*Note: My writing has dwindled a lot with life's up and downs and busyness. I will try my best to be more consistent with my blog. Take care and God bless!
This story is based on Psalm 27
This story is based on Psalm 27
They arrived at the Canadian border with their fake passports and IDs. They all were a little nervous about all that was going on. They were nervous about crossing the border, but even more so, that they would get caught by Hernandez' men. They waited in line for an hour, which seemed like an eternity. A big burly, bald man was standing at the border crossing. "Where do you come from?", the man asked. They told him California. Ben made sure they had fake licence plates when they traveled. "Where are you headed?", the man asked again. They told him Ontario. He let them through, saying, "Have a nice visit." They all let out a deep breath of relief. They felt bad for lying, but didn't want any suspicion by anyone. They continued to drive north, and didn't have a clue where they were going. Sheila slept in the back, behind the front passenger seat. Pastor Manuel drove, with Kyle next to him. Ben and Drew were behind them. None of them have ever been to Canada. This was a new adventure for them all. Kyle had no idea what to tell his dad about being gone. He left a note for him, saying, Dad, went to a friend's house for awhile. Don't know when I'll be back. He didn't know what his dad would do. He was going to miss so much school that he might not graduate. But that didn't bother him at this time, considering the other option...death. Drew thought about his Aunt Rita, and Pastor Manuel thought of his family as well. Ben was glad to be away from everything bad that he had done. He was content. Sheila continued to sleep. Drew was worried that she was emotionally weakened by all that had happened to her. She was vulnerable. She hadn't been the same Sheila he had met. She was afraid and paranoid of every little thing that came up.
They came to this little cafe about ten miles or so from the border. They didn't know what town they were in, but they stopped to eat. Drew nudged Sheila as gently as possible. "Time to eat", Drew told her. "Are we in Canada yet?", she asked. He told her yes. A sigh of relief came over her. Drew and Sheila walked, with their arms wrapped around each other. The place was called Moose Eatery. Strange name, they thought. It was a real nice atmosphere and the waitresses were very welcoming. This time they waited to be seated, but they waited no time at all. A woman name Fern was their waitress. "Hi there! My name is Fern. What would you like to drink?", she asked. They all ordered the same drinks as they did previously. "OK, coming right up!", Fern told them. The cook was Fern's husband, Rick. He didn't seem too friendly. He just grunted a lot. Fern was in the back with him, telling him to straighten up and be nice. Rick grunted louder. They all got a chuckle out of their entertainment. They all tried moose burgers just to see what they were like. They had fries, onion rings and cole slaw, between them. Sheila, Drew and Pastor Manuel liked the moose meat. Not so much for Ben and Kyle, but they swallowed it down anyway. Two Mounty Policemen drove up, and Drew got very suspicious. They all looked at the police. The two policemen came in. "Hi Bill! Hello Carl! How's business?", Fern asked. "A little slow today, thank heavens," Bill said. They looked around. All tables were full and there were to other waitresses working them. Officers Bill and Carl gave their order to Fern. Drew got even more scared.
The two policemen welcomed them to town with no suspicion, so Drew and the others were relieved. They all said their good days and good byes and Drew and the others went to find a place to stay. They all had the same room arrangements and they gathered in Pastor Manuel and Sheila's room at a nearby motel. Pastor Manuel prayed and read Psalm 27:8, "When You said, 'Seek My face', my heart said to You, 'Your face I shall seek.'" They all knew what that meant, but the pastor reassured them that day. They were all scared, including Pastor Manuel, but they knew. They knew they had to seek God's face in every situation they came upon. Sheila was getting stronger physically, but mentally she still struggled. Spiritually, she was gaining strength, which surprised them all. She read aloud to them James 1:2-4, "Count it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have it's perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." It was difficult for her but the Lord was giving her the strength and faith that she never thought she would ever have. They got some rest, and for the first time, none of them had nightmares.
Were they free and clear now? It was morning and they went to have their continental breakfast. There were eggs, ham, bacon, pancakes, french toast and waffles, with real butter and syrup. There was milk, coffee and orange juice. They also had out some cereal and different muffins and fruit. Their meal was delicious and the coffee woke them up. It was 7 a.m. when they ate. No one could call their families, so no one knew where they were. Were their search parties out for them? Should they call? They were unsure. Pastor Manuel's family knew they were going to hide out in Canada, but no one else had any clue to where they went. They all kept seeking Jesus' face in all their troubles. Then, they saw the midday news, later that day. By now, the search for Sheila made international news. And today it came to an abrupt end. They were now considering it a recovery effort. And then there was the news of the rest of them. They panicked because they did not want the recognition. They left the hotel and gathered together for another plan. They not only needed to change their names, but their entire identity, hair and eye color and such. They had to move fast for fear of being noticed. Then amidst their panic, they all started laughing, realizing that all they needed to do was seek God's face and not worry. They still had no time on their hands and had to move quickly, but their panic subsided as they went on their way.
