Chapter 3

Chapter 3

NEEDTOBREATHE sung through Tirza's headphones as she laid on her back in her bed, reading one of her favorite books for the millionth time.
A scream pearced the bluegrass melody, causing her to jump off her bed and run out of her room.
"What the heck is going on in here?" She asked, walking into the living room she found the two boys sitting on the couch.
"Indiana Jones is what's going on." Eli said dawning his replica fadora.
Tirza rolled her eyes, as she plopped down on the arm of the couch.
"You are such a dork."
"Yes, but I know lots of girls who said they want me as their brother, so you're lucky."
"Yeah until they realize what a pig you can be.”
"Yeah but -"
"Okay that's enough you two."
For the second time in the span of a minute Tirza jumped.
They all turned around and saw a tall, barrel chested man with hardly any hair on the top of his head where most of it had moved down his chin in a ful beared.
"Hey daddy!" Tirza ran into his arms and gave him a tight hug.
"How was your flight?" Eli asked from the couch.
"Luckily it was pretty short. I just had to fly a pastor to the coast."
Uncle Mark sat down on the couch as well.
"Which one are we watching?"
"The Last Crussade."
"Dad do you want dinner? We all just ate but mom left some for you in the oven before she left for the women's meeting." Tirza offered as she headed for the kitchen.
"Here I'll help. Figured it was my day to do the dishes anyways." Joshua rose fromt he couch and followed her.

Tirza tried her best to act normal as she pulled her father's lesagnia out of the oven.
"So what's your favorite book?" Joshua asked as he began to run hot water into the sink.
"Well that depends on the genre. And why the sudden interest?"
"What? I've only been at RVA for three months. I can't form instant relationships.”
Tirza sighed and reached into a cupboard for a plate.
"No, I know. It's always hard being the new kid." She mumbled under her breath.
"I'm sorry, I get kind of..."
"Cranky? Scared? Not sure of yourself? In need of some American chocolate?"
Tirza turned around in shock.
"Well you know a lot about girls now don't you?"
"Hey," He put his soapy hands up. "I do have a mom who does need American chocolate from time to time."
She couldn't help but laugh.
"You're dripping water all over the floor."
"Oh shoot."
Tirza went back to fixing her dad's dinner and Josh went back to the dishes.
"What about you?" Tirza asked, swallowing the lump in her throat.
"What about me?" Joshua repeated.
"What's your favorite book?"
"Well the one I read over and over again is Huckleberry Finn."
"Oh the boy likes the classics. Not many librarians even know what that book is anymore."
"It's really sad. What do you like to do besides reading?" He asked, scrubbing the empty lesangia dish.
"Um...Well I'm learning the piano, so...yeah.”
“Are you any good?”
“Um...I'm decent? Maybe?”
They both chuckled, but she hated talking about herself and he could tell.
"Well I've only got a few hobbies,"
He went on, giving her an out.
"I like to rock climb, play the violin and -"
"Tirza, are you getting that food?"
Uncle Mark asked from the living room.
"Oh yeah, coming!" Tirza grabbed a fork and ran into the living room.

.:+++:.

The next morning the boys asked Uncle Mark if he could help them set up a hiking trip up Mount Moori, the moutain in the neighboring town.
"Do you want to come sis?" Eli asked.
"Uh..." She glanced around and found everyone looking at her in between bites.
"How long are you going to stretch it out?" She asked.
"At least one night. We're going to spend the night up on the ridge, halfway up, and then hike the rest the next day." Joshua jumped in since Eli was busy scarfing down pancakes.
Triza nodded several times slowly, before she came to a decision.
"I'll let you know some time after church today. But when are you going anyways?"
"Probably on Tuesday. Josh is bringing his climbing gear so he's probably going to rock climb or bolder." That sounded like fun to her. She had boldered once before, it was basically rock climbing just with out the ropes and with more of a thrill.
She let out a pent up breath and nodded.
"Yeah I'll let you know after chuch."

.:+++:.

Triza tried her best to concentrait on the sermon that morning. Swahili was second nature to her, but her mind kept wandering off to what the boys had asked earlier.
She kept going back and forth between wanting to go and being stuck with two slightly imature boys for two days. She couldn't decide if it was worth it.
Church went on for it's usual three hours. The worship was always her favorite part. The Ugandan's praised God enthusastically, paying no mind to the people watching. When Triza was younger she had danced in the isle of a supporting church back in the Untied States, and they were a little beyond shocked to say the least.
But here, no one minded because everyone else was doing the same thing.

When the service was over, everyone walked back home.
"Mom, are you sure you don't want to ride a boda-boda (motorcycle) home?" Eli asked. His mom glanced at him with a grin.
"I'm not as old as you think I am. I'll be just fine."
Eli nodded and started talking about the hiking trip with Joshua, his dad and Uncle Jake.
Aunt Kassy hung back with her daughter. She knew from experience, that the look on Tirza's face meant she wanted some one to talk to.
"What's on your mind sweetheart?"
Tirza's eyes were still glued to her feet as she gathered up her skirt and hopped over a ditch full of garbage.
"I'm just... not sure I want to spend two days with slightly immature boys." She answered after a moment.
Aunt Kassy just smiled as she rubbed Tirza's arm.
"Honey, every man you will ever meet will be slightly immature. Boys don't grow out of it, they just grow bigger. Take your father for example," They both chuckled quietly. "He's still as much a seventeen-year-old boy as ever." Tirza sighed. “Well, what should I do?”
“What ever you want. The decision's up to you.”
“Well, what would you do if you were in my position?” Tirza pushed, not satisfied with her mom's first answer.
Aunt Kassy looked down the road both ways before following her husband across the dirt street.
“I would go.” She answered.
“You would?”
“Yes, I would. When's another opportunity like this going to pop up?”
Tirza studdied her mom. “Are you sure you're not trying to hook me up with Joshua?” She asked.
“I would never!” Her mom took immdiate offence, but when she met her daughter's gaze, she caved.
“Okay maybe a little bit.”
“Mom!”
“No but seriously, Tirza! This is also an opportunity to strengthen your relationship with your brother. I know you two went through a lot emotionally that you don't want to share with your father and I, which I don't mind and I understand, but you need someone to talk to, and who better to, then who went through it with you?”
Tirza was quiet for a moment before nodding.
“Alright.”
“Alright?”
“Alright. I'll go.”
“Well, alright then. Better get packed, I have to put food in all three of ya'll's backpacks.”

