WEBVTT - Chapter Nine

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<v Speaker 1>Chapter nine, Sasha. They unloaded her in plaino. The porters

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<v Speaker 1>who cracked open her crate, two men in dirty jumpsuits,

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<v Speaker 1>seemed disappointed that she wasn't food. One of the men

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<v Speaker 1>was tall and balding, the others shorter and still fairly young.

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<v Speaker 1>They had white skin burnt reddish by the sun, and

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<v Speaker 1>neither of them looked like they bathed in quite some time.

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<v Speaker 1>Their faces were gaunt. Sasha didn't see any extra fat

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<v Speaker 1>on either of them. Add Dang, said the tall one, welcome,

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<v Speaker 1>said the short one. I hope you're ready for what

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<v Speaker 1>this is. They were not exactly the welcome crew she'd expected.

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<v Speaker 1>Saul had told her a man named David would be waiting,

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<v Speaker 1>but neither of the porters knew who David was. They

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<v Speaker 1>seemed much more frustrated than joyous at her presence. The

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<v Speaker 1>building wasn't what she'd expected either. It looked like an

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<v Speaker 1>old FedEx facility, with all the branding covered by red

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<v Speaker 1>spray paint. There was trash everywhere, mostly food waste from

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<v Speaker 1>crates of aid supplies that had been opened too late.

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<v Speaker 1>The spoiled food had been shoved into large piles and

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<v Speaker 1>left to rot. In one center of the large room.

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<v Speaker 1>Sasha guessed this had once been a loading dock where

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<v Speaker 1>delivery trucks would have dropped off and received packages. The

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<v Speaker 1>room was filled with a mix of aid crates and

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<v Speaker 1>miscellaneous boxes, stacked into piles by a ragged army of

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<v Speaker 1>tired looking men. Like the two men who had greeted her,

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<v Speaker 1>they all looked malnourished and skinny. The only people not

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<v Speaker 1>dressed in blue jumpsuits were a pair of armed guards.

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<v Speaker 1>They stood in the back of the room, near a

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<v Speaker 1>door that seemed to lead deeper into the facility. Both

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<v Speaker 1>men had white paint crosses daubed across the body armor

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<v Speaker 1>on their chests. Both carried very large black rifles. One

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<v Speaker 1>of them ran over once he saw her emerge from

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<v Speaker 1>the shipping crate. Welcome to the heavenly Kingdom, ma'am, the

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<v Speaker 1>boy drawled. He looked young enough to have come from

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<v Speaker 1>her own high school. There was a dusting of acne

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<v Speaker 1>on his unlined face, and his round cheeks still held

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<v Speaker 1>a bit of baby fat. Thank you, sir, she said,

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<v Speaker 1>and pointed to the cross on his chest. It's good

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<v Speaker 1>to see that. The young martyr smiled. Yes, ma'am, we

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<v Speaker 1>wear the cross here. He glanced at the porters and

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<v Speaker 1>narrowed his eyes. Most of us anyway. He extended his hand.

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<v Speaker 1>Sasha took it, and he helped her take her first

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<v Speaker 1>few steps into this strange new world. Her legs felt

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<v Speaker 1>wobbly and unstable after so much time crammed into a crate.

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<v Speaker 1>She was grateful for the help. I'm looking for David,

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<v Speaker 1>she said, Do you know where I might find him? No,

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<v Speaker 1>David here, ma'am, the martyr replied, But Darrell's the team

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<v Speaker 1>leader for this receiving yard. He'll set you to rights.

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<v Speaker 1>They walked through the rear door and into the building proper.

