Chapter one
Morning sunlight spilled gently across the soft cream walls of
Elisheva's room in North Baoria district, one of the calmest
neighbourhoods in the peaceful country of Baoria, known for
its soft hills, warm weather, and quiet streets. Elisheva, a
seventeen teenage girl, and sharp eyed, knelt beside her bed
in prayer. Her thick, tightly coiled hair dense and full like a
soft grind of v curls framed her face as she whispered her final
amen.
"Elisheva!" her mother called from downstairs, her voice
steady but carrying a trace of urgency she didn't usually have.
"Yes mom?" Elisheva rose to her feet.
"Your friends are downstairs waiting for you.
"Okay mom! I'm almost done!" she replied moving quickly as
she slipped notebooks into her bag.
Downstairs, in the living room, Eitan and Zamir sat on the
long sofa, their feet resting lightly on the patterned Baorian
carpert that covered the wooden floor.
Zamir, eighteen teenage boy, pushed back the sandy brown
curls that always fell across his forehead. Calm and steady, he
had the kind of presence that made people feel comfortable
around him.
Eitan, also eighteen, perched on the edge of the sofa. His
short dense hair cut in tiny even layers gave him a sharp,
energetic look. His foot tapped softly against the carpet, a
habit he rarely noticed.
"Don't worry", Elisheva's mom told them kindly. "She'll be
ready soon. Please sit" upstairs, Elisheva suddenly froze
"Oh, my gosh, I'm late! She slung her bag over her shoulder,
checked the pockets, and nodded.
"Books… pen… pencil… Okay, good to go"
Then she stopped
"Oh no, my chemistry textbook!" she hurried to her
cupboard and flung it open. Clothes and paper tumbled out
onto the wooden floor.
"Where did I keep that book?" she muttered, digging through
the mess.
"Come on!!"
After a full minute of chaos, she sighed deeply, hands on her
waist.
"God help me", she whispered. "Fine I'll just go without it"
Turning towards the door, she spotted a familiar red corner
poking from under the blanket.
She blinked
"Seriously?"
She grabbed the book and dashed downstairs.
"I'm coming!" She called as she took the steps two at a time.
"Sorry guys, I didn't mean to keep you waiting"
"it's a good" Zamir said quietly, brushing his curls back again.
"Mom, I'm leaving now" Elisheva said, giving her mom a
quick peck on the cheek.
"Alright dear, stay safe"
"let's go" Elisheva said, opening the door to the bright Baoria
morning.
"Thank you, ma'am," Eitan and Zamir said together before
following her out into the peaceful streets of Baoria.
MIDFIELD HIGH SCHOOL
Elisheva, Zamir and Eitan, walked through the busy hallways
of Midfield High School, lockers slamming and voices echoing
around them.
"Another beautiful day only to be spent in that terrifying
class" Zamir muttered.
"Come on" Elisheva said, nudging him.
"But for real bro, it's a lot" Eitan added with a deep sigh.
"I know we have annoying classmates who try to make us feel
bad for doing the right thing or living righteously" Elisheva
said, "but let not get that in our heart. Don't let it spoil our
mood or our day. Let's be free and happy" She encouraged
with a smile.
"Yeah, sure" Zamir said, managing a smile.
"Guys…." Eitan sighed as they reached the classroom door.
"Come on, let's go" Elisheva said. As Elisheva reached for the
door handle it clicked softly and swung open. The sound cut
through the noise inside. A few voice lowered, chairs shifted
and several students turned to look. Elisheva stepped in first,
followed closely by Zamir and Eitan. For a brief moment the
room felt still. Some classmates whispered to one another,
other stared openly, and a few smiled in a mocking way. The
air felt heavier as they walked in. At the back of the class,
David leaned against his desk. He was tall and confident,
always quick to draw attention to himself. When he saw
them, a small smirk formed on his face.
"Oh, the righteous ones are here!" he said loudly.
"The righteous ones!!" The class echoed, laughing. Elisheva
and her friends quietly went to their seats. Zamir felt
uncomfortable and avoided eye contact, while Eitan
tightened his jaw but said nothing. Jesse, who sat a few rows
away, turned sharply in his seat.
He was a tall, handsome guy
with straight black hair, neatly kept and simple. His height
made him standout even when seated, and the calm
confidence in the way he carried himself. As he rose slightly
from his chair, it was clear he wasn't a type to stay silence
when something was wrong.
"Would you stop that! Jesse snapped.
"Oh, their little bodyguard wants to fight" David mocked.