That afternoon while everyone was lounging around, Tirza told the boys that she would go. Eli patted her shoulder, and said “Good decision.” While Joshua hid a small smile, as he lowered his head, his curly brown hair hiding his eyes.
“But in the mean time, what are we going to do?” She asked.
“Um...” The two boys glanced at each other with a clueless look about them.
“How about we go swimming?” Aunt Kassy suggested.
Everyone immediately jumped on the idea, and ran to grab baithing suits.

The pool Aunt Kassy was reffering to, happend to be the local hotel's pool. It wasn't an outstanding pool, but it was more than welcomed on hot days.
So everyone jumped in the old truck and bumped along the roads, singing The Lion Sleeps Tonight at the top of their lungs just for the kick of it.
Kassy looked back at the kids, all smiles while they clapped out a beat, the jolsting from the pot holes didn't phase them a bit as they sang.
That's how she would always remember her children.
All smiles.

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Tirza had been enjoying the quiet outside while writing in her journal. She enjoyed hearing the birds chirping, and the people walking past the wall that surrounded the house. It was just a rich way of life that most people didn't stop to notice.

A horn blared in front of the large gate. She watched as the gardener ran over and swung it open. Her jaw dropped as her dad's Land Cruiser drove in. She picked up her things and ran around the corner and into the house.

"Mom!" She cried, setting her journal down on the coffee table in the living room.

"Yes dear?" Mrs. Hoffman asked from the kitchen.

"Why is Joshua Bennett here?" Tirza asked, her voice an octave higher than usual.

"Because both his parents, and your father and I thought it would be a good idea for him to spend the month with us. He was very worried when he heard about the plane crash." Her mom explained as she put a pecan pie into the oven.

"Well that's great and all but why couldn't he just have...called or something?"

Her mom turned and gave her a look that told Tirza her mom saw right through her. "You might want to look up Romans 15:7. It might help you through your rough spot."

Tirza groaned and leaned over the counter to look through the hole in the wall and watch as the guys unloaded Joshua's luggage.

"We also invited him so that maybe you two could work out your differences."

"Mom!" Tirza turned back to her with a frown.

"Oh don't act as if I don't know these things. I was sixteen once too. " Her mom winked at her before shooing her out of the kitchen. Tirza made a dash for her bedroom and quietly shut the door.

Sighing, she slumped down onto her bed. She looked around her bare room and her eyes fell on her Bible. Tirza reached over for it and flipped over to Romans.

"What was the verse mom mentioned?" She mumbled, but then a verse popped out because she had already highlighted it.

"'Romans 15:7, accept one another then just as Christ accepted you in order to bring praise to God.'" She sighed and set the Bible down and folded her hands in prayer, knowing she wouldn't be able to get over her uneasiness about Joshua with out God's help.

She honestly couldn't explain it. But ever since he started going to school at Rift Valley Academy, she was uneasy around him and didn't like it so she mostly avoided him. Though that was a bit hard to do since he was her brother's best friend and roommate. Eli couldn't understand it since Joshua was nothing but nice to her, and all she did in return was be snappy and play the 'Avoid Him At All Cost' game. Though she came to the conclusion that the reason why she always felt uneasy around him was because he had this way of starring at a person like he was trying to uncover their deepest secrets, and that did nothing but make her uncomfortable.

"Tirza, come out and greet our guest." Her mom called to her. Tirza sighed and set her Bible back down before pressing the wrinkles out of her linen pants. She then walked out and moved out of her room and into the living room.

There, she was met with two boys that were catching up on the latest happenings.

"Hey Tirza," Joshua said, looking up at her with that unnerving gaze.

"Hi." She gave a little wave and then grabbed her journal from the coffee table.

"How have you been?"

"Um...better. I've been better." She answered, backing up near the door just incase she needed a quick escape route.

"Yeah, I'd imagine. But it sounds like you've all had some amazing adventures that God has used to strengthen your faith."

"Well that was mostly Eli. But...yeah." She nodded several times, gazing at everything but Joshua, but the silence hung over her like a knife. "Well great to see you, hope you two boys have fun. I will be in my room." She then made a fast exit and locked herself up in her room.

Joshua turned and looked at Eli.

"Did I say something?"

Eli rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Nah, Tirza's just weird."

　

.:+++:.

　

Tirza pulled out a well worn notebook from her desk and flipped through it. In there a thousand notes of encouragement gave her reassurance.

"Why can't I just be normal around him?!" She cried, slamming her head onto the desk.

"Tirza?"

She turned around and saw her brother standing respectfully at the doorway.

"Yes?"

"Are you okay?" He stepped into the room, concern written on his face.

"Oh, yeah. Sort of. I'm just annoyed with myself."

"Well, Josh and I are walking down to the duka (small shop)/ Mom needs more Coke. Want to come?" Eli asked as he placed an old Mossy Oak baseball cap on his head.

"...Sure." Tirza snatched up a kanga (light blanket) and wrapped it around her hips, covering her shorts.

Outside, the trio made their way down the dirt road. The boys continued talking about the lost rugby game. But that was a conversation Tirza had no interest of joining. So, after a few moments of walking in silence, she regreted having agreed to come along. Plus Joshua kept looking at her and it was making her uncomfortable.

"So, Tirza," Her gaze jerked from the mountain in the distance to his intense, screaming blue-eyed gaze.

"I saw a kindle on the counter, do you prefer those over real books Tirza?"

Other than the passing thought that wondered 'where the heck did that come from?' she answered instantly.

"Books. Tablets deprive you of so many joys, I can't stand them."

