1 00:00:02,640 --> 00:00:08,640 Speaker 1: Chapter six, Sasha, history is a messy thing class. Even 2 00:00:08,640 --> 00:00:11,400 Speaker 1: a question as simple as when did the Second American 3 00:00:11,440 --> 00:00:15,880 Speaker 1: Civil War begin doesn't have a clear answer. Some scholars 4 00:00:15,880 --> 00:00:18,360 Speaker 1: say the first shots were fired during the failed Montana 5 00:00:18,440 --> 00:00:21,840 Speaker 1: Seccession Movement of twenty forty. Others will name the Dallas 6 00:00:21,920 --> 00:00:24,720 Speaker 1: Water Riots of forty one or the bombing of the 7 00:00:24,760 --> 00:00:28,160 Speaker 1: Diamond Building six months later by leftist militants. You can 8 00:00:28,240 --> 00:00:31,160 Speaker 1: make a good evidence based case for any of these. 9 00:00:31,840 --> 00:00:34,600 Speaker 1: Mister Dane was a good lecturer, with a rich baritone 10 00:00:34,680 --> 00:00:37,400 Speaker 1: voice and a habit of animating his lectures with vibrant 11 00:00:37,440 --> 00:00:40,559 Speaker 1: hand gestures. He was Sasha's favorite teacher and one of 12 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:43,680 Speaker 1: her favorite people. Mister Dane was a heathen, of course, 13 00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:46,360 Speaker 1: but he was still a sweet man. She appreciated his 14 00:00:46,440 --> 00:00:49,680 Speaker 1: even handed perspective and his commitment to the unbiased study 15 00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:52,200 Speaker 1: of history. It broke her heart that no one else 16 00:00:52,240 --> 00:00:57,040 Speaker 1: in her Advanced Placement Continental History class seemed to appreciate him. 17 00:00:57,080 --> 00:01:00,200 Speaker 1: The other twenty four students stared ahead with slackened aws 18 00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:03,120 Speaker 1: and unfocused eyes. They were all deep in their decks, 19 00:01:03,400 --> 00:01:06,680 Speaker 1: messaging friends, browsing snap bids, or playing whatever game was 20 00:01:06,720 --> 00:01:10,039 Speaker 1: popular right now. Decks were far too entrenched in modern 21 00:01:10,080 --> 00:01:13,560 Speaker 1: life for schools to force them off during class time. Instead, 22 00:01:13,800 --> 00:01:16,959 Speaker 1: the school filtered the WiFi and forced students to download 23 00:01:16,959 --> 00:01:20,560 Speaker 1: apps that restricted access during school hours. This had led 24 00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:23,319 Speaker 1: to a thriving underground trade and apps that countered the 25 00:01:23,319 --> 00:01:27,360 Speaker 1: school spyware and covertly lifted the blocks. The district I 26 00:01:27,520 --> 00:01:30,360 Speaker 1: T Team was locked in a perpetual losing battle to 27 00:01:30,440 --> 00:01:33,839 Speaker 1: spot and crack these programs. But on a practical level, 28 00:01:33,880 --> 00:01:37,280 Speaker 1: the teachers, like mister Dane, just had to accept the intrusion. 29 00:01:37,760 --> 00:01:40,920 Speaker 1: The students didn't ignore him entirely, but very few of 30 00:01:40,959 --> 00:01:43,920 Speaker 1: them gave him their full attention. They didn't give anything 31 00:01:43,959 --> 00:01:46,840 Speaker 1: their full attention. Really. Most of her peers went through 32 00:01:46,880 --> 00:01:50,520 Speaker 1: their days half reading two or three conversations, playing games, 33 00:01:50,520 --> 00:01:53,600 Speaker 1: and scrolling through several social media feeds, even when they 34 00:01:53,600 --> 00:01:57,080 Speaker 1: were out in the world surrounded by people. Pastor Mike 35 00:01:57,200 --> 00:01:59,920 Speaker 1: called it the death of Joy. That was the name 36 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:02,840 Speaker 1: of the essay and revelator that had first turned Sasha 37 00:02:02,960 --> 00:02:06,760 Speaker 1: on to the heavenly Kingdom. He'd railed against distraction culture, 38 00:02:06,960 --> 00:02:09,760 Speaker 1: which he said not only robbed mankind of a relationship 39 00:02:09,800 --> 00:02:13,120 Speaker 1: with God, but it also robs us of the little moments, 40 00:02:13,200 --> 00:02:15,760 Speaker 1: the quiet joys of living are drowned by a flood 41 00:02:15,800 --> 00:02:18,600 Speaker 1: of data. It's a mosquito bite on the human soul, 42 00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:21,400 Speaker 1: and the masses have convinced themselves that the abatement of 43 00:02:21,400 --> 00:02:25,480 Speaker 1: discomfort from scratching this itch is the same ashappiness. All 44 00:02:25,520 --> 00:02:28,960 Speaker 1: around her classmates scratched their itches while mister Dane lectured. 45 00:02:29,320 --> 00:02:32,360 Speaker 1: He looked so lonely up there, They all looked lonely. 