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<v Speaker 1>Sasha's escort guided her past old offices and break rooms

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<v Speaker 1>into what looked like it had been a waiting area

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<v Speaker 1>for customers. It had been transformed into an office. The

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<v Speaker 1>only occupant was a single man, surrounded by four folding tables,

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<v Speaker 1>each piled high with a mix of paper shipping manifests

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<v Speaker 1>and folding e paper displays. He sat in the middle

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<v Speaker 1>of it all and scrolled feverishly on a heavy government

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<v Speaker 1>issued tablet computer. This man, Darrell, was tall and broad shouldered,

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<v Speaker 1>but stooped forward. It looked as if his spine had

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<v Speaker 1>been bent at the mid's shoulders. Sasha relished the deep

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<v Speaker 1>lines on his face, the bags under his eyes, his

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<v Speaker 1>receding hairline, and even the way his joints popped audibly

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<v Speaker 1>as he stood. When she entered. No man she'd met

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<v Speaker 1>in the American Federation had aged so honestly, not even

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<v Speaker 1>her father. Sasha realized with a start that this was

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<v Speaker 1>the first older man she'd ever really seen. He must

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<v Speaker 1>be fifty at least. Hello, sir, she started, Ah nuts,

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<v Speaker 1>he spat not another one? Ee you. The man had

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<v Speaker 1>a thick drawl. He sounded country in a way Sasha

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<v Speaker 1>had only heard in movies. Her voice caught in her

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<v Speaker 1>throat as she tried to respond, Sir, I'm I'm looking

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<v Speaker 1>for David. Yep. He grunted you and every other teenager.

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<v Speaker 1>What's come through a depot? I'll tell you the same

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<v Speaker 1>thing I told them others. Ain't no David here. Sasha's

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<v Speaker 1>eyes widened. She squeaked and immediately hated herself for it. No, No,

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<v Speaker 1>David Darrel must have seen the fear in her face

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<v Speaker 1>and taken pity, because his tone softened. Listen. He glanced

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<v Speaker 1>at the small screen wrapped around his wrist. Tapped it

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<v Speaker 1>a couple of times and looked back to her. I

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<v Speaker 1>got about fifteen minutes left Herefore, I got a mating downtown.

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<v Speaker 1>I can drop you off. Folks there can help you

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<v Speaker 1>get set up if and you decide to stay. I

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<v Speaker 1>would appreciate that very much, Sasha said. Her face reddened

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<v Speaker 1>again when she asked, is there a restroom I can

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<v Speaker 1>use around here? I'd like to clean up a bit. Yep,

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<v Speaker 1>the man grunted and nodded towards a red door in

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<v Speaker 1>the back of his office. That's brabbit. No shower, but

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<v Speaker 1>the water runs. Sasha couldn't really smell herself anymore, which

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<v Speaker 1>she knew she probably smelled terrible. The thing she wanted

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<v Speaker 1>most was a long, hot shower with shampoo. Holy God,

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<v Speaker 1>she realized, shampoo is amazing. She was so preoccupied with

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<v Speaker 1>the thought of clean hair that she didn't even chastise

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<v Speaker 1>herself for the blasphemy. Sasha knew she wouldn't find shampoo

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<v Speaker 1>in this restroom, but any kind of clean was better

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<v Speaker 1>than her current level of filth. She thanked Darrell and

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<v Speaker 1>stepped into his bathroom. Sasha told herself it wasn't the

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<v Speaker 1>worst bathroom she'd ever seen, even though that was a

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<v Speaker 1>clear lie. The floor, once white tile, was so crusted

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<v Speaker 1>with black and yellow she could only tell they'd ever

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<v Speaker 1>bin tile by the slight suggestion of squarish shapes underneath

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<v Speaker 1>the filth. The toilet had been shattered almost completely. All

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<v Speaker 1>that remained was a little circle of busted ceramic around

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<v Speaker 1>a hole in the ground. It seemed to function as

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<v Speaker 1>a squat toilet now. The sink was intact, but it

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<v Speaker 1>also looked like it hadn't been cleaned at all in

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<v Speaker 1>the last year. The metal of the faucet was green

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<v Speaker 1>where it should have been silver. Sasha held her nose,

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<v Speaker 1>turned the hot water on, and hoped for the best.