"Oh? and what joys do they deprive you of?"

Tirza glanced at the boy before answering. Wondering if he truly wanted to know or if it was just a filler conversation. She came to the conclusion that he was honestly interested. Eli, however, rolled his eyes and muttered "Oh boy" under his breath.

"Well for starters I like my bookmarks. I collect them, like tourists collect magnets or key chains."

Joshua nodded in all seriousness so she took that as a sign to continue.

"I also like to see how far in the book I have to go -"

"Yes! and to get the satisfied feeling when you get to the end of the book and you can say 'I read all that.'"

"Right!" The fact that he made Tirza completely uncomfortable was forgotten momentarily. She was just happy to meet someone who understood her hatred against anything that tried to replace books.

"and you don't get to hear the pages turn, swiping a screen just doesn't do it for me." She said.

"I know what you mean. And books just have this...this smell. Especially old ones, like you just know they've traveled so far and somehow landed in your hands."

"Well why don't ya'll go on a date to the library," Eli cut in, shattering the mood. "But right now why don't you give me a hand with these?"

Tirza was snapped back to reality, though she couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she took a few glass Coke bottles from her brother.

.:+++:.

"So were you able to find some things you two have in common?" Mrs. Hoffman asked as she smashed up avocados with a fork.

"Well...at least one."

"Now that's an improvement! I'm glad you opened up, I know that's a difficult thing for you to do."

Tirza nodded in agreement as she flipped over a chapati (thick tortilla) on the gas stove.

"Well what do you guys have planed for break?"

"Uh...I have no clue. I assume the boys are going to go do something and get themselves hurt. While I plan to stay at home and get ahead in a few of my classes."

Her mom chuckled, making Tirza turn.

"You are so much like your father."

Tirza smiled and took the chapati off the pan.

"Go call the boys and tell them lunch is ready.:

Tirza took the plate of hot chapatis and hollered down the hall on her way to the dining room.

N sooner as they placed everything out on the table did the two boys come running like a pack of hyenas. Though they did wait patiently for the girls to sit down before they reached for hands and prayed. Butterflies erupted in Tirza's stomach when Joshua offered his hand. She noticed everyone waiting, so she hastily slid hers into his and tried to concentrate on Eli's prayer.

But the moment it was over, she let go of his hand and reached for a chapati.

"So where did Uncle Mark go?" Joshua asked as he attempted to pick up his ultra-stuffed burrito, but failed miserably, making Tirza chuckle under her breath.

"Not all of us can be awesome at burrito making you know." He whispered to her.

"He had a surprise flight he had to go on." Mrs. Hoffman answered.

"On a Saturday? That must be tough with your dad being a pilot and all." Josh admitted.

"You must not be able to see him much."

"Actually," Eli paused and swallowed before he continued. "It's awesome! He comes back with the most wild stories and the coolest trinkets. Some times he even takes us on flights with him."

Joshua's eyebrows rose.

"That is a pretty sweet gig."

"Yes, but it's not all fun times." Eli's mom cut in.

"Oh I didn't think it was Aunt Kassy. I looked into becoming a pilot a little while back. I know it isn't all it's hyped up to be."

"You wanted to become a pilot?" Tirza was surprised, Joshua wasn't one she had pinned down as a pilot.

Josh nodded in answer to her question due to the bite in his mouth.

"No it's not." Aunt Kassy agreed. "He travels into the Sudan a lot so it can be very dangerous. Plus it's hard work even when he's not on a flight. Lots of plotting courses, looking at charts, paperwork as well. He's constantly learning new things order to be the best that he can. It's a very stressful job."

"So I heard. And it takes a lot to become a pilot too! I mean you have to spend so many years as a mechanic before you can move on, and I heard the pilot training can be very intense."

"Very intense." Eli agreed. "Like this one time -"

"I think Joshua can hear that some other time Eli." His mom interrupted. "While we're not eating."

Everyone chuckled as they continued their meal.

Chapter 1

Chapter 1 

Tirza's eyes opened slowly, but they fluttered closed quickly when the sunlight hit them.

A thousand thoughts hit her at once. She was scared to open her eyes. Scared that she would find herself back out in the savannah with no one but her brother and Uncle Jake for company.

"Tirza, breakfast is ready!"

Her eyes flew open and her fears melted away when she heard her mother's voice ring though the concrete walls. She stumbled out of bed and ran her fingers through her long brown hair, quickly braiding it so it fell over her shoulder before she left her room.

Her feet shuffled down the tiled hall and into the living room. There, she found her brother sprawled out on the couch, in gym shorts and an old t-shirt from a camp he had gone to a few years ago. Uncle Jake was also sitting on the opposite couch that faced her brother. They both looked dead to this world. Which wasn't shocking since they all seemed to be having a hard time going to sleep these days.

"Hey honey. Sleep well?"

 Tirza turned and smiled at her dad in the dining room. He was sitting at the head of the table with a coffee mug in hand and his favorite book in his other.

"That's the best sleep I've had since I got back."

Her dad smiled that kind smile that could light up an entire room.

"That's good to hear."

"Sweetie, would you mind putting this on the table?"

 Tirza turned and saw her mother's face in the whole in the wall that showed a bit of the kitchen. She walked over and took the large bowl of chopped up pineapple to place it on the table.

"Are you making chai?" Tirza asked, referring to the milky sweet tea that they usually drank in the mornings.

"Of course I am. What morning am I not?" Her mother replied with a joking smile.

 Tirza moved down the hallway and turned into a doorway opposite of the one that led to her bedroom. This one led to the spacious kitchen where her mother was bustling about.

Mrs. Hoffman was a small woman with short blond hair and bright blue eyes that always light up when she was working with children.

"Need any help mom?"

"Why don't you set the table and take the water out."

 Tirza nodded and grabbed a stack of plates and headed out to the dinning room. It was strange to her that the house was so quiet, her dorm was hardly ever quiet expect in the early hours in the morning, but who was awake then?