46 00:02:33,639 --> 00:02:36,240 Speaker 1: So mister Dane cleared his throat in an attempt to 47 00:02:36,240 --> 00:02:37,960 Speaker 1: pull at least a few of his students out of 48 00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:40,960 Speaker 1: their stupor. As we close this unit, I'd like to 49 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:43,959 Speaker 1: ask you all a simple question. What should we call 50 00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:47,320 Speaker 1: the war that split the United States? Your textbook calls 51 00:02:47,320 --> 00:02:50,079 Speaker 1: it the Second American Civil War. In the Northwest, and 52 00:02:50,120 --> 00:02:53,760 Speaker 1: the Christian States they call it the Revolution. By next Monday, 53 00:02:53,840 --> 00:02:56,120 Speaker 1: I'd like each of you to upload an essay arguing 54 00:02:56,200 --> 00:03:00,360 Speaker 1: which name is more appropriate. One thousand words please. The 55 00:03:00,400 --> 00:03:03,080 Speaker 1: bell rang. The other students got up slowly in twos 56 00:03:03,120 --> 00:03:05,880 Speaker 1: and threes and made for the door. Sasha was one 57 00:03:05,880 --> 00:03:08,120 Speaker 1: of the first up, but mister Dane called to her 58 00:03:08,120 --> 00:03:11,480 Speaker 1: before she reached the exit. Miss Marian, would you mind 59 00:03:11,480 --> 00:03:15,840 Speaker 1: holding back. A moment, Sasha stiffened. She glanced involuntarily up 60 00:03:15,840 --> 00:03:18,360 Speaker 1: to one of the government's propaganda posters on the wall. 61 00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:21,200 Speaker 1: It showed a young man with a brightly colored backpack, 62 00:03:21,280 --> 00:03:24,519 Speaker 1: surrounded by burnt out buildings in rubble. A green rocket 63 00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:27,320 Speaker 1: hung above him like the sword of Damocles, an instant 64 00:03:27,320 --> 00:03:29,800 Speaker 1: away from impact. Next to the young man were the 65 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:34,680 Speaker 1: words think again, step back, Yes, sir, she asked. As 66 00:03:34,680 --> 00:03:37,640 Speaker 1: she approached his desk. Mister Dane fixed her with a 67 00:03:37,720 --> 00:03:40,840 Speaker 1: kind smile. He looked around forty, although that was no 68 00:03:40,920 --> 00:03:43,640 Speaker 1: guarantee of anything. His eyes and lips were creased with 69 00:03:43,680 --> 00:03:47,040 Speaker 1: smile lines. Though she liked that about him. You seemed 70 00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:50,080 Speaker 1: a bit distracted to day, Sasha. That's not uncommon for 71 00:03:50,120 --> 00:03:52,520 Speaker 1: most of my students, he gave a slightly forced laugh. 72 00:03:52,800 --> 00:03:55,240 Speaker 1: But you're normally so engaged. I just wanted to make 73 00:03:55,280 --> 00:03:59,280 Speaker 1: sure everything's okay. Over the last year, Sasha had started 74 00:03:59,280 --> 00:04:03,040 Speaker 1: building up a dock pile of what she called defensive smiles. 75 00:04:03,080 --> 00:04:05,600 Speaker 1: She had one for when her parents were worried, another 76 00:04:05,680 --> 00:04:08,960 Speaker 1: for her few friends, and another for the school administrators. 77 00:04:09,320 --> 00:04:12,240 Speaker 1: The smiles were calculated to reassure everyone that she was 78 00:04:12,240 --> 00:04:15,680 Speaker 1: still normal. Sasha, and she certainly wasn't planning to escape 79 00:04:15,720 --> 00:04:19,200 Speaker 1: to the heavenly Kingdom. But she'd never worked up a 80 00:04:19,240 --> 00:04:22,919 Speaker 1: smile from Mr Dane. She genuinely enjoyed his class, so 81 00:04:23,120 --> 00:04:26,159 Speaker 1: it hadn't seemed necessary. She just decided to go with 82 00:04:26,200 --> 00:04:30,160 Speaker 1: her friend smile and hope that worked. I'm okay, I'm 83 00:04:30,200 --> 00:04:33,080 Speaker 1: just you know, inspiration head her. The news today is 84 00:04:33,120 --> 00:04:37,240 Speaker 1: so scary. What's happening down in Texas. I'm worried. Mr 85 00:04:37,320 --> 00:04:41,200 Speaker 1: Dane visibly relaxed. Ah, yes, I can see why you'd 86 00:04:41,240 --> 00:04:43,560 Speaker 1: be troubled by that. I think it's taken everyone a 87 00:04:43,560 --> 00:04:46,520 Speaker 1: bit by surprise. He paused and struggled with his words. 88 00:04:47,080 --> 00:04:50,680 Speaker 1: I expect it must be somewhat more difficult for you 89 00:04:50,720 --> 00:04:53,600 Speaker 1: than the rest of the class. Being a Christian. Her 90 00:04:53,640 --> 00:04:56,280 Speaker 1: smile faltered a bit. She knew she was supposed to 91 00:04:56,360 --> 00:04:58,880 Speaker 1: act like one of the tame preachers the government trotted out, 92 00:04:58,960 --> 00:05:01,760 Speaker 1: the men and women who'd Christianity was all about peace 93 00:05:01,760 --> 00:05:04,560 Speaker 1: and love. They'd say that the Lord's truth could coexist 94 00:05:04,640 --> 00:05:07,240 Speaker 1: with the equal truths of other faiths and with the 95 00:05:07,240 --> 00:05:10,320 Speaker 1: secular world of the am fed. That all felt wrong 96 00:05:10,440 --> 00:05:13,400 Speaker 1: to her, but a little irritation was worth avoiding suspicion. 97 00:05:14,640 --> 00:05:17,159 Speaker 1: My faith is stronger than a handful of terrorists, she 98 00:05:17,240 --> 00:05:19,839 Speaker 1: said to mister Dane. There are a lot of Christians 99 00:05:19,839 --> 00:05:22,120 Speaker 1: in the secular forces. You know they'll when in the end, 100 00:05:22,160 --> 00:05:25,880 Speaker 1: won't they. Mister Dane's smile remained unchanged, but his eyes 101 00:05:25,880 --> 00:05:29,320 Speaker 1: bored into hers. Sasha was more comfortable with eye contact 102 00:05:29,360 --> 00:05:33,080 Speaker 1: than most teens, but she found this deeply uncomfortable, invasive. 103 00:05:33,080 --> 00:05:37,240 Speaker 1: Even after several long seconds, he spoke, I fear it's 104 00:05:37,279 --> 00:05:39,800 Speaker 1: going to be a long, bloody fight before that happens. 105 00:05:40,000 --> 00:05:42,800 Speaker 1: We're very lucky to be insulated from all that madness, 106 00:05:43,200 --> 00:05:46,920 Speaker 1: you know, he sighed. An eleventh grader, However, a Jefferson 107 00:05:46,960 --> 00:05:50,159 Speaker 1: I was killed fighting in Dallas yesterday. The news just broke. 