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<v Speaker 1>It took her a round minute to stop hoping for

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<v Speaker 1>hot water. Of course, this place didn't have a functioning

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<v Speaker 1>water heater. This is a war zone, you stupid girl,

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<v Speaker 1>Sasha cursed herself. She felt tears at the edge of

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<v Speaker 1>her vision, but fought them down. Slowly, deliberately. She pulled

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<v Speaker 1>off her top, undid her braw, and hung both from

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<v Speaker 1>the door knob. As she did, she thought of the

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<v Speaker 1>Book of Romans. We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that

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<v Speaker 1>suffering produces endurance and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,

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<v Speaker 1>and hope does not put us to shame because God's

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<v Speaker 1>love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit,

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<v Speaker 1>who has been given to us. The word of God

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<v Speaker 1>gave her some comfort, but Sasha's stomach still churned as

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<v Speaker 1>she scrubbed the grime from her body. She confronted the

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<v Speaker 1>fact that this was all real. Now. She'd fled her

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<v Speaker 1>home and her family, traveled to a war zone, and

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<v Speaker 1>now she was here. It was done. Her great sacrifice

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<v Speaker 1>was now real, not theoretical. The excitement she felt that

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<v Speaker 1>that realization was marred by an anxious kind of horror

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<v Speaker 1>at the things she'd never do now. She hadn't really

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<v Speaker 1>thought about that before she'd left, but now Sasha realized

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<v Speaker 1>that she was never going to graduate high school, she'd

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<v Speaker 1>never go to college, she'd never see her father's face again.

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<v Speaker 1>She started to cry. It surprised her a little. For

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<v Speaker 1>days now, her emotions had felt stunted, buried under the

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<v Speaker 1>very immediate concerns of escape and survive evil. But as

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<v Speaker 1>soon as she had a minute to breathe, everything she

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<v Speaker 1>hadn't been able to let herself feel flowed out of

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<v Speaker 1>her eyes. First, she tried to fight it, but then

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<v Speaker 1>she remembered something Pastor Mike had written in one of

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<v Speaker 1>his columns for Revelator. Embrace your pain, for you will

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<v Speaker 1>hurt again. Embrace your grief, for it is a gift.

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<v Speaker 1>Lean into the wounds the world gives you. Have faith

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<v Speaker 1>that the Lord God does not send us burdens we

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<v Speaker 1>are too weak to bear. She left behind a world

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<v Speaker 1>where people denied their age with science, saved their pain

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<v Speaker 1>with narcotics, and fought the natural order of the world

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<v Speaker 1>the Lord had built. Sasha had wanted authenticity. She'd wanted

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<v Speaker 1>to live the truth of Christianity without compromise. That meant

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<v Speaker 1>leaning into this pain and letting it lift her up

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<v Speaker 1>into the arms of God. So Sasha leaned in. She sobbed,

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<v Speaker 1>and sobbed and sobbed, shook and shuddered with a pain

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<v Speaker 1>more profound than any she'd known before, and then she stopped.

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<v Speaker 1>She dried herself off, pulled her one fresh pair of

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<v Speaker 1>clothes out of her backpack, and got dressed to go

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<v Speaker 1>and meet the heavenly kingdom she'd sacrificed so much to join.

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<v Speaker 1>Darryl banked twice on the door right as she slid

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<v Speaker 1>on her socks. Ma'am, I gotta get moving. Maybe do

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<v Speaker 1>the make up later. Sasha shoved her dirty clothes in

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<v Speaker 1>her backpack, zipped it up, and opened the door. The

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<v Speaker 1>Heavenly Kingdom included rather more ship and bullet casings than

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<v Speaker 1>Sasha had expected. She'd known, of course, that it was

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<v Speaker 1>a war zone. The whole Kingdom was less than two

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<v Speaker 1>years old. Plaino had been taken just days ago. It

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<v Speaker 1>had all been won by blood and violence. She just

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<v Speaker 1>sort of figured the Army of God would have cleaned

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<v Speaker 1>up after itself. Daryl's truck was the oldest vehicle and

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<v Speaker 1>the first non autonomous one she had ever ridden inside.

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<v Speaker 1>It was frightening to think that one person's movements were

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<v Speaker 1>the only thing that stood between her and a grizzly death,

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<v Speaker 1>but her fear at that soon faded into anxiety at

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<v Speaker 1>the state of the world around them. The signs identified

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<v Speaker 1>this as plain O. She knew the center of that

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<v Speaker 1>city had been a stronghold for the Republic of Texas

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<v Speaker 1>and its corporate masters. They'd been content to leave many

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<v Speaker 1>of the surrounding cities in the hands of the Heavenly Kingdom.