Once the table was set and the homemade waffles were out, Tirza walked over to her brother who was still asleep on the couch. His blond hair was getting a little long and shaggy, but it suited his down to earth style. He use to be known as the tall lanky boy that couldn't walk strait on a flat surface. But as he grew older he was now the star basketball player.

"Hey, Eli. Wake up, breakfast is ready." She shook his shoulder gently but quickly pulled her hand back. He woke up with a jerk, his eyes flying open as he looked around in surprise.

"What?" He mumbled still half asleep. Tirza didn't bother hiding her smile as she gestured to the table.

"Breakfast is ready." She then woke up Uncle Jake, who woke up less violently and then they all gathered around the table still bleary-eyed and tired.

"Let's thank the Lord for this food." Mr. Hoffman said, reaching for his wife and son's hands. The table linked hands and bowed their heads as Tirza's dad led them in prayer, thanking for the safe return of their children and Uncle Jake, also asking God to keep them all safe in upcoming adventures. He finished his prayer, and Tirza's mom quickly blessed the food. Eli managed a smile as tired as he was before grabbing a waffle and smearing peanut butter on it.

 Tirza bumped his foot with hers from across the table. He looked up at her in surprise and she gave him a warm smile.

"Bet you were dreaming of mom's homemade waffles out there in the savannah weren't you?" She said, dousing her own in thick maple syrup they had taken over from the States.

Eli laughed and nodded. "Anything was better then those protein bars."

 Tirza joined in on his laughter. "Anything!"

.:+++:.

Knock knock.

"Come on in!" Eli shouted to his closed bedroom door. He looked up from his computer screen to see his dad walk in. "Hey dad, what's up?"

"Hey Elisha," He caught sight of his son's computer screen. "What are you working on?"

"Uh, it's just a video project for school."

"What's it about?"

"Actually how I grew spiritually during our adventure in the savannah."

His dad nodded several times as he looked from his son to the computer screen.

"I would be very interested to see it when you finish." Eli nodded in response.

"Sure thing...was that all you came in here to talk to me about?"

"No, actually." His dad looked like he was reminded of something. "You and I have to go pick up someone from the airport. Traffic is pretty light these days but you never know, so get ready in the next...five minutes, alright?"

Eli nodded and stepped over to his wardrobe. "Sure thing dad, be out in a minute."

His dad smiled and closed the door after himself.

Five minutes later, Eli and his dad piled into the Land Cruiser and they headed off to the small airport near the edge of town. In order to get there, they had to drive though the heart of town, which Eli actually preferred, he loved to watch the people walk to where ever they were going but what was so different in Africa then in America he found, was that in Africa, no one was in a hurry to do anything. Life was about making friendships and deepening them rather than getting things done. That's why he always felt like he never fit in America, his heartbeat was slower paced.

Once outside the town, they were stopped a few times by cows crossing the road. After that though they sailed down the red dirt road with the windows rolled down and their worries casted out to God.

"Ah! Look at that, we came just in the knick of time." Mr. Hoffman said with a smile as they pulled onto the grass behind the building that served as the airport. Eli jumped out and watched as a Caravan plane began it's decent onto the dirt airstrip.

"Who are we picking up dad? Another pastor?" His dad shook his head, and then pointed. Eli followed his finger and watched as the passengers began to walk down the air strip to the building. His eyes searched the faces, looking for one that was familiar. He finally saw curly brown hair and the face of his best friend.

"Joshua!"

The boy looked up and saw Eli waving like crazy. A grin broke out on his cheery face and he waved wildly back before entering the building. A few minutes later, he was out the other side and Eli slung his arm across his shoulders.

"Hey man, how's your family?" Eli asked with a grin as he took his friends bag and threw it into the back of the Land Cruiser.

"They're doing great, thanks for asking. How are you, Uncle Jake, and Tirza doing? I heard about the crash, and I've been praying for you guys non stop." Joshua asked as the two boys hopped into the back of the truck.

"We're all...adjusting back to normal life. It's kind of hard after something like that." Eli answered.

"I bet!" Joshua let out an exasperated sigh as he rolled down the window. "I'm just glad you guys are okay."

There was a twinkle in Eli's eye as he turned to his friend.

"Yeah, but you haven't even heard the half of it."

In God's Hands - A short story and prequel

In God's Hands
by
Aline Toews




Tirza's long brown hair whipped around her as she skidded around the corner of the building. Her bright blue eyes widened as she saw a familiar profile coming towards her, a profile she didn't want to see at the minute. 
She back peddled too slowly as she tried to avoid him. 
"Tirza!" 
She groaned and stopped, waiting for him to catch up to her. 
"Joshua. I didn't see you there." She lied, trying to bite back on the sarcasm was impossible with Joshua Bennett. It's not that he wasn't a good guy at heart, it's just that he didn't get along well with Tirza. Or actually (more accurately) she didn't get along well with him.
He was dressed like any other MK (missionary kid) she knew. Tattered cargo shorts that had seen better days, a dirty rugby shirt that was of the Rift Valley Academy team. His tousled dirty blond hair was windswept into his eyes and was practically crying out for a haircut. His dark brown eyes pierced hers with the stare that had unnerved her from the first time he had come to RVA. 
Joshua hadn't been there long, his family had just come out on their first full term mission to Kampala, Uganda this year. He had been sent off to RVA and was boarding now. Leila was still hesitant to make friends with him despite her brother's nagging her to be nice to his roommate. 
If she were to describe Joshua Bennett in one word, it would be: unnerving. 

Joshua was standing in front of her now, that piercing gaze on her once again and she shifted, trying to become smaller in her large hoodie. 
"I was wondering if you had the notes to our last Creative Writing class." He asked. She was taken by surprise by the question but nodded after a minute. 
"Uh, yeah. Yeah I do. But why do you need them? Tomorrow we're all going home." She asked, trying to make sense of his request.
"I have some catching up to do, and I'd like to do it over break if that's alright." 
"Oh! Oh, oh, okay yeah, um I'll go get those after I talk to my brother real quick." 
"Is it checking to see if he's packed yet or not?" 
Kiara's eyes grew wide as he guessed the reason to her visit and she nodded. 
"Don't worry about Eli, okay? I made sure he was packed this morning." 
Okay so maybe her first assumption about him was incorrect, but his stare was still unnerving and got her uneasy. 
"Um...thanks. I'll go grab those notes..." She said slowly, turning and walking away. 
Sighing with relief that she had been able to have at least a half decent conversation with the boy.