108 00:05:50,920 --> 00:05:53,640 Speaker 1: Sasha hadn't been aware, but thank God for him and 109 00:05:53,720 --> 00:05:57,640 Speaker 1: his sacrifice. She thought, that's awful, She said, I can't 110 00:05:57,640 --> 00:06:01,120 Speaker 1: imagine what his parents must be going through. No, you can't, 111 00:06:01,360 --> 00:06:04,560 Speaker 1: he agreed, And then mister Dane broke eye contact. He 112 00:06:04,640 --> 00:06:06,919 Speaker 1: looked down at the ground, and his voice dropped an 113 00:06:06,920 --> 00:06:09,719 Speaker 1: octave as he asked, did you know I had a son? 114 00:06:10,560 --> 00:06:14,440 Speaker 1: Genuine surprise passed over Sasha's face. No, sir, I didn't. 115 00:06:14,839 --> 00:06:17,080 Speaker 1: He shrubbed and gave up on his smile. It wasn't 116 00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:20,159 Speaker 1: much more than a ghost now, Anyway, I married young, 117 00:06:20,320 --> 00:06:22,160 Speaker 1: I was a dad at nineteen, and by the time 118 00:06:22,200 --> 00:06:25,520 Speaker 1: he was nineteen, the whole country was coming apart. He 119 00:06:25,600 --> 00:06:27,559 Speaker 1: reached down to his desk and picked up a small, 120 00:06:27,680 --> 00:06:30,400 Speaker 1: rather battered looking red button. It had the letters r 121 00:06:30,520 --> 00:06:33,440 Speaker 1: J printed in lower case letters across the front. Mister 122 00:06:33,520 --> 00:06:36,480 Speaker 1: Dane stared at it. Something twitched under his left eyelid. 123 00:06:36,600 --> 00:06:38,719 Speaker 1: He bit his upper lip. He was silent for a 124 00:06:38,760 --> 00:06:41,279 Speaker 1: long beat, and he swallowed and looked up at Sasha. 125 00:06:41,920 --> 00:06:45,440 Speaker 1: Do you know what this is? No, she said, reluctant 126 00:06:45,480 --> 00:06:48,560 Speaker 1: and pretty certain. She ought to have known. In the 127 00:06:48,640 --> 00:06:50,920 Speaker 1: years leading up to the revolution, there were a lot 128 00:06:50,960 --> 00:06:54,600 Speaker 1: of different activist movements founded and spread by anonymous radicals. 129 00:06:54,680 --> 00:06:58,800 Speaker 1: They'd organized flashed demonstrations and co ordinated direct action campaigns. 130 00:06:59,240 --> 00:07:01,760 Speaker 1: The pins were one sort of I D badge, so 131 00:07:01,800 --> 00:07:03,640 Speaker 1: when you showed up for a flashed demo, you could 132 00:07:03,720 --> 00:07:08,000 Speaker 1: quickly identify your comrades. He shook his head ruefully. It 133 00:07:08,080 --> 00:07:10,160 Speaker 1: sounds silly now. All I can say is, at the 134 00:07:10,200 --> 00:07:13,280 Speaker 1: time it made sense, and it felt meaningful. The anonymous 135 00:07:13,360 --> 00:07:16,120 Speaker 1: voice I listened to was a guy named Red John. 136 00:07:16,320 --> 00:07:19,280 Speaker 1: He had all these videos about history, politics. He explained 137 00:07:19,280 --> 00:07:20,880 Speaker 1: the whole world and what was wrong with it in 138 00:07:20,880 --> 00:07:24,040 Speaker 1: a way that just felt right. I started playing his 139 00:07:24,120 --> 00:07:27,360 Speaker 1: stuff for my boy Mikey when he was thirteen or fourteen. 140 00:07:27,760 --> 00:07:29,560 Speaker 1: I just wanted him to know what was going on. 141 00:07:29,880 --> 00:07:32,760 Speaker 1: I thought I was doing the right thing. Mister Dane's 142 00:07:32,800 --> 00:07:35,560 Speaker 1: eyes looked watery and heavy with the ghost of old tears. 143 00:07:35,800 --> 00:07:39,480 Speaker 1: He seemed to have trouble keeping his voice steady. Mikey 144 00:07:39,840 --> 00:07:42,520 Speaker 1: grew up believing hard, and when the fighting broke out, 145 00:07:42,640 --> 00:07:45,680 Speaker 1: he was young and strong and so very ready to 146 00:07:45,760 --> 00:07:49,080 Speaker 1: fight for the world he believed we all deserved. Mister 147 00:07:49,200 --> 00:07:51,040 Speaker 1: Dane set the pen back on the desk with its 148 00:07:51,040 --> 00:07:55,760 Speaker 1: cover facing down. His eyes were red. He died in Denver, 149 00:07:56,160 --> 00:07:59,280 Speaker 1: mister Dane said, and his voice broke a little shot 150 00:07:59,360 --> 00:08:02,480 Speaker 1: through the head. When the National Guard pushed into Westminster, 151 00:08:03,400 --> 00:08:05,960 Speaker 1: Sasha put a hand on mister Dane's shoulder. It was 152 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:09,880 Speaker 1: an instinctive move, blessedly honest. She silently thanked God for 153 00:08:09,920 --> 00:08:12,480 Speaker 1: this moment of connection to the educator she so admired. 154 00:08:12,920 --> 00:08:16,040 Speaker 1: He smiled back at her, thank you. I don't mean 155 00:08:16,080 --> 00:08:17,600 Speaker 1: for this to be a lecture. I don't think those 156 00:08:17,640 --> 00:08:20,480 Speaker 1: tend to work. Just he glanced back at the table. 157 00:08:21,080 --> 00:08:24,120 Speaker 1: Just be careful about putting your faith in charismatic men 158 00:08:24,200 --> 00:08:28,240 Speaker 1: and their ideas. I will, she said. A minute later, 159 00:08:28,320 --> 00:08:31,200 Speaker 1: as she left the classroom, a notification pip lit up 160 00:08:31,200 --> 00:08:33,760 Speaker 1: on the top right corner of her vision. She wink 161 00:08:33,840 --> 00:08:37,240 Speaker 1: clicked it and saw a message from brother Andrew bus 162 00:08:37,280 --> 00:08:41,800 Speaker 1: stop twenty three a four thirty p m. The rest 163 00:08:41,800 --> 00:08:44,520 Speaker 1: of the day passed normally enough. In the afternoon, they 164 00:08:44,520 --> 00:08:47,120 Speaker 1: had an assembly about the suicide of a classmate. It 165 00:08:47,240 --> 00:08:50,200 Speaker 1: was the third this year. Principal Hargrave delivered the same 166 00:08:50,200 --> 00:08:52,880 Speaker 1: platitudes they'd all heard a hundred times. There was a 167 00:08:52,880 --> 00:08:55,319 Speaker 1: lot of talk about suicide hot lines and chat rooms. 