Rescue Mission
"Thank you for Ms. Clara, and for everything she did for our family. May she rest in peace, Amen," Danielle and her parents finished their prayer, and walked out of the war room. Danielle headed to do her tons of homework while her parents started dinner. Thirty minutes later, she finished. "Mom!" she shouted. "Yes?" "Can I have Jennifer over?" "Sure!" "Ok, thanks!" Danielle ran to the phone and dialed. "Hello?" asked a quiet slow voice on the other end. "Hi, Jennifer. Wanna come over?" Danielle asked. "No," replied her best friend flatly. Jennifer hung up. Danielle immediately knew something was wrong. She thought back to two years ago, when Jennifer had gotten cancer. She had fought it off, but Danielle still worried sometimes for her friend's life.
The next day at school, Danielle asked Jennifer if she wanted to talk about it. Jennifer silently nodded her head. "How about you come over after school?" Danielle asked. Jennifer nodded her head again and attempted a smile. The rest of the day dragged on. When Danielle walked outside the school building, Jennifer was waiting. "C'mon, Jennifer, let's go," she said. They walked home in silence
Once at home the two girls walked into Danielle's room. Danielle sat down and waited. Finally, Jennifer spoke. "My parents have been going out every night and when they come back they start yelling at me and won't make dinner for me and fight with each other and-and…" Jennifer burst into tears. Danielle hugged her for a long time, then said, "Let's go tell my parents. They'll know what to do."
"Oh, sweetie, it'll be ok," Danielle's mom cooed. "Ma'am, I want what you have. Your family is always so positive…" Jennifer trailed off. Suddenly she felt at peace. She felt like nothing had happened. A smile slowly trickled across her face. She felt like someone else was taking care of her.
Danielle and her mom felt completely happy too. They couldn't wait to start explaining things to Jennifer. They prayed in their heads silently for a moment, asking God for wisdom. Over the next couple months, Jennifer spent a lot of time at the Jordans' house. They taught her the story of Christ, how he came to earth as a human, and died on the cross to pay the price for our sins, and then rose again. They taught her how to ask god to supply her every need. Jennifer also came to love the colorful, loving home of her BFF.
Finally the day came when Jennifer asked God to come into her heart. There was much rejoicing in heaven and on earth. Everyone was happy. But another challenge lay ahead. Jennifer now was intent on bringing her parents the same joy that her best friend had brought to her. They weren't on their own, though. God was going to be fighting for them. It was a battle that couldn't be lost.
Since Jennifer's parents were on a steady schedule of working and partying, they were hardly ever at home. So Danielle, Jennifer, Danielle's mom, Elizabeth, and her dad, Tony, spent all their free time in the war room asking God once again, for wisdom.
On her birthday, Jennifer skipped home quickly, excited to talk to her parents. When she got home, she called, "Mom?" "I'm in here!" came the faint reply. Jennifer raced into her mother's bedroom, only to find her sobbing. "Mom! What's wrong?" she cried. Her mother sighed and said, "Sweetie, your dad got into a fight. He's in the hospital right now, but the doctors are saying it doesn't look good. Jennifer suddenly felt overwhelmed with emotion. She sat down, letting the news sink in. finally she said, "Is he gonna be okay?" "I don't know. Listen, Jennifer?" "Yeah?" "I'm sorry we haven't been paying much attention to you lately. I know I don't deserve to be forgiven, but I'm asking for you to forgive me." "But mom, God forgave us when we didn't deserve it. He even sent his son down to DIE for us no matter how much we sinned! Of course I will forgive you!"
The response startled her mother. "Wh-who is this God?" she stuttered. "Why did his son die for us? Why did he do this?" the questions kept firing out. "How about I explain over dinner?" Jennifer suggested. "Okay," replied her mother, still dazed. But Jennifer, despite her father, couldn't have been happier. She was doing it! While she and her mom made dinner, she silently asked God for wisdom. Then she was ready.
But when they sat down, the phone rang. Every time her mother sat down, the phone would ring again. Her mother had completely forgotten her again. Jennifer went to bed that night feeling depressed and confused.
Jennifer's mother was in the kitchen, cooking. Her father was in the den reading the newspaper. Jennifer was busily munching a piece of toast. Life was perfect. Suddenly, Jennifer had something wonderful to tell her parents. She rushed over to her mother, excited to share her feelings, when suddenly, she couldn't run. Something was holding her back. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't go anywhere. And no matter how loud she screamed no one seemed to hear her.
Jennifer woke up from her dream sweating and feverish. She called to her mom, but there was no response. Her throat hurt and she was hot all over. She knew she had a fever. She stumbled over to her mother's phone in the living room and called Danielle's mom's number. "Hello?" came a sleepy reply. "Mrs. Jordan?" asked Jennifer feebly. "Jennifer?" came the reply. Suddenly Jennifer collapsed.
She was rushed to the hospital. She had gone into a coma. She didn't wake up for three days. Even when she woke up, it was clear that she was dying.
When Jennifer woke up there were three people at her side. Her mother, Danielle, and Danielle's mother. She was immediately surrounded by hugs, and kisses, and are-you-feeling-any-betters. "I feel fine. But mom, I never got to tell you"… She coughed. "About-God," She managed to get out. "Ok, right after I give you your birthday present," her mother replied. She handed her a blue Bible with her name engraved on it in silver letters. "Jennifer looked questioningly at her mom, then Danielle, then Danielle's mom. They were all smiling.
"When I found out about you going into a coma," her mother began. "I immediately thought to myself, she wanted to tell me something, but I got carried away. I had to know what it was. So I came and asked Elizabeth. I believe Jennifer. But we got carried away with other things after you were born. So we forgot." "Oh, and by the way, your father is doing well… just then, the doctor walked in "I'm sorry. The tests aren't good. The cancer you were fighting before never really left for real. There is no way to stop it now. Tears brimmed in Jennifer's mother's eyes.
Then everyone started crying. They stayed until visiting hours were over, talking and crying, and talking and crying some more. But they had to leave.
That night Jennifer went to sleep. It was a sleep she would never come out of. A sleep that caused much sadness on earth, and much rejoicing in heaven. The doctors were surprised that she lasted until nighttime. She had been holding onto life, she had to know that her mother and father were safe in the arms of the heavenly father. She wouldn't give up, until she had succeeded in her mission. Her rescue mission.