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<v Speaker 1>Since that had meant more work for the SDF in Austin.

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<v Speaker 1>Despite its proximity to the front, Plaino's status as a

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<v Speaker 1>stronghold for some of the Republic's wealthiest citizens and corporations

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<v Speaker 1>had made it seem unassailable. The notoriously stingy Republic had

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<v Speaker 1>spent heavily on the city's garrison. Sasha still didn't know

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<v Speaker 1>what had happened, how a Republican stronghold had fallen so fast,

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<v Speaker 1>but she saw evidence of how the fall had gone

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<v Speaker 1>down all around her. The city was devastated. They drove

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<v Speaker 1>past a police station that was filled with bullet holes

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<v Speaker 1>and burnt black around its windows. They passed an elementary

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<v Speaker 1>school that looked as if it had been barricaded, turned

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<v Speaker 1>into a fortress, and then blasted apart with rockets. The

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<v Speaker 1>streets they rolled over had been cracked and broken by shellfire.

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<v Speaker 1>Sasha stared out with wide, excited eyes as they passed

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<v Speaker 1>mansions that had completely collapsed under the weight of heavy bombardment,

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<v Speaker 1>and all around them the streets were filled with soldiers.

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<v Speaker 1>There seemed to be a checkpoint every two or three minutes.

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<v Speaker 1>The martyrs who manned those checkpoints looked impossibly young. That

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<v Speaker 1>made Sasha feel a little less lonely. This is what

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<v Speaker 1>it looks like when a generation comes back to God,

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<v Speaker 1>she thought. At each stop, Darrell pulled a laminated paper

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<v Speaker 1>id out of his pocket. The soldiers would take it,

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<v Speaker 1>look it over, and then ask him about her. None

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<v Speaker 1>of them met her eyes. Just arrived today, Darrell always said,

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<v Speaker 1>she's here to help build the kingdom. Thanks be to

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<v Speaker 1>God was the usual reply. Some of the men at

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<v Speaker 1>the checkpoints were enthusiastic and shouted it with all the

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<v Speaker 1>joy she'd expected to hear, but a few of them

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<v Speaker 1>just looked at her with eyes that were half sullen,

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<v Speaker 1>half hungry. Darrell, she asked, twenty minutes and three checkpoints

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<v Speaker 1>into their drive, what exactly happened here? I left home

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<v Speaker 1>the day after plain O fell. It felt like just

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<v Speaker 1>such a miracle. It seems impossible for things to change

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<v Speaker 1>so much so fast. Darrell fixed her with a look

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<v Speaker 1>that Sasha couldn't quite read and made her nervous. The

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<v Speaker 1>next words jumbled up as they left her mouth. It's

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<v Speaker 1>just I mean, I know all things are possible through God,

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<v Speaker 1>but how how did we win here? From what I

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<v Speaker 1>read on the news? The older man laughed, well, there's

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<v Speaker 1>your problem. Trust in the news, you ain't gonna read

0:11:12.920 --> 0:11:16.000
<v Speaker 1>much true about Texas. There all those foreign papers love

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<v Speaker 1>the s d if. He spat out the window for emphasis,

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<v Speaker 1>and they treat the Republic like a real government, not

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<v Speaker 1>like a collection of robber barons and their hired guns.

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<v Speaker 1>Truth is, their position was always rocky. People around here.

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<v Speaker 1>You'd rather live under God's law than the rule of

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<v Speaker 1>the rich or those Prance and Austin faggots. He spat again,

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<v Speaker 1>and somehow made the gesture look like an apology. Sorry

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<v Speaker 1>for the curse, Miss Sauchi, It's been a minute since

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<v Speaker 1>I spent much time around a woman. She smiled in response,

0:11:42.559 --> 0:11:44.920
<v Speaker 1>because she wasn't really sure what else to do. And

0:11:44.920 --> 0:11:47.400
<v Speaker 1>then they turned a corner, passed a mostly intact line

0:11:47.440 --> 0:11:50.120
<v Speaker 1>of shops and a sign that welcomed them to downtown Plano.