168 00:08:55,320 --> 00:08:58,320 Speaker 1: Of all the counseling services the school had available, Sasha 169 00:08:58,400 --> 00:09:01,000 Speaker 1: knew none of it would help. Almost twenty percent of 170 00:09:01,040 --> 00:09:03,920 Speaker 1: teens in the m FED would attempt suicide every year. 171 00:09:03,960 --> 00:09:05,960 Speaker 1: That number ticked up a few tenths of a percent, 172 00:09:06,240 --> 00:09:08,520 Speaker 1: and the government had no idea how to stop it. 173 00:09:09,280 --> 00:09:12,400 Speaker 1: Pastor Mike blamed the rash of suicides on the emptiness 174 00:09:12,400 --> 00:09:15,280 Speaker 1: of secular life. The spiritual whole at the center of 175 00:09:15,360 --> 00:09:18,640 Speaker 1: capitalism and the self worship had fed. Sasha thought he'd 176 00:09:18,720 --> 00:09:21,560 Speaker 1: hit that right on the money. Even the United Christian 177 00:09:21,600 --> 00:09:25,240 Speaker 1: States still engaged in global capitalism and doing so that 178 00:09:25,400 --> 00:09:28,480 Speaker 1: a dark God in permanent opposition to the Lord Almighty. 179 00:09:28,840 --> 00:09:32,480 Speaker 1: Pastor Mike again, she knew Principal hargraves lectures were pointless, 180 00:09:32,520 --> 00:09:34,560 Speaker 1: but she sat through the assembly and gave the right 181 00:09:34,600 --> 00:09:36,640 Speaker 1: smiles to the right people. The rest of the day, 182 00:09:37,120 --> 00:09:39,520 Speaker 1: she focused on her studies as best she could, despite 183 00:09:39,520 --> 00:09:43,000 Speaker 1: the growing anxiety in her gut. Two weeks ago, she'd 184 00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:46,600 Speaker 1: read a Pastor Mike article and revelator, don't talk yourself 185 00:09:46,640 --> 00:09:49,040 Speaker 1: out of Heaven. It had clearly been written for the 186 00:09:49,080 --> 00:09:53,600 Speaker 1: conflicted faithful just like her. I've received messages from hundreds 187 00:09:53,640 --> 00:09:56,120 Speaker 1: of you who say I'd love to open myself up 188 00:09:56,160 --> 00:09:58,840 Speaker 1: to martyrdom. But I'm a doctor, or a police officer 189 00:09:58,960 --> 00:10:01,080 Speaker 1: or an engineer, and I think I can do more 190 00:10:01,120 --> 00:10:04,840 Speaker 1: to glorify God where I am right now. Brothers and sisters, 191 00:10:05,120 --> 00:10:07,840 Speaker 1: these are the doubts of the serpent. Don't be fooled. 192 00:10:08,080 --> 00:10:10,240 Speaker 1: No one stays in comfort because they want to bring 193 00:10:10,280 --> 00:10:13,360 Speaker 1: glory to the Almighty. Our Lord does not speak to 194 00:10:13,480 --> 00:10:16,240 Speaker 1: us from comfortable places. He spoke to Moses in a 195 00:10:16,240 --> 00:10:19,200 Speaker 1: desolate desert, from a burning bush. He delivered his greatest 196 00:10:19,200 --> 00:10:21,920 Speaker 1: sermon atop a mountain. Jehovah wants our souls to be 197 00:10:21,960 --> 00:10:24,280 Speaker 1: so on fire with devotion that our own lives mean 198 00:10:24,320 --> 00:10:27,840 Speaker 1: nothing before his flame. The heavenly kingdom is that cleansing flame. 199 00:10:28,080 --> 00:10:31,000 Speaker 1: What a gift it is here now in your lifetime. 200 00:10:31,200 --> 00:10:33,880 Speaker 1: What a tragedy it would be to miss this chance 201 00:10:33,920 --> 00:10:38,160 Speaker 1: at salvation. She recited that passage again and again throughout 202 00:10:38,200 --> 00:10:40,400 Speaker 1: what she now knew would be her last day at school. 203 00:10:40,840 --> 00:10:43,200 Speaker 1: The words steadied her as she waved goodbye to mister 204 00:10:43,280 --> 00:10:45,120 Speaker 1: Dane at the end of the day. These are the 205 00:10:45,200 --> 00:10:47,800 Speaker 1: doubts of the serpent, they calmed her. When she looked 206 00:10:47,800 --> 00:10:50,160 Speaker 1: into her backpack, which held the small go back she'd 207 00:10:50,160 --> 00:10:52,600 Speaker 1: put together that morning. It was just a change of 208 00:10:52,600 --> 00:10:56,440 Speaker 1: clothes and a handful of hygiene items that seemed woefully inadequate, 209 00:10:56,520 --> 00:11:00,800 Speaker 1: but anything more would have looked suspicious. Leaving, I'm leaving. 210 00:11:01,320 --> 00:11:03,680 Speaker 1: It was only now, on the cusp of leaving, that 211 00:11:03,760 --> 00:11:06,480 Speaker 1: Sasha realized how much she was going to miss movie 212 00:11:06,600 --> 00:11:09,920 Speaker 1: night with her friends. Central heating in the winter, reliable 213 00:11:09,960 --> 00:11:13,120 Speaker 1: internet access. Our Lord does not speak to us from 214 00:11:13,120 --> 00:11:16,240 Speaker 1: comfortable places. It took her an embarrassing amount of time 215 00:11:16,280 --> 00:11:18,400 Speaker 1: to find the bus stop. She was scared to use 216 00:11:18,400 --> 00:11:20,400 Speaker 1: her deck. She'd shut it off as soon as she'd 217 00:11:20,480 --> 00:11:23,080 Speaker 1: left school, and she didn't know the city bus system 218 00:11:23,160 --> 00:11:25,640 Speaker 1: very well. She'd taken buses to school for years, but 219 00:11:25,720 --> 00:11:28,079 Speaker 1: her parents car had always driven her around the city. 220 00:11:28,559 --> 