The next day at around noon, I went knocking on Karen and Noel's door. Their house was part of a row of modest, stucco-clad townhomes, with a sago palm and a small garden in the front yard. Karen then came to the door.

"Oh hey, Pastor Max." Karen was expecting me, but not Noel. I wanted to surprise her.

"Hey Karen. Is Noel still home?"

"She sure is. Let me just get her. Noel!"

"Yes, Karen?"

"Pastor Max is here and wants to see you! Noel then comes down out of her bedroom." She was reading through the whole Book of Acts just before, that little bookworm.

"Hello, Pastor. Lovely to see you here!" I smile as they let me in, and we sit down in their living area.

"Look Noel, I'm sorry things went completely wayward with our Bible study last night. Normally things go a lot smoother than that…"

"Are you kidding, Pastor Max? I felt so invigorated because even though they are against us, God is clearly for us!" Noel seemed to take the whole thing in stride, which only serves as a testimony to resilience of the faithful in the face of darkness.

"That's good that you see things that way." I then plop down a red and white paper bag on the coffee table in front of us. "I don't know if Karen ever told you this, but after our youth group finishes, we all head over to Chick Fil A, which we couldn't do yesterday because of the earthquake. Being kidnapped as long as you were, I don't think you ever got to try the Lord's Chicken." I then hand Karen and Noel each a chicken sandwich, waffle fries, and a drink. I had a pack of chicken strips for myself.

"Oh man, this is amazing, Pastor!" Noel couldn't believe what she was eating. "It's not like those other places. This is real, fresh chicken!"

After we finish up, I ask Karen about her testimony. There were going to be baptisms done this Sunday, and all of the mermaids wanted to be baptized.

"It's going great, Pastor Max! It'll be done for Sunday. Also, Noel wants to be baptized as well. She's writing her testimony." I then turn towards Noel.

"That's nice, Noel. Keep in mind that a baptism is not only an immersion in water, but also represents a public declaration of faith in Jesus Christ and a willingness to be made dead to our sins and alive in Christ. Do you understand this? You need to understand this before getting baptized."

"I do, Pastor. I am grateful that through the grace of God, I have been freed from bondage, both physically and spiritually." This makes everyone smile, considering what Noel had been through just before.

"That's perfect! Here's an information pamphlet about the baptism process. It'll be you, Karen, Luchia, Hanon, Rina, Coco, Hippo, Nikora, and Nagisa. That's a lot of people who are seeking to do this on Sunday. Just come at 9:30 am, and we'll get you ready. Don't worry, we'll walk you through everything." The TV they had in their living room was on in the background, displaying the local news. It flashed a report about last night's earthquake; it caught our attention, but especially caught the attention of Karen and Noel.

"This just in, we now know that last night's Earthquake was caused by an underwater explosion 10 miles off the coast of Oahu. The disturbance seems to have originated in this spot, where now a large pile of rocky rubble lies. Having reached 5.0 magnitude on the Richter scale, we are very fortunate to receive as little damage as we did. The cause of this earthquake remains unknown and is still being investigated by the authorities. Reporting for Channel 2 news, Honolulu."

Karen and Noel immediately recognized the sight. "That was Gaito's castle!" That name sounded familiar to me. Hmm, where did I hear that name? I suddenly have a flashback to when Kaito and I were picking up pizza:

"So, Gaito and I are twin brothers, separated at birth…" This was the guy they were fighting against! "Girls, was this where Gaito lived?"

"Yes, along with his Dark Lovers. The ones who destroyed the portable." Karen then continued to explain. "They were fighting against us, as they hated everything we stood for. After we converted to Christianity, they only hated us more because we would expose the darkness of their ways. They were also the ones who kidnapped my sister and plotted for the destruction of mankind and the church."

"I see what you mean, Karen. They wanted to defeat us but only defeated themselves in the end of their mission to destroy humanity. Isn't that right, Noel? Noel?" I then see Noel sitting at the end of the couch, softly sobbing at this news.

"Aw, don't cry, sweetie!" Karen went up and consoled her sister. After a few minutes of this, Noel speaks to me and Karen.

"I was kept in that castle. If you and the mermaids hadn't come out and freed me, I surely would've been killed in that explosion and building collapse."

"You have Pastor Max to thank, as he taught me that I cannot solve my problems on my own, but rather that I should trust in God alone. No longer was I fruitlessly trusting in myself for these things."

"You also have God to thank. God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap (Galatians 6:7). Those who sow to their own flesh will only reap corruption, Noel. But those who sow to the Spirit will reap eternal life. You didn't die there and then because God knew that you would place your trust in Him."

Noel then smiled. "You're right, and I am so grateful to God that I hardly have the words to describe it. It's so beautiful, Pastor!"

"Amen to that! You should mention this as part of your testimony. It is amazing that God indeed did come and save you!"

"Amen!" Both the girls were happy to be able to rejoice in God, even in the midst of whatever they faced. Afterwards, I bid the sisters farewell and drove back to the Ige household. We were thankfully able to find a spare portable we could use, and we covered up the offensive graffiti with paint that matched the church's wall. I just needed to set things up in the portable for our College and Career group tonight, and things would be set.