"How dare you! Jesse stood up suddenly, anger flashing in his
eyes. His hands tightened into fists at his sides as he lifted his
head, his gaze fixed sharply on David. The calm look that he
usually carried was gone, replaced by the hard stare that
made his feelings clear.
"Jesse! Please" Elisheva said calmly. Just then, Mr. John
walked in. He was a middle age man with a firm posture. The
room fell quiet. Jesse's jaw tightened. He looked away from
David, forced his hands to relax, and slowly sat back down.
The anger didn't leave it settled deep inside him, heavy and
unresolved.
"What's happening here?" he asked.
"Nothing sir" Jesse responded quickly and sat down.
Mr. john nodded "Alright bring out your note"
As the class begun, Jesse gave a cold gaze at David who gave
a smirk in return.
"What's happening here?" he asked.
"Nothing sir" Jesse replied and returned to his seat.
"Alright then. Bring out your notes we're starting class" Mr.
John said. David glanced at Jesse and gave him a mocking
simile.
After class…
Elisheva, Eitan, Zamir were taking book out of their lockers
when Jesse approached them.
"What's up guys?" Jesse said.
"Hey bro" Eitan and Zamir said in unison.
"Hi Jesse. I'm really sorry about what happened in class
today" Elisheva apologized.
"Hey, hey, hey, it's okay, sis. It's all good. Just foolish Jesse
acting up. But it all good" he said.
"Sure" Elisheva smiled.
"So, where are we heading" he asked, placing his hand
around Elisheva's shoulders.
"We're just planning to go evangelize" Eitan said.
"Oh, that's good. Where?" Jesse asked
"On the streets," Zamir replied.
"Which street?" Jesse asked.
"Anywhere the spirit leads" Elisheva responded.
"Sharp, that's nice." Jesse said.
"We'll meet by 4pm at Elisheva's house, then we'll head out"
Eitan added.
"Sure, I'll be there. I gotta bounce bro. See you at 4pm." He
flicked his fingers and gave a slight salute.
"Sure, bye" they replied.
Elisheva's House...
Elisheva was lying on her bed, meditating on the scriptures,
when she suddenly received a revelation. She saw herself in
a desert badly wounded and crying. Then, just as quickly, she
snapped back to herself, panting in fear.
"Oh, God please help me" She whispered. Just at that
moment, she heard a knock. "Yeah, you can come in she said.
Eitan, Zamir, and Jesse entered the room. Jesse dressed in a
quite fashionably- he wore a black leather jacket, black boot
and a stylish top, and a necklace.
"Oh, hi guys" she said.
"What up, Eli," Eitan greeted. Zamir walked over to her study
table and began flipping through a book.
"I'm good" She replied. "I love your outfit Jesse"
"Oh, thanks" he responded.
"Wait, I didn't even notice your outfit" Eitan teased. Are you
going to evangelize or walk a runway?
"Evangelize of course" Jesse grinned. Just Wanna show them
God has been faithful and they'll see His works" "Sharp" Eitan
nodded.
"How to improve your prayer life- a nice book. Zamir said.
Can I borrow it?"
"Sure?" Elisheva replied.
"Thanks," he said.
"So, can we pray before we head out?" Eitan suggested.
"Yeah sure" Elisheva said, standing up.
"Let us pray" Zamir sang gently with his melodious voice.
"Our musician," Eitan chuckled, and they all laughed. They
held their hands and prayed.
"Alright bro let's go" Eitan said as they headed downstairs.
"Mom, I'll be going out for Evangelism with my friends"
Elisheva said.
"Alright dear. May God grant you wisdom and the right words
to speak" her mother prayed.
"Amen" they all echoed.
"Thanks, Mom" Elisheva said, pecking her cheek. "I'll be
leaving now"
"Alright dear. Bye!"
"Bye and thank you" the others chorused.
That evening, the bustling main streets of Midfield city
became their mission filed. Cars passed, vendors called out,
and pedestrians moved quickly, unaware that lives were
about to change.
At midtown community bus top, a woman stood near the
bench, clutching her bag tightly, her eyes weighed down with
guilt.
"Do you know Christ loves you?" Elisheva said to a woman
she was preaching to.
"Christ?" the woman asked.
"Yeah, Christ, he died for you so you might be saved" Elisheva said.
Eitan stood a few steps away from a wooden bench at
Green wood Memorial park, the late afternoon breeze
brushing past the trees. The man sitting there spoke quickly,
almost defensively, as if had already been approached
before.
"No, no no, I don't believe in Christ," The man said to Eitan.
"You're disappointed, I know, but Christ is here" Eitan said
calmly.
"How do you know I feel disappointed?" the man asked in
surprise.