0:11:50.720 --> 0:11:53.360
<v Speaker 1>The wide streets had been cordoned off by sandbags and

0:11:53.400 --> 0:11:57.080
<v Speaker 1>what looked like enormous fabric cubes filled with rocks. Several

0:11:57.080 --> 0:11:59.640
<v Speaker 1>dozen armed men milled about, and in the center of

0:11:59.640 --> 0:12:02.240
<v Speaker 1>the broad thoroughfare, Sasha saw what could only be a

0:12:02.320 --> 0:12:04.880
<v Speaker 1>gallows built right in the middle of the two lane street.

0:12:05.640 --> 0:12:08.679
<v Speaker 1>It was her first gallows. Capital punishment was illegal in

0:12:08.720 --> 0:12:12.320
<v Speaker 1>the American Federation. She stared horrified at the way the

0:12:12.360 --> 0:12:15.000
<v Speaker 1>six corpses strung up there swung to and fro with

0:12:15.040 --> 0:12:18.880
<v Speaker 1>the breeze. Sasha squeaked just a bit in shock. She

0:12:19.040 --> 0:12:22.440
<v Speaker 1>was glad the bodies weren't very close. Darrell seemed to

0:12:22.480 --> 0:12:24.840
<v Speaker 1>notice her discomfort. He looked down at her with a

0:12:24.840 --> 0:12:28.600
<v Speaker 1>mix of pity and understanding, ain't always pretty what we're doing,

0:12:28.960 --> 0:12:32.480
<v Speaker 1>but it's the Lord's work. The truck rolled to a

0:12:32.520 --> 0:12:35.080
<v Speaker 1>stop outside of a large red brick building that reeked

0:12:35.080 --> 0:12:37.760
<v Speaker 1>of government. Sasha couldn't tell what it had once been.

0:12:37.960 --> 0:12:40.880
<v Speaker 1>The sign was too thoroughly burned. A new sign made

0:12:40.920 --> 0:12:44.560
<v Speaker 1>of white vinyl identified this building as the House of Miriam.

0:12:45.400 --> 0:12:48.920
<v Speaker 1>This be your stop, ma'am. Darrell said thank you. She

0:12:49.040 --> 0:12:51.760
<v Speaker 1>forced a smile and then asked, should I just go in?

0:12:52.559 --> 0:12:56.760
<v Speaker 1>I'll walk in, how about that? Sasha nodded her gratitude.

0:12:57.040 --> 0:12:59.440
<v Speaker 1>She wasn't a hundred percent sure what was supposed to

0:12:59.440 --> 0:13:02.240
<v Speaker 1>happen at this point. Revelator had claimed that every man

0:13:02.280 --> 0:13:04.480
<v Speaker 1>and woman who journeyed to the Heavenly Kingdom would be

0:13:04.480 --> 0:13:07.400
<v Speaker 1>given meaningful work, food, and as much shelter as the

0:13:07.440 --> 0:13:10.320
<v Speaker 1>martyrs can provide. She knew that she could expect to

0:13:10.320 --> 0:13:13.040
<v Speaker 1>be housed with other young, unmarried women, at least until

0:13:13.080 --> 0:13:16.440
<v Speaker 1>she and Alexander were finally together. But this trip and

0:13:16.480 --> 0:13:19.760
<v Speaker 1>the Heavenly Kingdom was already so very different from everything

0:13:19.800 --> 0:13:23.120
<v Speaker 1>she'd expected. That was reinforced when she stepped out of

0:13:23.160 --> 0:13:26.280
<v Speaker 1>the truck and directly onto a pile of spent bullet casings.

0:13:26.720 --> 0:13:29.120
<v Speaker 1>There were burnt cars in the street, burnt buildings all

0:13:29.120 --> 0:13:31.800
<v Speaker 1>around her, and a vague but persistent smell of sour

0:13:31.880 --> 0:13:34.200
<v Speaker 1>milk in the air. The feeling of dread that had

0:13:34.240 --> 0:13:36.439
<v Speaker 1>built inside her since she'd left the crate hid a

0:13:36.480 --> 0:13:40.080
<v Speaker 1>new crescendo. And then Darrell took her inside the House

0:13:40.120 --> 0:13:43.760
<v Speaker 1>of Miriam, and everything changed again. Sasha saw a middle

0:13:43.760 --> 0:13:46.040
<v Speaker 1>aged woman sitting behind a desk in a big white

0:13:46.080 --> 0:13:48.839
<v Speaker 1>room while younger women sat and lined the walls around her.