00:11:31,120 Speaker 1: She was ashamed of how anxious she felt about riding 221 00:11:31,120 --> 00:11:33,599 Speaker 1: a city bus. Here she was on her way to 222 00:11:33,640 --> 00:11:36,960 Speaker 1: a war zone and possible martyrdom, scared of public transit, 223 00:11:37,559 --> 00:11:40,680 Speaker 1: Be strong and courageous and do the work. She recited 224 00:11:40,720 --> 00:11:43,840 Speaker 1: David's advice to Solomon, do not be afraid or discouraged 225 00:11:43,960 --> 00:11:47,040 Speaker 1: for the Lord God, My God is with you. That 226 00:11:47,120 --> 00:11:50,280 Speaker 1: helped a little. Thinking of Alexander's smile, his green eyes, 227 00:11:50,320 --> 00:11:53,440 Speaker 1: and the strong lines of his jaw helped more. Sasha 228 00:11:53,559 --> 00:11:56,319 Speaker 1: didn't like admitting that to herself. It felt too carnal, 229 00:11:56,440 --> 00:11:59,600 Speaker 1: almost sacrilegious, but she knew that what mattered to God 230 00:11:59,640 --> 00:12:02,480 Speaker 1: were her actions. Even if her flight to Zion wasn't 231 00:12:02,520 --> 00:12:05,160 Speaker 1: done with a completely pure heart, God would forgive her 232 00:12:05,520 --> 00:12:08,160 Speaker 1: her sacrifice to build the new Jerusalem. Wo outweigh the 233 00:12:08,200 --> 00:12:11,000 Speaker 1: sinful part of her mind that couldn't stop imagining how 234 00:12:11,040 --> 00:12:14,400 Speaker 1: Alexander's strong arms would feel when they finally wrapped around her. 235 00:12:15,320 --> 00:12:18,600 Speaker 1: She waited at stop twenty three. A four thirty came 236 00:12:18,640 --> 00:12:21,240 Speaker 1: and went by four forty five p m. Her chest 237 00:12:21,320 --> 00:12:24,440 Speaker 1: burned with barely restrained panic. She was sure the people 238 00:12:24,480 --> 00:12:27,120 Speaker 1: passing by all knew her secret plans. A pair of 239 00:12:27,160 --> 00:12:29,760 Speaker 1: police officers passed her at one point. One of them, 240 00:12:29,880 --> 00:12:32,760 Speaker 1: a woman not much older than Sasha, flashed her a smile. 241 00:12:33,200 --> 00:12:35,280 Speaker 1: For a long time, she was convinced it had been 242 00:12:35,320 --> 00:12:38,040 Speaker 1: a sign that her communics had been intercepted and the 243 00:12:38,080 --> 00:12:40,880 Speaker 1: police or the FBI were onto her plan. But the 244 00:12:40,920 --> 00:12:43,559 Speaker 1: police didn't come to stop her, and after a quarter 245 00:12:43,600 --> 00:12:46,520 Speaker 1: hour that felt like days, a brown sedan rolled up 246 00:12:46,559 --> 00:12:49,520 Speaker 1: to the bus stop. Its window peeled down, and Sasha 247 00:12:49,559 --> 00:12:51,959 Speaker 1: locked eyes with a careworn young man in the back. 248 00:12:52,880 --> 00:12:57,280 Speaker 1: Sasha Marian. He asked yes, She said, are you brother Andrew? 249 00:12:57,800 --> 00:12:59,880 Speaker 1: As I was with Moses, so will I be with 250 00:13:00,920 --> 00:13:03,559 Speaker 1: That was the pass phrase Alexander had told her to expect. 251 00:13:03,880 --> 00:13:06,120 Speaker 1: It was all Sasha could do to stop from bawling 252 00:13:06,240 --> 00:13:16,280 Speaker 1: right then and there. She got in the car, The 253 00:13:16,320 --> 00:13:18,840 Speaker 1: man inside was exactly what she'd have expected of a 254 00:13:18,880 --> 00:13:22,240 Speaker 1: man and brother Andrew's profession. He had long, straw colored 255 00:13:22,240 --> 00:13:24,760 Speaker 1: hair and a ragged beard. There were deep pockets of 256 00:13:24,800 --> 00:13:28,040 Speaker 1: exhaustion under his brown eyes and well creased smile lines 257 00:13:28,080 --> 00:13:30,840 Speaker 1: around his lips. He wore a simple black suit with 258 00:13:30,880 --> 00:13:33,160 Speaker 1: no tie. Everything about the way he looked and the 259 00:13:33,200 --> 00:13:36,319 Speaker 1: way he dressed spoke of quiet devotion and humble service. 260 00:13:36,840 --> 00:13:40,120 Speaker 1: Here finally was a man of God. Not a pressed, 261 00:13:40,120 --> 00:13:42,920 Speaker 1: preening dandy like the pastor at her father's church, not 262 00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:45,520 Speaker 1: a hip, young pretender like the Baptist minister who had 263 00:13:45,520 --> 00:13:48,200 Speaker 1: given a speech on inclusion at her school last year. 264 00:13:48,679 --> 00:13:51,199 Speaker 1: Here was a real, road weary man of the Lord. 265 00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:54,440 Speaker 1: I know how you must feel right now, Sasha, he said. 266 00:13:54,640 --> 00:13:57,280 Speaker 1: You're relieved. You never thought you'd make it this far. 267 00:13:57,520 --> 00:13:59,320 Speaker 1: You didn't know if you'd have the courage to take 268 00:13:59,320 --> 00:14:01,800 Speaker 1: the final leap of faith. But you have now, child, 269 00:14:01,840 --> 00:14:05,400 Speaker 1: and your soul is secure. Sasha melted. The knot of 270 00:14:05,440 --> 00:14:08,600 Speaker 1: anxiety that had been twisting in her guts suddenly untied itself. 271 00:14:08,920 --> 00:14:12,000 Speaker 1: Her eyesight blurred, and she realized that she'd started to cry. 272 00:14:12,440 --> 00:14:14,000 Speaker 1: It was all she could do to look over to 273 00:14:14,040 --> 00:14:18,040 Speaker 1: Brother Andrew and whisper thank you. Together they drove to 274 00:14:18,080 --> 00:14:20,960 Speaker 1: a little, white walled suburban house, maybe five miles away 275 00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:23,880 Speaker 1: from the only home she had ever known. The car stopped, 276 00:14:23,920 --> 00:14:26,000 Speaker 1: but Brother Andrew gestured for her to stay in the 277 00:14:26,080 --> 00:14:28,240 Speaker 1: vehicle while he stepped out and knocked on the door. 278 00:14:28,800 --> 00:14:32,120 Speaker 1: Another man, shorter and balding, stepped out. They both hustled 279 00:14:32,160 --> 00:14:34,360 Speaker 1: back to the car, their eyes darting left and right. 