her father, "Good evening brothers and sisters! I can't tell you how happy I am to see all of God children in this room."
"Now today, we are going to feel the holy spirit of God tonight ladies and gentlemen, because tonight we are going to hear how God impacts everyone, but first I am going to read you two things Jesus told the Pharisees and teachers."
He cleared his throat, "
He said, “Suppose one of you has 100 sheep and loses one of them. Won’t he leave the 99 in the open country? Won’t he go and look for the one lost sheep until he finds it? When he finds it, he will joyfully put it on his shoulders and go home. Then he will call his friends and neighbors together. He will say, ‘Be joyful with me. I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you, it will be the same in heaven. There will be great joy when one sinner turns away from sin. Yes, there will be more joy than for 99 godly people who do not need to turn away from their sins."
"Now, what do we learn from this teaching?" he asked. "Besides the obvious, we sometimes take it for granted the fact that the shepherd has one hundred sheep he looks after and the moment when just one sheep goes missing he leaves the rest and goes alone in the wilderness to find it. And when he does, he calls everyone around him and shouts for joy."
He smiled at the crowd, "Doesn't that make you want to fall on your knees and praise God and Jesus for doing the same thing? Well, I am going to tell you another parable."
"There was a man who had two sons. The younger son spoke to his father. He said, ‘Father, give me my share of the family property.’ So the father divided his property between his two sons.
“Not long after that, the younger son packed up all he had. Then he left for a country far away. There he wasted his money on wild living. He spent everything he had. Then the whole country ran low on food. So the son didn’t have what he needed. He went to work for someone who lived in that country. That person sent the son to the fields to feed the pigs. The son wanted to fill his stomach with the food the pigs were eating. But no one gave him anything.
“Then he began to think clearly again. He said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough food! But here I am dying from hunger! I will get up and go back to my father. I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven. And I have sinned against you. I am no longer fit to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” So he got up and went to his father.
“While the son was still a long way off, his father saw him. He was filled with tender love for his son. He ran to him. He threw his arms around him and kissed him.
“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer fit to be called your son.
“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattest calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. This son of mine was dead. And now he is alive again. He was lost. And now he is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
“The older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants. He asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come home,’ the servant replied. ‘Your father has killed the fattest calf. He has done this because your brother is back safe and sound.’
“The older brother became angry. He refused to go in. So his father went out and begged him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve worked like a slave for you. I have always obeyed your orders. You never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But this son of yours wasted your money with some prostitutes. Now he comes home. And for him you kill the fattest calf!’
“ ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me. Everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad. This brother of yours was dead. And now he is alive again. He was lost. And now he is found.’"
"Ladies and gentlemen, our father in heaven does that same thing, doesn't that make you want to give you're life to Jesus Christ?"
The whole audience cheered, "Now we have some people here who want to testify and be baptized!" He said with a loud joy full voice.
Everyone in the single room shouted and cheered, the pastor introduced the girl Emma had come in with and handed her a microphone. Her name was Taylor Ross, she told her life story and in the end she was baptized.
By almost the end of the service the pastor asked in anyone else wanted to be baptized and Emma raised her hand. The pastor asked her to climb up onto the stage and testify, and looked at the audience. "Hi everyone, my name is Emma Blanchett, I'm fourteen years old and I have grown up in a christian home, my parents and aunt and uncle have a strong faith."
"I never understood it, I mean my parents always helped me understand the bible and Jesus's love, but I didn't process it like I should have. My parents are in the military, and my dad is currently missing over in some other country and my mom just got deployed a few days ago," Emma voice broke," My mom told me that God was in this mess but I couldn't find him, and I realized that I was looking in the wrong places, my dad told me to never loose sight of God before he deployed," tears fell down her cheeks, "But I lost sight of God, and as I was listening to this sermon and watching the baptisms I finally understood."
"I am a mess, I am late all the time, I stay up and night reading the bible searching for answers for why my parents chose to join the army, and I wouldn't fall asleep till late, and I can be so unreliable when it comes to being on time. And I could never understand why I was late, everyone asks me that and I still don't have an answer." Emma was crying now.
"And it struck me that, I was running around all the time trying to be a better me, that I lost sight of God trying to be the perfect christian that I forgot what it means to be a christian."
Emma was now sobbing, "I am now asking God to make me who he wants me to be and lead me because nothing good will ever come from loosing sight of God, I want to be baptized, and I want his peace," Emma said now sobbing, and looking at the pastor and at the audience, "Thank you."
The pastor came and took the microphone, "Emma I am so happy for you, the lord will do great things with you, he will with all of you." He lead her to the tub and helped her into it so she was standing the water was luke-warm, "Emma, do you believe sent his son Jesus down to save you?" He asked with a warm smile.
Emma nodded, "Yes," she said still crying with tears falling down her face.
"Well then, I now baptize you in the holy name of the spirit." He put his arm around her and Emma plugged her nose and closed her eyes, it felt like time had stopped and she went into the water. She felt peace and love and joy and all the fruits of the spirit she had been taught fill her soul.
When the pastor had lifted her out of the the tub to she was standing , she pulled her hair from her face and smiled and looked up to the ceiling where she could feel God and Jesus smiling down at her while listening to all the cheering and shouting.
* * *
New York City, New York- 2021
"How old were you when you moved to the United States?" asked Brandon Freeman.
Twenty four year old Emma Blanchett sat up and dabbed at a tear, "I was fifteen, they never found my dad and my mom died overseas so we decided to get a fresh start."
He smiled at her, "And you have been a christian ever since?"
"Yes."
"Miss Blanchett, I think it will be an honor have you on staff here."
The job interview ended and Emma felt God's presence, she had just gotten a job and a well known law firm specializing in religous liberty. She could feel her father's approval of this. And God would be there every step of the way.
The End
Thanks for reading! God bless you all!
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