0:13:49.320 --> 0:13:51.800
<v Speaker 1>The older lady had loose, friendly jowls and a mop

0:13:51.840 --> 0:13:54.800
<v Speaker 1>of gray hair tossed into a lazy bun. She looked

0:13:54.800 --> 0:13:57.959
<v Speaker 1>exhausted until the moment she fixed eyes on Sasha. At

0:13:58.000 --> 0:14:00.679
<v Speaker 1>that moment, her eyes lifted, along with her lips, into

0:14:00.760 --> 0:14:03.520
<v Speaker 1>a smile that was the truest thing Sasha had ever seen.

0:14:04.200 --> 0:14:07.560
<v Speaker 1>Praise be to God, she cried, You've made it. And

0:14:07.600 --> 0:14:10.400
<v Speaker 1>then a sea of girls rose up around her. Most

0:14:10.440 --> 0:14:13.079
<v Speaker 1>of them appeared to have been sewing up military uniforms,

0:14:13.240 --> 0:14:15.360
<v Speaker 1>but at the moment's call, every one of them set

0:14:15.400 --> 0:14:18.000
<v Speaker 1>their work down and rose up to meet her. Sasha

0:14:18.080 --> 0:14:20.920
<v Speaker 1>was swarmed by a sea of smiling faces, as girls

0:14:20.920 --> 0:14:24.040
<v Speaker 1>pressed their hands to hers, or embraced her, or prayed

0:14:24.040 --> 0:14:27.200
<v Speaker 1>over her and chanted in tongues. A dozen people told

0:14:27.200 --> 0:14:29.960
<v Speaker 1>her their names at once. Sasha went stiff at first,

0:14:30.200 --> 0:14:32.680
<v Speaker 1>shocked and a little mortified by the mass display of

0:14:32.680 --> 0:14:36.200
<v Speaker 1>physical affection by so many strangers. But then the older

0:14:36.200 --> 0:14:38.320
<v Speaker 1>woman made her way through the crowd and put her

0:14:38.320 --> 0:14:41.680
<v Speaker 1>hands on Sasha's shoulders. She brushed a stray hair out

0:14:41.680 --> 0:14:44.120
<v Speaker 1>of Sasha's face and fixed her with a smile that

0:14:44.200 --> 0:14:47.000
<v Speaker 1>was more motherly than Sasha's actual mother had ever been.

0:14:47.800 --> 0:14:49.840
<v Speaker 1>It's all right now, she said, in a voice that

0:14:49.920 --> 0:14:53.840
<v Speaker 1>was pure comfort. I'm sure you're probably feeling frightened and overwhelmed,

0:14:54.120 --> 0:14:57.600
<v Speaker 1>but you've reached the heavenly kingdom. Loose yourself from the

0:14:57.720 --> 0:15:02.000
<v Speaker 1>chains around your necko captive daughter of Zion. Your home now.

0:15:03.000 --> 0:15:05.280
<v Speaker 1>Something about the woman's voice and the way her hands

0:15:05.280 --> 0:15:08.600
<v Speaker 1>felt broke through the anxious wall around Sasha's heart. She

0:15:08.680 --> 0:15:11.680
<v Speaker 1>found herself in the older woman's arms. She sobbed, and

0:15:11.720 --> 0:15:14.160
<v Speaker 1>then she felt the press of bodies close against her.