They went to this out-of-the-way hair salon in a smaller town than where they had left. They got hair cuts and their hair dyed. Sheila had long blonde hair to begin with and got it cut very short for the very first time in her life. She also had her hair dyed red. Her eyes went from green to blue, later on, and they all got various colors of contact lenses. Drew had light brown hair and got it a different style with a darker tone of brown. Pastor Manuel had his head shaved and Kyle got a military cut with a little darker brown than Drew...almost black. They went to an unsavory place in the neighborhood to get new ID's made. This made Sheila a little nervous, but they got out with no one suspecting a thing. Sheila had all kinds of questions for Pastor Manuel about all the deception they were doing. She knew lying and deceit were wrong, and she wanted to be a good Christian. Pastor Manuel told her the account of Rahab lying to the authorities about the spies that were sent by Joshua in Joshua chapter 2. He told her they had no other choice to survive and that God would use them in a great way. But they had to hide for awhile under assumed identities for their safety. Sheila didn't know what to make of all of this but trusted Pastor Manuel. Later that day, they managed to buy another car to hide even more. Ben always had a plan in getting financed for these situations. It was a used 2000 Toyota Land Cruiser, priced at $20,000. Ben paid cash and the guy just stared at the money kind of suspicious, but gladly took it. This, again was way too easy, they all thought, and maybe it was...
The two policemen welcomed them to town with no suspicion, so Drew and the others were relieved. They all said their good days and good byes and Drew and the others went to find a place to stay. They all had the same room arrangements and they gathered in Pastor Manuel and Sheila's room at a nearby motel. Pastor Manuel prayed and read Psalm 27:8, "When You said, 'Seek My face', my heart said to You, 'Your face I shall seek.'" They all knew what that meant, but the pastor reassured them that day. They were all scared, including Pastor Manuel, but they knew. They knew they had to seek God's face in every situation they came upon. Sheila was getting stronger physically, but mentally she still struggled. Spiritually, she was gaining strength, which surprised them all. She read aloud to them James 1:2-4, "Count it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have it's perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." It was difficult for her but the Lord was giving her the strength and faith that she never thought she would ever have. They got some rest, and for the first time, none of them had nightmares.
Were they free and clear now? It was morning and they went to have their continental breakfast. There were eggs, ham, bacon, pancakes, french toast and waffles, with real butter and syrup. There was milk, coffee and orange juice. They also had out some cereal and different muffins and fruit. Their meal was delicious and the coffee woke them up. It was 7 a.m. when they ate. No one could call their families, so no one knew where they were. Were their search parties out for them? Should they call? They were unsure. Pastor Manuel's family knew they were going to hide out in Canada, but no one else had any clue to where they went. They all kept seeking Jesus' face in all their troubles. Then, they saw the midday news, later that day. By now, the search for Sheila made international news. And today it came to an abrupt end. They were now considering it a recovery effort. And then there was the news of the rest of them. They panicked because they did not want the recognition. They left the hotel and gathered together for another plan. They not only needed to change their names, but their entire identity, hair and eye color and such. They had to move fast for fear of being noticed. Then amidst their panic, they all started laughing, realizing that all they needed to do was seek God's face and not worry. They still had no time on their hands and had to move quickly, but their panic subsided as they went on their way.
They went to this out-of-the-way hair salon in a smaller town than where they had left. They got hair cuts and their hair dyed. Sheila had long blonde hair to begin with and got it cut very short for the very first time in her life. She also had her hair dyed red. Her eyes went from green to blue, later on, and they all got various colors of contact lenses. Drew had light brown hair and got it a different style with a darker tone of brown. Pastor Manuel had his head shaved and Kyle got a military cut with a little darker brown than Drew...almost black. They went to an unsavory place in the neighborhood to get new ID's made. This made Sheila a little nervous, but they got out with no one suspecting a thing. Sheila had all kinds of questions for Pastor Manuel about all the deception they were doing. She knew lying and deceit were wrong, and she wanted to be a good Christian. Pastor Manuel told her the account of Rahab lying to the authorities about the spies that were sent by Joshua in Joshua chapter 2. He told her they had no other choice to survive and that God would use them in a great way. But they had to hide for awhile under assumed identities for their safety. Sheila didn't know what to make of all of this but trusted Pastor Manuel. Later that day, they managed to buy another car to hide even more. Ben always had a plan in getting financed for these situations. It was a used 2000 Toyota Land Cruiser, priced at $20,000. Ben paid cash and the guy just stared at the money kind of suspicious, but gladly took it. This, again was way too easy, they all thought, and maybe it was...
Stay tuned for Part 9, next time.
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