Halfway to her own dorm, she decided to visit her brother anyways. Sure Joshua said he had gotten him moving, but that doesn't mean he was completely packed yet. Eli still very much needed a motherly figure and it was up to Kiara to fill those shoes. 
She pulled out her Nokia dinosaur of a phone and dialed up the dorm parents of her brother's dorm. 
Once she got the a-okay to come on over, she snatched up her notes from her last Creative Writing class and headed to the copier in her dorm mom's rooms at the end of the dorm.
   They chatted up a storm as they caught each other up with what they were planning on doing during the one month they had off before they came back to school for another three months. This was one of the grateful and welcomed changes Tirza and Eli went through when they moved from their home in Virginia. Instead of getting a summer break for a couple of months and then another six months of school, it was three months of school, one month off, all year round. Their family was actually quiet grateful for this change. 

"So you still don't like Joshua much huh?" Anna, the dorm mom, asked. Tirza sighed and sunk into one of the welcoming, pour-out-all-of-you-feelings chairs.
"It's not that I don't like him that much, it's just that...he's..." Anna looked at her as if she could spit out the words any day now. "I don't know, I always get this feeling that I've seen him before, but I have no clue where from and so it's like déjà vu every time a see him! It's annoying and strange. I don't know what to do about it." She confessed. Anna's eyebrows pinched together as she thought about this but finally shrugged. 
"Cast your worries into the river and let the crocodiles eat it. Don't let them eat you, okay?" She asked. 
Tirza nodded several times and sucked in a deep breath. 
"Okay. I'll try to put it behind me. I'm going to go see Eli, I'll catch you later!" She cried, jumping up and rushing out the door.
"Yeah, bright and early!" Anna called after her with a playful smile.

.:+++:.

Pounding erupted on Eli's door. 
He groaned loud enough for his obnoxious sister to hear him. She took it as an invitation and opened the door. 
He watched her, gloomily, as she took in his messy room with shock and horror. 
"Eli! We're leaving tomorrow!" She cried. "I mean like, leaving tomorrow! You've got to pass inspection and you've got to get all this cleaned up!" 
"I know." He mumbled.
Tirza sighed and looked her brother in the eye. His were a bright green like their mother's, his black hair was kept short because he hated dealing with it. He wore a big sweatshirt like his sister, shorts and flip-flops. Typical MK, also very typical Eli. 
"I'll clean it up. Okay? I always do, now if you don't mind I'd like to get on it and you know I can only clean with my iPod on so there's no use being here since I wont be able to hear a word your saying."
She scowled at him, but handed him a few sheets of paper.
"These are for Josh. Please make sure they get to him okay?" She asked. Eli nodded silently and watched as she made her quiet exit.
   Eli was true to his word and cleaned up everything in the room that had some kind of relation to him, and decided to leave the rest to Joshua. When Joshua did return, he handed over the notes and the two walked down to the cafeteria for their last dinner in it for a month. 
The cafeteria was full of chatter, even tears, coming from girls, of course. They'd be back in a month and they always had to shed tears. Eli never got it. 
Everyone said bye to their friends and gave a promise to write, though everyone knew no one would, but it was a heart felt gesture all the same. Before long everyone was ushered back to their dorms to get as much sleep as they could before the early morning.

.:+++:.

Four thirty found everyone bleary eyed as they dragged themselves out of bed and changed into comfortable traveling clothes. 
Tirza grabbed her backpack and single duffle bag to the buses with her pillow tucked under her arm. 
Teachers and dorm parents were handing out breakfast in a bag for the road to everyone as they passed by, Tirza took hers and thanked Anna, giving her a hug and promising to see her later before she climbed onto the bus. 
Settling down by the window, she let the road become a gentle rocking, or tried to. Some of the potholes were so vicious she banged her head hard on the window and woke up. Sighing, she stretched her neck to see over the seat in front of her, wondering if she could see her brother, but all she saw was heads buried in pillows.

When the buses drove into Nairobi, the capitol of Kenya an hour's drive from RVA, most of the kids were awake again. The city was always too much for Leila to take in at once. People were walking everywhere, even at five o'clock in the morning, some of the women had their babies strapped to their backs in a cloth sling while they balanced baskets of fruit on their head and kept up with their other children. 
Men rode by on bicycles, grabbing onto the back of trucks for a lift up a hill, pikkis (motorcycles) zipped in and out of traffic where ever they could squeeze into. Horns were blaring everywhere, and the chatter of the streets soon became background noise for all the kids in the bus as they began to get ready to enter Wilson Airport. 

Eli made sure to find his sister before they walked into customs at the small airport. 
Once their bags were through the scanners, and they had stepped through the metal detectors, they followed the crowd of kids onto the airstirp where all the small 206 planes were parked.

Kids headed to their assigned plane, Eli took the lead and Tirza followed. This was a kind of unspoken agreement they had, Kiara was the boss when they had to pack up, but Eli was the leader. They met a familiar face when they reached the plane.
"Uncle Jake!" Tirza cried, running up to the pilot, dropping her duffle bag and giving him a big hug.
Jake wasn't really their uncle, it was custom for children to call their elders aunt or uncle followed by their first name. 

"Hey Tirza!" Jake said, giving her a squeeze. 
"I'm so glad you'll be flying us." She said, pulling back and standing next to her brother.
"I was presently surprised when I saw who I'd be flying. Hey Eli, how are you doing?" 
The two shook hands and exchanged a few friendly words. 
Uncle Jake took their bags and tossed them in the back of the plane. Once the bags were in and secure, they piled into the plane and secured their seatbelts. 
"Let's have a word of prayer before we head out alright?" 
Everyone bowed their head as Uncle Jake prayed for safety and that they would all have an enjoyable flight. 