280 00:14:34,760 --> 00:14:36,800 Speaker 1: As soon as they made it inside, the car sped 281 00:14:36,840 --> 00:14:39,640 Speaker 1: off fast enough that the acceleration pushed Sasha back in 282 00:14:39,720 --> 00:14:42,320 Speaker 1: her seat. The new man sat across from her in 283 00:14:42,320 --> 00:14:45,640 Speaker 1: the autonomous car, second row of bench seats. He was older, 284 00:14:45,840 --> 00:14:48,480 Speaker 1: in his fifties. If he hadn't taken any juven treatments, 285 00:14:48,760 --> 00:14:51,760 Speaker 1: he had tired eyes with deep bags beneath them. While 286 00:14:51,760 --> 00:14:55,880 Speaker 1: Brother Andrew radiated calm, self satisfaction, this man seemed nervous 287 00:14:55,960 --> 00:14:58,560 Speaker 1: and a little frantic. He clutched a small briefcase with 288 00:14:58,600 --> 00:15:02,120 Speaker 1: white knuckled hands. Sasha smiled in an unconscious attempt to 289 00:15:02,120 --> 00:15:06,880 Speaker 1: call him. He smiled back. Brother Andrew spoke, Miss Marian, 290 00:15:07,040 --> 00:15:09,560 Speaker 1: this is brother Brian. He's going to disable your deck. 291 00:15:09,760 --> 00:15:11,480 Speaker 1: It's the only way we can get you across the 292 00:15:11,520 --> 00:15:15,040 Speaker 1: border to our people in the Christian States. Brother Andrew 293 00:15:15,080 --> 00:15:17,680 Speaker 1: smiled and put a hand on Brother Brian's shoulder. The 294 00:15:17,720 --> 00:15:20,240 Speaker 1: other man took this queue to open up his suitcase. 295 00:15:20,760 --> 00:15:24,280 Speaker 1: He started to assemble something small, silver and intricate. Brother 296 00:15:24,320 --> 00:15:27,320 Speaker 1: Andrew kept speaking. All it would take is one phone 297 00:15:27,360 --> 00:15:29,280 Speaker 1: call from your parents or your school when the police 298 00:15:29,320 --> 00:15:32,120 Speaker 1: could spot your precise location from the GPS unit in 299 00:15:32,120 --> 00:15:34,840 Speaker 1: your deck. This car is a dead zone, so you're 300 00:15:34,880 --> 00:15:37,080 Speaker 1: safe inside it, but as soon as you exit, you'll 301 00:15:37,080 --> 00:15:39,120 Speaker 1: be back on the map, so we need to remove 302 00:15:39,160 --> 00:15:43,040 Speaker 1: your deck before that happens. Will it hurt? Sasha remembered 303 00:15:43,080 --> 00:15:45,160 Speaker 1: how it had felt when they had first implanted her deck, 304 00:15:45,360 --> 00:15:48,160 Speaker 1: like having a new tooth forcibly inserted into her jaw. 305 00:15:48,560 --> 00:15:50,680 Speaker 1: She'd been four or five at the time. Her head 306 00:15:50,720 --> 00:15:53,840 Speaker 1: had hurt for days. Brother Brian didn't look up from 307 00:15:53,840 --> 00:15:56,480 Speaker 1: his briefcase as he answered her. Yes, I've got a 308 00:15:56,480 --> 00:16:00,960 Speaker 1: topical anesthetic, but nothing stronger. It'll hurt. Soha nodded gravely. 309 00:16:01,240 --> 00:16:04,200 Speaker 1: She had anticipated this. A little pain was a small 310 00:16:04,240 --> 00:16:06,520 Speaker 1: price to pay to become one of God's elect few. 311 00:16:06,960 --> 00:16:09,360 Speaker 1: She thought of Paul and Silas stripped and beaten with 312 00:16:09,400 --> 00:16:12,720 Speaker 1: clubs on the orders of a heathen magistrate. God shows 313 00:16:12,800 --> 00:16:16,960 Speaker 1: his love through salvation. We show ours through sacrifice. The 314 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:20,400 Speaker 1: memory of Pastor Mike's words helped ease her fears she'd 315 00:16:20,400 --> 00:16:23,119 Speaker 1: miss her deck, but Alexander had said there'd be replacements 316 00:16:23,120 --> 00:16:26,160 Speaker 1: in the heavenly Kingdom. In another minute, Brother Bryan had 317 00:16:26,200 --> 00:16:29,160 Speaker 1: finished assembling the tool. It looked like a cross between 318 00:16:29,160 --> 00:16:32,600 Speaker 1: a syringe and a handheld shot back. At Brother Andrew's urging, 319 00:16:32,680 --> 00:16:34,640 Speaker 1: she moved over to sit on the bench seat next 320 00:16:34,680 --> 00:16:37,280 Speaker 1: to him. Now lay across my lap an angle your 321 00:16:37,320 --> 00:16:40,840 Speaker 1: temple towards Brother Brian. A pang of fear flitted across 322 00:16:40,880 --> 00:16:43,560 Speaker 1: her heart. These were men of God, but they were 323 00:16:43,560 --> 00:16:45,800 Speaker 1: also men she didn't know, who were much older and 324 00:16:45,880 --> 00:16:48,360 Speaker 1: larger than her. She had to fight down the urge 325 00:16:48,400 --> 00:16:51,440 Speaker 1: to panic and flee your trusting these men to smuggle 326 00:16:51,480 --> 00:16:54,880 Speaker 1: you across a border. Dummy. She hesitated for a few 327 00:16:54,920 --> 00:16:58,160 Speaker 1: sweaty seconds, but eventually Sasha nodded and laid down on 328 00:16:58,200 --> 00:17:01,000 Speaker 1: Brother Andrew's lap. Her heart beat so loudly that she 329 00:17:01,040 --> 00:17:03,560 Speaker 1: could hear it crashing in her skull like ocean waves. 