"You lost your wife; she died of cancer and now you're feeling
disappointed cause he didn't save her life despite all" Eitan
said
"How…"
Along the riverside walkway, a woman sat on a bench
facing the slow-moving water, clearly uninterested in
conversation.
"Hey, good day, can I preach the word of God to you?" Zamir
asked.
"No, I don't want to hear it." She replied.
"You don'.t need Jesus?" He asked
"No, I don't" she responded.
"Oh, okay" Zamir said, he sat beside her and began singing.
The old market square was quiet as evening approached,
streetlights flickering on and closed shops lining the open
space. A man stood there, looking worn and frustrated.
"Do you think serving God pays?" the man asked.
"Yeah, look at me, am I not looking good?" Jesse asked.
"Yeah, you are" the man responded.
"So…"
"I don't think Christ loves me; I've sinned a lot. I'm certain he
doesn't love me anymore" the woman said with so much
guilt in her heart.
"That's why he came to die for us. He took all the pain and
grief and was nailed on the cross. He died so that we might
be saved form the adversity of sin. You think Christ doesn't
love you, but he still kept you alive despite all your sins. He
still shows mercy by preserving your live, protecting you from
the harms of the devil. If he doesn't love you, he won't keep
you alive; rather he would have allowed the enemies prey on
you. He loves you, and he wants you to come to him to
surrender your life to him. His arms are wide open ready to
accept you. He doesn't want you to drown in hell; that's why
he sent his son to die for you, and he has prepared a place for
you up there" Elisheva preached to her. "Really, he loves me
despite all?"
"No matter how you've painted yourself black with sin, he's
still ready to accept you and make you his own, putting on a
new garment on you" Elisheva added.
"I want to give my life, tell him I'm sorry, please, I surrender"
The woman cried.
"You surprised how I know all this. Christ told me about it; his
aware of your situation and the disappointment you're
feeling in your heart."
"But why, why did he let all this happen? why did he let my
wife die, despite all I did, like I worshiped him with all my
heart and he still..." his voice breaks. "He still…"
"Hey, it's okay" Eitan placed his hand on the man's shoulders.
"You know one thing God knows best, he allows things to
happen for a reason. Your wife died he knows why. What if
it's the devil trying to bring up circumstances so you could
turn your back from God? Do you think he's happy you serve
God? Do you think his happy you worship him? No, his not,
and his tries to bring up situations so you'll stop worshiping
him and he can have you. It a test of faith, would you serve
God even in the worst situation, despite all the heart breaks
and pain? You think Christ didn't face disappointment; you
think he didn't face pain and persecution as he preached the
word. Even when he was being persecuted, the pain he faced
been hung on the cross, he could have stopped, he could have
commanded the angels to destroy everyone, but he didn't,
he still stood still till he died cause of the love he had for us,
and we should do the same, we should love him despite all
because he went through a lot for us and our love for him
should remain still through the test of fire sir" Eitan said.
"I've stood far from Christ, shouldn't have drifted. I want to
come back, is he going to accept me back?" The man asked
"Sure, he will" Eitan replied.
Zamir kept on singing. The woman sitting beside him began
to cry, soft sobs escaping her as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Are you okay ma'am?" He asked gently.
"Yes" she nodded
"Are you Sure? Here, have some water" He reached out for
his bottle and offered it to her, but she shook her head
"No, I don't need water, I need Jesus, I need him" she said
and suddenly hugged him tightly. I need him.
"His here, his here" Zamir whispered gently patting her back.
"I've been serving God for years now, why haven't I gotten
any reward yet? Or is my service not valid? I'm Still in the
same circumstance" The man asked.
Jesse took a deep sigh and sat down beside him,
"You know one thing I've learnt; Patience. With patience
comes faith, if you have faith in Christ, you'd be patience with
him. He sees all your hard work and God is a rewarder of all.
It took me time to understand that, I use to labour for Christ
didn't see anything coming forth, but I was still pushing and
guess what?
"What?" the man asked.
"He came through and made my life better and he can make
yours too, just keep having faith, even when you don't see it
coming, keep pushing. Just like Noah in the Bible. God gave
him an instruction to build the ark. He didn't see rain coming
but he kept on building, he was mocked called all sort of
name. People called him crazy, a fool, because they weren't
seeing anything, but Noah a man of faith, still kept on
pushing heading to the instructions and we saw what happen
at the end. Jesse said "True son" The man said.
"Yeah bro, and I just need you to keep pushing cause God
going to surprise you and keep all your mockers shut!" Jesse
said
"Yeah" The man responded
"Now give me a hand five!" Jesse added. They slapped hands
and they both laughed.