After the pre-flight checklist to make sure everything about the plane was operational, they taxied out onto the runway and waited for the 'all clear' from the tower, once they got that, it was nothing but clear skies all the way home. 

 Tirza leaned her head against the window as her brother got plugged into his iPod. In her dreams she revisited a memory she hadn't had thought of in a long, long time. 

 

“Come on sis!”
Tirza turned to see 5-year-old Eli standing by the woods.
“No! Mama says we're not allowed to go in there with out Daddy!” She answered.
Eli rolled his baby blues and dove off into the forest.
Tirza, not sure what to do, but not wanting to loose her brother, dove in after him.
Shadows played with her as the trees loomed over her in the most menacing way her 4-year-old imagination could conjur up.
“Eli!” She shouted, pulling her hair out of a bush, leaving behind a pink ribbon.
“Eli where are you?!”
Her brother was no where to be found, and Tirza quickly realized that she was lost. Tears began to slid down her cheeks as sobs racked her body.
“Are you lost?” A voice asked.
Her head whipped up at the sound. Standing in front of her was a boy. Now he wasn't Ugandan like she had expected, he was an muzungu (white person). His curly brown hair was dirty and stuck to his forehead with sweat. His blue eyes looked concerned and worried. After a moment, Tirza managed a nod. The strange boy then took her hand.
“Well then, I guess I”m your rescuer.” He said with a toothy grin.

 Tirza woke up to a bell blaring and the sound of a sputtering engine.
"What's going on?" She asked. Uncle Jake was flipping various switches and pushing buttons. 
"Something's wrong with the engine." He answered. Panic filled her chest as she glanced out the window.  They were over a savannah, but luckily there were no animals anywhere near by. 
"What does that mean?" Eli asked from the back seat. 
"It means I'll have to make an emergency landing in the savannah." 
"We're not going to crash are we?" The panic couldn't be hidden in Kiara's voice.
"No. We're not going to crash, the winds are gentle, and the savannah's big, so we'll have a pretty good landing strip." 
Neither of the kids were quite sure how to respond to this news, but they kept their mouths closed as Jake contacted the radio tower, giving coordinates and explaining the situation. 
They were glad there would be no crash landing, but they weren't thrilled by the fact that they'd be landing in a savannah that yes didn't hold any animals at the moment, that didn't mean they wouldn't come out soon.

Tirza exchanged worried glances with her brother.
"Hold on tight." Jake said in a strained voice.
Everyone braced themselves as the ground came closer and closer. 
The tires came in contact with the ground with a jarring thud. 
Uncle Jake coasted the plane a few kilometers before he put on the breaks. Then it slowed to a stop, the alarm had stopped blaring and everyone was dead silent.

"Is everyone okay?" Jake's voice broke the deafening silence. He got a murmured reply from everyone and he let out a sigh of relief. 
"Alright, I say we pray. Give thanks to God for keeping us safe, and then ask for his guidance." He suggested. Kiara nodded numbly, and grasped her brother's hand tightly.
They all bent their heads, and prayed from the heart.
Once 'amen' was said, uncle Jake took over.
"Alright everyone get out, it's going to get hot in here, I've got to do a double check on the maps to where the tower said the closest village was. Eli there's a cooler in the back that has some juice and water in it, you can open one, but if we're out here for long we need to ration it." 
The two kids nodded and slid out of the plane. 
The dry wind was strong, sending Kiara's skirt flapping around her legs as they moved to the back of the plane. She sent up a thankful prayer that she had the sense to put on hiking boots that morning. 
Eli were gracious enough to let her pick out the juice and since she knew Eli hated the lime one, she picked strawberry. They all took turns sipping on it as they watched Jake looked at the maps he kept with him.
After twenty minutes or so, Jake came up to them with a relived look, they knew it was good news.
"The closest village is just about a days hike away south," He said as he went through his backpack. 
"We've got enough food if we ration it out." He went on. "We wont bring any of the bags just the backpack that has the food and drinks in it, -"
"I have a couple of kanga's (thin blankets) in my duffle bag, we can use those to cover up tonight." Tirza jumped in. Uncle Jake nodded and pulled her duffle bag out so she could find them. 
"Do you have anything you think would help us?" He asked Eli.
"Well, I've got a survival kit." 
"What does it have in it?" 
"A lighter, a canvas, a cotton bandana," Eli went on to list all the things he had in his survival kit, uncle Jake let him take it.

They soon had everything situated and where almost ready to head out.
"Let's pray." Uncle Jake said, placing a hand on the shoulder of Eli, and clasped Tirza's hand. 
"Dear God, please give us wisdom as we trek through this savannah, and please guide our footfall so we may avoid danger and arrive at the village safely. In God's name we pray, amen." 
Everyone exchanged a look, and with out a word they left the plane. 

.:+++:.

The hike wouldn't have been so bad if there had been a breeze. The sun was merciless with it's hot rays, and soon they found out that it would be harder to ration the water then they first thought.
The dead grass came up to Eli's waist, and higher if he stepped in a meercat burrow. 
Several times he had fallen flat on his face because of those little holes. Once when he had fallen, and finally gained his feet again, he couldn't find his sister or friends.
"Kiara!" He shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth.
"Uncle Jake!" 
A head popped up from the sea of grass, and with a huge sigh of relief, he recognized the brown hair as his sister. When he came closer, he found the two sitting on fairly level ground passing around a water bottle. 
"Don't disappear on me again okay?" He asked as he sat down between his roommate and sister. Kiara squeezed his shoulder and gave him a tender hug. 
"Promise." She answered with a smile. 
"So what are we going to do? I mean why did this happen?" Eli went on, turning to Uncle Jake.
"I don't know Eli. God's in control, not me. And I can't pretend to know what he has in plan, but I know he has a plan." 
Eli wasn't satisfied with the answer, but left it alone, knowing Uncle Jake didn't know anymore then he did.
Tirza could see his frustration, but also his fear. She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile. 
"We'll make it through." She said in such a sure tone, he almost believed her.