0:15:14.480 --> 0:15:17.760
<v Speaker 1>The mingled sense of lavender, citrus and human beings filled

0:15:17.760 --> 0:15:20.720
<v Speaker 1>her nose. It comforted Sasha in a way she'd never

0:15:20.800 --> 0:15:24.440
<v Speaker 1>quite known. The anxiety and fear were gone now, but

0:15:24.560 --> 0:15:28.000
<v Speaker 1>so was any sense of motive inspiration. She let her

0:15:28.000 --> 0:15:31.120
<v Speaker 1>sisters guide her to a pillow on the ground. The

0:15:31.240 --> 0:15:34.680
<v Speaker 1>room got very busy. Girls scattered. They heated up water

0:15:34.720 --> 0:15:37.880
<v Speaker 1>and prepared food, and generally bothered themselves with every aspect

0:15:37.920 --> 0:15:41.280
<v Speaker 1>of Sasha's comfort. Soon she had coffee and buttered muffins

0:15:41.320 --> 0:15:43.920
<v Speaker 1>and a heavy jug of gatorade. A fan was moved

0:15:43.920 --> 0:15:46.280
<v Speaker 1>into position where it could blow more cool air onto

0:15:46.280 --> 0:15:49.240
<v Speaker 1>her face. The older woman sat down next to Sasha

0:15:49.360 --> 0:15:52.480
<v Speaker 1>and started to speak. My name is Helen, she said.

0:15:52.840 --> 0:15:55.200
<v Speaker 1>I watch over the newcomers here, and I helped them

0:15:55.200 --> 0:15:58.359
<v Speaker 1>adjust to life in the heavenly Kingdom. The most important

0:15:58.360 --> 0:16:00.840
<v Speaker 1>thing for you to know is that you loved and

0:16:00.880 --> 0:16:04.240
<v Speaker 1>wanted here. You'll have food and shelter into purpose. Do

0:16:04.280 --> 0:16:08.080
<v Speaker 1>you understand that, darling? Sasha tried to smile, but realized

0:16:08.080 --> 0:16:10.480
<v Speaker 1>her face was still stuck in the same absent grin

0:16:10.520 --> 0:16:13.480
<v Speaker 1>she'd worn since the greeting. After a long pause, she

0:16:13.600 --> 0:16:18.000
<v Speaker 1>managed to nod and speak, yes, er, sorry, Sasha. My

0:16:18.080 --> 0:16:23.000
<v Speaker 1>name is Sasha Marian. I'm from Virginia in the American Federation, Sasha.

0:16:23.240 --> 0:16:26.840
<v Speaker 1>Helen said, just Sasha, we have no last names here

0:16:26.960 --> 0:16:29.800
<v Speaker 1>and no nationalities beyond our allegiance to God and his

0:16:29.840 --> 0:16:34.800
<v Speaker 1>heavenly kingdom. Do you understand? Sasha nodded yes. I mean,

0:16:35.160 --> 0:16:38.200
<v Speaker 1>of course, I've I read every issue of Revelator before

0:16:38.200 --> 0:16:40.440
<v Speaker 1>coming here. I know that nations and states are a

0:16:40.480 --> 0:16:43.600
<v Speaker 1>worldly concept that only serves to separate us from God Almighty,

0:16:43.920 --> 0:16:46.960
<v Speaker 1>I memorize, Pastor. It's one thing to read the truth,

0:16:47.280 --> 0:16:50.120
<v Speaker 1>it's another to live it. Don't worry, child, It'll take

0:16:50.160 --> 0:16:53.240
<v Speaker 1>some time to unlearn your old habits. Helen had cut

0:16:53.240 --> 0:16:55.680
<v Speaker 1>her off, but she'd done it so gently that Sasha

0:16:55.720 --> 0:16:58.560
<v Speaker 1>didn't even take it as a rebuke. She just nodded again,

0:16:59.120 --> 0:17:01.480
<v Speaker 1>and then she remembered something. I need to find a

0:17:01.480 --> 0:17:04.200
<v Speaker 1>young man. His name is Alexander. He's in a mechanized

0:17:04.200 --> 0:17:06.280
<v Speaker 1>infantry unit. I think he's a corporal, and I have

0:17:06.320 --> 0:17:08.040
<v Speaker 1>a picture of him printed out in my bag. If

0:17:08.040 --> 0:17:12.080
<v Speaker 1>it will help, dear, Helen's voice dropped an octave. I

0:17:12.119 --> 0:17:14.240
<v Speaker 1>know this is hard to hear, but the martyrs have