330 00:17:04,119 --> 00:17:06,880 Speaker 1: Brother Andrew put his strong hands on her. He tightened 331 00:17:06,920 --> 00:17:10,200 Speaker 1: his grip. He's holding me down, she realized, and although 332 00:17:10,240 --> 00:17:12,480 Speaker 1: he tried to restrain her in a comforting way, the 333 00:17:12,520 --> 00:17:15,240 Speaker 1: liquid mass of panic in her chest almost boiled over. 334 00:17:16,040 --> 00:17:18,760 Speaker 1: There was a sudden, sharp pain as Brother Brian plunged 335 00:17:18,800 --> 00:17:20,960 Speaker 1: the needle in through her temple, and then a dull, 336 00:17:21,080 --> 00:17:25,520 Speaker 1: throbbing feeling like a migraine. Sasha felt dizzy, disoriented, and 337 00:17:25,560 --> 00:17:29,080 Speaker 1: then nauseous in turns. She blacked out for a few seconds. 338 00:17:29,280 --> 00:17:31,679 Speaker 1: When she came back to herself, she realized she had 339 00:17:31,720 --> 00:17:34,080 Speaker 1: been vomiting. The floor of the car was coated in 340 00:17:34,119 --> 00:17:36,439 Speaker 1: the remains of her lunch. Some of it had gotten 341 00:17:36,440 --> 00:17:40,399 Speaker 1: on Brother Andrew's pants leg. Brother Brian looked disgusted, but 342 00:17:40,480 --> 00:17:43,760 Speaker 1: Brother Andrew was all smiles and comfort. Jesus, here's your 343 00:17:43,800 --> 00:17:46,159 Speaker 1: suffering sister. He knows what you are giving up in 344 00:17:46,240 --> 00:17:49,000 Speaker 1: his name. You will reap the dividends of this investment 345 00:17:49,000 --> 00:17:51,879 Speaker 1: in your soul. He helped her up and guided her 346 00:17:51,920 --> 00:17:54,400 Speaker 1: to the opposite bench, where she laid down and continued 347 00:17:54,440 --> 00:17:57,920 Speaker 1: to clutch her throbbing head. She drifted off or passed out, 348 00:17:58,280 --> 00:18:00,320 Speaker 1: and when she came to the interior of a car 349 00:18:00,359 --> 00:18:03,639 Speaker 1: had been scrubbed clean, leaving behind only a brown stain 350 00:18:03,720 --> 00:18:07,399 Speaker 1: and the lingering smell of sick and antiseptic. Sasha guessed 351 00:18:07,440 --> 00:18:09,760 Speaker 1: an hour or more had passed, although without her deck 352 00:18:09,880 --> 00:18:12,160 Speaker 1: it could have been more. They were in the woods now, 353 00:18:12,440 --> 00:18:16,159 Speaker 1: driving along a country road. Brother Andrew explained that they 354 00:18:16,200 --> 00:18:18,679 Speaker 1: were just a few minutes away from the border, and 355 00:18:18,760 --> 00:18:21,359 Speaker 1: almost as far as an automobile could take them. Soon 356 00:18:21,400 --> 00:18:23,600 Speaker 1: they'd stop in the town of Franklin, right on the 357 00:18:23,600 --> 00:18:25,920 Speaker 1: border of the UCS, and she'd meet the men who 358 00:18:25,960 --> 00:18:27,920 Speaker 1: would help her on the next stage of her journey. 359 00:18:28,640 --> 00:18:32,080 Speaker 1: The main border stations are blanketed with cameras, Brother Andrew said, 360 00:18:32,200 --> 00:18:33,800 Speaker 1: but we're right in the thick of the Blue Ridge 361 00:18:33,800 --> 00:18:36,399 Speaker 1: Mountains here. They can't watch every inch of them. We 362 00:18:36,480 --> 00:18:38,800 Speaker 1: have some coyotes here who know where the holes are. 363 00:18:39,080 --> 00:18:42,879 Speaker 1: One of them will spirit you across. Coyotes, Sasha asked. 364 00:18:43,359 --> 00:18:45,880 Speaker 1: It's an old term, he said, A coyote is someone 365 00:18:45,880 --> 00:18:49,600 Speaker 1: who helps smuggle people across national borders. Usually the phrase 366 00:18:49,640 --> 00:18:53,240 Speaker 1: has somewhat mercenary connotations. But the men we work with, 367 00:18:53,280 --> 00:18:56,240 Speaker 1: our true believers, soldiers in the Army of God. You 368 00:18:56,320 --> 00:18:59,560 Speaker 1: needn't fear Miss Marian. A few minutes later, they rolled 369 00:18:59,600 --> 00:19:02,240 Speaker 1: into Inkland. She'd never heard of the place before, but 370 00:19:02,280 --> 00:19:04,400 Speaker 1: a quick look around told her most of what she'd 371 00:19:04,400 --> 00:19:07,240 Speaker 1: needed to know. Most of the buildings were empty, the 372 00:19:07,240 --> 00:19:10,280 Speaker 1: storefronts were boarded up, The city hall was in disrepair, 373 00:19:10,320 --> 00:19:13,440 Speaker 1: and the skeleton of a once mighty Walmart supercenter dominated 374 00:19:13,480 --> 00:19:16,280 Speaker 1: the south side of town. There was clear fire damage 375 00:19:16,280 --> 00:19:19,200 Speaker 1: around its roof and entrances. Twenty or so years ago, 376 00:19:19,440 --> 00:19:21,560 Speaker 1: when the Civil War had been at its height, Franklin 377 00:19:21,600 --> 00:19:24,320 Speaker 1: had swollen with refugees. When the war had ended, the 378 00:19:24,320 --> 00:19:26,880 Speaker 1: refugees had gone elsewhere, and the city had been left 379 00:19:26,920 --> 00:19:30,879 Speaker 1: gutted and exhausted in their absence. The car stopped outside 380 00:19:30,880 --> 00:19:33,639 Speaker 1: of a public park. Sasha noticed that the grass was 381 00:19:33,720 --> 00:19:36,479 Speaker 1: overgrown and the sidewalks around it were cracked and broken. 382 00:19:36,920 --> 00:19:39,520 Speaker 1: She shared a quick prayer with brothers Andrew and Brian, 383 00:19:39,800 --> 00:19:42,639 Speaker 1: then they bid her farewell. The car pulled away and 384 00:19:42,720 --> 00:19:45,320 Speaker 1: Sasha was alone. She'd been told to find a park 385 00:19:45,359 --> 00:19:48,080 Speaker 1: bench and wait just a few minutes, so that's what 386 00:19:48,200 --> 00:19:52,000 Speaker 1: she did. A few minutes turned into ten, then fifteen, 387 00:19:52,240 --> 00:19:55,760 Speaker 1: then twenty. Sasha began to worry again. That was when 388 00:19:55,760 --> 00:19:58,639 Speaker 1: she really started to miss her deck Normally, she'd have 389 00:19:58,640 --> 00:20:00,800 Speaker 1: been able to catch up on the latest news from Zion, 390 00:20:01,119 --> 00:20:03,560 Speaker 1: read one of her favorite issues of Revelator, and maybe 391 00:20:03,560 --> 00:20:06,680 Speaker 1: even touch base with Alexander. Without it, she only had 392 00:20:06,680 --> 00:20:09,000 Speaker 1: the throbbing pain in her head to keep her occupied. 