After a moment of sitting in the baking sun, they decided to keep moving so they could get as close to the village as possible before night fall. They all kept close together so they wouldn't loose each other again, and continued hiking through the savannah. 
"Uncle Jake?" Tirza said slowly.
"Yes?" 
"Do you think it's possible that we're here to learn something?" 
Eli scoffed.
"What on earth could we learn here? In the middle of no where?" He asked.
"There's a lot of things God could teach us through this experience. Like trusting him." Uncle Jake said, looking kindly at the children. 
"When it's over, and you move on with your life, you'll see that this experience will make you stronger in one way or another, and it's because of what you will go through here, that you will be able to do something in the future that you wouldn't have been able to if this hadn't happened." 
Tirza and Eli nodded in agreement as they took in his words and pondered over them. 

.:+++:.

The night fell on them a lot quicker then they expected, though Uncle Jake assured them they were pretty close to the village. 
"Let's try to find some firewood before the sunlight fades completely. Just make sure you don't wander too far. It's easy to get lost out here." Uncle Jake said, pulling out a flashlight, and handing it to Tirza. A sudden roar made them all freeze in place, their heads snapping around to try and figure out where the sound was coming from. 
"That wasn't -" 
"Yes it was." Eli cut his sister off, confirming her fear. 
"Oh dear Lord please protect us." She prayed. 
"Let's hurry up and get this fire starting." Uncle Jake said, stirring them out of their shock. "Lions are afraid of the light, they'll stay away."  
"Yeah...and then all the snakes'll come." Eli mumbled loud enough for Tirza to hear.
Her eyes grew wide before she smacked her brother's arm.
"Be quiet Eli." She grumbled, then turned on her flashlight and started walking into the night.
"That was uncalled for Eli." Uncle Jake said with a stern tone.
Eli sighed and ran to catch up to his sister. 

"Tirza I'm sorry, I was just teasing I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." He apologized as he walked in step with her. 
Tirza would have been perfectly content to just ignore him as she usually does, but today she felt like she should listen to him. 
"It's fine Eli. You're usually full of teasing so I've gotten use to it over the years. But you know I hate snakes." 
"Yes I know that, which is exactly why I'll make sure I kill them before they come anywhere near you." 
She smiled at her brother gratefully, before getting back to work. 
    It was silent for a while between the two, but the occasional roars coming closer made them move fast. 
When they had found a good bit of dry wood between the two of them, they stood up and turned around. 
"Um...you don't happen to know where uncle Jake is do you?" Tirza asked, her voice rising an octave higher. 
Eli gulped,  but didn't give her a flat out 'no'. 
They had wandered farther than they first guessed. It would have been no big deal if it wasn't dark, but now they couldn't see a thing except where Tirza pointed the flashlight. 
"Uh-oh." She muttered as the beam of light began to flicker. "No, no, no! Not now!" 
Then it stopped completely, no matter how hard she hit it, the beam wouldn't come back.
"Oh great! Just fantastic."
She groaned, but was silenced when the sound of something moving came from right behind her.
"Eli?" She whispered.
"I'm standing right next to you." He said, his voice coming from her right.
"Then who's behind us?" 
He didn't reply for a while.
"I really don't want to find out. Come on." She knew he was trying to keep his tone as calm as possible but she could still tell he was freaking out just as much as she was.
They both abandoned their piles of sticks and ran for it as fast as they could. 
The rustling behind them became louder, and it became quiet obvious that it was a lion now. 
They couldn't seem to go fast enough, the meercat holes in the ground caused for them to dance around to try and avoid them, but all the time they kept glancing over their shoulders to see if they could catch a glimpse. 
Tirza screamed when her foot got caught in a hole and she almost twisted her ankle. She landed on the ground hard, but immediately spun around when she could hear the rustling slow. 
Eli tugged on her arm, but her foot was stuck and she almost screamed a second time when she was sure the bone in her ankle was cracking. 
The noise kept getting closer, and closer. until she could see the vague outline of the large cat. 
Her heart was pounding so loudly Eli could hear it. They were both moving their lips quickly, forming words with no sound, praying for protection. 
The growl came from the back of the cats throat, and Tirza was sure she wouldn't come out of this alive. 
The great cat crouched down, preparing to pounce, Kiara's grip on her brother's arm tightened to the point he lost feeling in it. 

People always say just before someone dies, they see their lives flash before their eyes. This did not happen to either of the kids. Instead, when they were expecting lashing of teeth and tearing of claws, they got blinding light and a sudden random Kenyan screaming at the top of his lungs like a madman. 