0:17:14.359 --> 0:17:17.280
<v Speaker 1>important work to do. They fight that we might build

0:17:17.320 --> 0:17:20.200
<v Speaker 1>the heavenly Kingdom if the Lord sees fit to deliver

0:17:20.280 --> 0:17:23.040
<v Speaker 1>him safe from the fray. Sasha really didn't like the

0:17:23.080 --> 0:17:25.800
<v Speaker 1>way she said. If then we will find him and

0:17:25.920 --> 0:17:30.000
<v Speaker 1>reunite you two. Re Sasha gave a nervous laugh. Oh no,

0:17:30.400 --> 0:17:33.600
<v Speaker 1>we we've never met except for online. He convinced me

0:17:33.640 --> 0:17:36.199
<v Speaker 1>to come. I mean, I didn't come for him, but

0:17:36.240 --> 0:17:38.520
<v Speaker 1>I was really on the fence until I met him.

0:17:38.640 --> 0:17:42.520
<v Speaker 1>Helen's expression shifted. She looked was that anguished or angry?

0:17:42.840 --> 0:17:45.200
<v Speaker 1>But Sasha didn't detect any anger in her voice when

0:17:45.240 --> 0:17:48.240
<v Speaker 1>she replied, I know it's hard, love, but you're going

0:17:48.280 --> 0:17:51.359
<v Speaker 1>to need to wait to hear from Alexander. For right now.

0:17:51.440 --> 0:17:54.440
<v Speaker 1>It should be enough that you're here, you're safe, You've

0:17:54.480 --> 0:17:57.520
<v Speaker 1>done it. Do you know what this means. It means

0:17:57.520 --> 0:18:00.960
<v Speaker 1>I didn't get caught. Helen laughed, You had a beautiful laugh.

0:18:01.200 --> 0:18:04.679
<v Speaker 1>Sasha wanted to curl up and fall asleep inside it. No.

0:18:05.040 --> 0:18:07.720
<v Speaker 1>I mean well, yes, of course, she said. But more

0:18:07.760 --> 0:18:10.680
<v Speaker 1>than anything, it means that, for all time, forever and ever,

0:18:11.119 --> 0:18:13.480
<v Speaker 1>you're a person who made the choice to be brave.

0:18:13.920 --> 0:18:15.840
<v Speaker 1>You took a leap into the dark and trusted that

0:18:15.920 --> 0:18:18.879
<v Speaker 1>God's light would rise to meet you. There were tears

0:18:18.880 --> 0:18:22.360
<v Speaker 1>in her eyes, genuine tears wrapped up in genuine wrinkles

0:18:22.359 --> 0:18:24.399
<v Speaker 1>and laugh lines that had never felt the touch of

0:18:24.400 --> 0:18:28.000
<v Speaker 1>a surgical laser. That's the most beautiful thing in the world,

0:18:28.200 --> 0:18:31.800
<v Speaker 1>Helen said, I want you to know that. Sasha started

0:18:31.840 --> 0:18:35.199
<v Speaker 1>to cry too. Helen embraced her, held her close, and

0:18:35.280 --> 0:18:42.359
<v Speaker 1>Sasha was certain she'd never been happier. Hey, everybody, Robert

0:18:42.359 --> 0:18:44.359
<v Speaker 1>Evans here. I hope you just enjoyed the chapter you

0:18:44.440 --> 0:18:46.640
<v Speaker 1>listen to. I hope you enjoyed the chapters to come.

0:18:47.000 --> 0:18:49.280
<v Speaker 1>If you would like to read the text version of

0:18:49.320 --> 0:18:51.720
<v Speaker 1>this book either on the web or on your e

0:18:51.840 --> 0:18:54.119
<v Speaker 1>reader as an e pub you can find those on

0:18:54.160 --> 0:18:57.960
<v Speaker 1>the website a t r book dot com. So again,

0:18:58.200 --> 0:19:01.199
<v Speaker 1>the free ad free EP hub and the text of

0:19:01.280 --> 0:19:04.399
<v Speaker 1>every chapter will be on a t r book dot com.

0:19:04.400 --> 0:19:05.400
<v Speaker 1>Thanks