The Kenyan held a flaming torch at the lion wildly, yelling in Swahili and jabbing the torch at it. The lion growled at him before bounding off. The Kenyan turned to the kids, and Leila tried very hard to bite down on her lips so she didn't say something stupid to offend him. But the thing about his appearances that was startling, was that he had piercing blue eyes.
"Come. I will lead you back to your friends." He said, his accent thick as he walked past them.
"Um, I can't," Tirza spoke up. "My foot is stuck." 
He turned back at them and touched her leg, as if to examine it, but then rose and kept walking. "Come." Was all he said before he kept walking. Eli glanced down at his sister who glanced down at her foot. She tugged it again, and was shocked to see that it came free with no problem. 
Eli helped her to her feet.
"How does it feel?" He asked. She tested it, slowly moving all her weight onto it. She shook her head in slight confusion.
"It feels...absolutely normal. Like nothing ever happened." She stated. 
"Come." 
They both looked to see the Kenyan looking back at them again, waiting for them. They ran to catch up with him. 
"Did you notice -" Eli whispered.
"His eyes? Yeah." Tirza finished.
"It's genetically impossible for a black person to have blue eyes." He said, remembering something from Biology.  Kiara nodded in silent agreement. 
   A thing they hadn't noticed before, was that the man had been carrying a large bundle of sticks, kept together with pieces of cloth at each end of the bundle, then formed a loop, that he rested on his forehead, letting the bundle sit on his back. 
The man looked back at them with his gentle blue eyes, then he reached out with his free hand to them. A peace settled over the siblings, as Kiara grasped the man's hand, and Eli grasped hers. Like they knew it was all going to be okay, despite the fact that they were stranded in middle of a savannah, there was no fire, Tirza's flashlight didn't work, and that they were almost eaten by a lion. 
Something Tirza noticed, was that the man actually smelled...nice. Like a field full of flowers on a breezy day. There was no perspiration, no odor that would normally accompany Kenyans.
   The man was silent the entire time he guided them to Uncle Jake again. Even when they did meet up with him, the Kenyan stayed silent.
Jake's eyes were wide as he looked them both in the eye.
"What happened to you two? You look like you've had the scare of your life!" Uncle Jake exclaimed, worry lines appearing on his brow. 
"We did. But I don't really want to talk about it at the moment." Tirza replied in a steady tone. 
Uncle Jake nodded, and turned to the man, who had stood silently by. 
"Asante sana." (Thank you) He said in Swahili. The Kenyan bowed his head, and placed the pile of wood at Uncle Jake's feet, then the torch in his hand.
"The lions will not harm you tonight." He said, then with out another word, he turned around and walked into the dark. 
All of them starred after the man in stunned silence. But the peace still remained behind him.
"Did you guys notice the man's eyes?" Jake asked.
"Yup." Tirza and Eli said in unison.
"Okay...Just making sure it wasn't me."

.:+++:.

The night passed by slowly. Everyone had a chance to sleep for a few hours, and also a chance to keep watch. With the too-close-for-comfort encounter with the lions, they needed someone to make sure the fire kept going through out the night, so they all took turns. 
In the morning, uncle Jake handed out granola bars to the two kids as they relived their scare from the night before with him. Telling him what had happened and how that man had come to save them. 
As soon as they were finished, Jake suggested they pray, and thank God for their safety in that situation and that he would continue to keep them out of harms way as they traveled across the last stretch of the savannah. 

With their stomachs content, and their hearts full they set out once again with heightened spirits. 
"I sure hope mom's not going to get too worked up over all this." Eli stated. Tirza shot him a look.
"How could mom not?! We crashed in middle of the savannah, and have to hike through it, and last night we almost got eaten by a lion. Yeah that's no reason for mom not to get too worked up at all." 
She said this all with a smile as Eli nodded his head and scowled at her. She gave him an eye roll and nudged his shoulder with hers. 
"Yes, your mom will probably be worked up over all this," Uncle Jake chimed in. "I just hope she sees God's hand in it, instead of all the things that could have happened." 
"Right!" Eli said, agreeing whole heartedly with him. "Like the fact that God didn't let us get eaten by lions!" 
"Eli!" Two voices nagged. 

.:+++:.

Eli hated the idea of someone finding them when he looked like he did. Usually he didn't care what he looked like, but it wasn't like he wore his sister's pink and purple tie died kanga all the time, nor would he admit it if he did. 
But ultimately, his sister had the right idea. She had given each of them one of her three kangas, to wrap around their heads so they could keep the sun off their necks and out of their eyes.
"I look like a dork." He stated.
"You are a dork Eli, so no need to worry." Tirza answered from under her pink blanket.  
Jake chuckled as the two had their sibling snapbacks and checked his compass.  
"How close are we to getting to the village?" Tirza asked him. 
"Just a few more kilometers. And then we're there." 
Their faces lit up at the news as the thought of seeing their parents again entered their minds. 
"Yes, we've made it. We've come so far and we've been safe so far. Let's just hope that God continues to keep us safe." He said, taking a swig of his water bottle, and then smiling at the children. 
The trio traveled in a hushed manner, thinking things over in their heads. 
Eli felt like the lion incident with the Kenyan man had been a slap in the face. The thought of being so close to death's door sent a chill down his spine. He never wanted to have to face something like that again. However, something his sister said stuck out to him. "We'll make it through." 
And that was true.
At the time he thought it was just a dumb cliché. But now it rang with a truth he hadn't seen before.
So long as he realized God was never absent in his life, he would make it through. That one Bible verse his mother use to quote all the time came to mind, it said "The Lord will never give you more than you can take." 
All these realizations made him want to cry and beg God for forgiveness of his ignorant, selfish heart. For not believing him when he should have. He felt the heaviness of his guilt like the teeth of a lion at his throat, to the point he cried out, and fell to his knees.

 Tirza gasped in shock, and rushed over to her brother.
"Eli!" She cried. "Eli what's wrong?!" The only reply she got out of him was sobbing as he clutched his head in his hands. 
Kiara looked up at uncle Jake for help. Hoping he had an idea of what was wrong.
He came up next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder, he guided her away.
"Let him be." He said gently. 
They knelt a little distance away and at Kiara's suggestion, prayed for Eli. 
    And all three of them prayed, prayed and prayed with earnest hearts and open souls. Begging for healing, begging for forgiveness, and begging to be shown the way. 
A peace flowed over all of them, letting them know the presence of God was there, just as they had known he was there when the Kenyan man saved the siblings from the lion. When Eli finally calmed down, he walked over to the two, his eyes open now, as he saw the world in a new light, like he was reborn. He knew then that nothing would ever be the same again.
"You okay now?" Tirza asked. 
He nodded, and held out his hand to her. She took it and he pulled her too her feet. 
"Yeah. I'll make it through." He said with a small grin. 
Uncle Jake rose next to him and gave him a big hug. 
"Yes, yes you will Eli. There's no doubt about that." 
They all chuckled, then were quiet for a moment.
"Come on. We still have a ways to go." Tirza said, squeezing her brother's hand reassuringly. 
"Yeah. I'm ready to go home." He didn't mean just the home on Earth, but the one in Heaven as well. The one he hadn't realized was waiting for him until just now when God opened his eyes. 
The trio continued their trek across the savannah with their hearts content and at peace, knowing they were in God's hands every step of the way.


The End