393 00:20:09,400 --> 00:20:12,120 Speaker 1: Sasha's mind wandered to the rolling mountains on the horizon. 394 00:20:12,440 --> 00:20:15,080 Speaker 1: She'd never spent so much as a night out camping before. 395 00:20:15,280 --> 00:20:18,280 Speaker 1: The wildest animal she'd ever seen was a squirrel, and 396 00:20:18,359 --> 00:20:21,399 Speaker 1: there are bears out there that scared her more than 397 00:20:21,440 --> 00:20:23,919 Speaker 1: the prospect of being arrested, or even the fear of 398 00:20:23,960 --> 00:20:26,720 Speaker 1: what might happen to her nearer to the fighting. Dying 399 00:20:26,760 --> 00:20:29,119 Speaker 1: alone in a drone strike or from a sniper's bullet 400 00:20:29,119 --> 00:20:31,640 Speaker 1: would be quick and expected. Given where she was going, 401 00:20:32,040 --> 00:20:34,119 Speaker 1: She'd spent a lot of time thinking about dying from 402 00:20:34,200 --> 00:20:37,439 Speaker 1: sudden violence. It had acquired a patina of romance in 403 00:20:37,440 --> 00:20:40,080 Speaker 1: her mind's eye. But dying on some mountain to a 404 00:20:40,119 --> 00:20:43,800 Speaker 1: slavering monster from another age. Sasha shuddered, seized by a 405 00:20:43,880 --> 00:20:46,240 Speaker 1: chill entirely at odds with the extreme heat of this 406 00:20:46,320 --> 00:20:48,960 Speaker 1: August day, it was a hundred and nine at least. 407 00:20:49,359 --> 00:20:51,639 Speaker 1: Sasha rooted through her bag and pulled out a small 408 00:20:51,720 --> 00:20:54,320 Speaker 1: leather bound bible she'd received as a Christmas gift from 409 00:20:54,320 --> 00:20:57,120 Speaker 1: her dad two years ago. She opened it at random 410 00:20:57,200 --> 00:21:00,440 Speaker 1: and found herself in the Book of Jonah. In my distress, 411 00:21:00,480 --> 00:21:02,680 Speaker 1: I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From 412 00:21:02,720 --> 00:21:04,760 Speaker 1: deep in the realm of the dead, I called for help, 413 00:21:04,880 --> 00:21:08,320 Speaker 1: and you listened to my cry. She read on through 414 00:21:08,320 --> 00:21:10,719 Speaker 1: the rest of Jonah's cries to the whale, vomiting him 415 00:21:10,800 --> 00:21:12,960 Speaker 1: up on to the shores near Nineveh. The word of 416 00:21:13,000 --> 00:21:15,800 Speaker 1: God calmed her. She grew so engrossed in her scripture 417 00:21:15,920 --> 00:21:18,440 Speaker 1: that she was taken completely by surprise when the coyote 418 00:21:18,440 --> 00:21:21,760 Speaker 1: found her on the park bench. Miss marian, a man's 419 00:21:21,840 --> 00:21:24,920 Speaker 1: voice weathered in gravelly, said from behind her, you'd serve 420 00:21:25,000 --> 00:21:27,480 Speaker 1: us both whale by putting that book away. This is 421 00:21:27,680 --> 00:21:31,359 Speaker 1: not a safe place. She looked up the coyote. He 422 00:21:31,440 --> 00:21:34,119 Speaker 1: was older than she'd expected, in his mid forties at least. 423 00:21:34,359 --> 00:21:36,960 Speaker 1: He had a mop of greasy blonde hair, a round face, 424 00:21:37,119 --> 00:21:39,520 Speaker 1: kind blue eyes, and a slight paunch that spoke more 425 00:21:39,560 --> 00:21:42,480 Speaker 1: to his age than in activity. He had thick biceps 426 00:21:42,520 --> 00:21:45,679 Speaker 1: and forearms that bulged with corded muscle. His thighs were 427 00:21:45,760 --> 00:21:47,600 Speaker 1: large too, he had the look of a man who 428 00:21:47,640 --> 00:21:51,840 Speaker 1: spent a lot of time on his feet. Mister, she asked, Jonah. 429 00:21:51,960 --> 00:21:55,240 Speaker 1: He said, you can call me Jonah. And again the 430 00:21:55,280 --> 00:21:58,680 Speaker 1: knots and her stomach melted away. She rejoiced inside over 431 00:21:58,760 --> 00:22:01,199 Speaker 1: and over her faithed flag, and over and over the 432 00:22:01,240 --> 00:22:03,400 Speaker 1: Lord had sent her signs of his love and approval. 433 00:22:03,840 --> 00:22:06,920 Speaker 1: That's what trusting and reason gets you, she admonished herself. 434 00:22:07,200 --> 00:22:10,400 Speaker 1: Fear and pain, God is watching out for me. Her 435 00:22:10,480 --> 00:22:13,600 Speaker 1: childish fear of bears faded away. Suddenly the world and 436 00:22:13,640 --> 00:22:16,919 Speaker 1: her future felt bright and exciting again. After years of delay, 437 00:22:17,080 --> 00:22:20,480 Speaker 1: she was finally on the doorstep of Zion. Jonah, I'm 438 00:22:20,480 --> 00:22:23,320 Speaker 1: ready to go. You lead the way and I will follow. 439 00:22:31,200 --> 00:22:33,359 Speaker 1: It took about an hour for Sasha to decide that 440 00:22:33,400 --> 00:22:36,040 Speaker 1: she liked camping, and then two more hours to decide 441 00:22:36,040 --> 00:22:38,720 Speaker 1: that she never wanted to camp ever again. By the 442 00:22:38,760 --> 00:22:41,160 Speaker 1: time they stopped for the night, she'd gouged herself open 443 00:22:41,200 --> 00:22:43,880 Speaker 1: on half a dozen different tree branches, smashed her left 444 00:22:43,880 --> 00:22:46,600 Speaker 1: toe into a rock, and somehow managed to draw every 445 00:22:46,640 --> 00:22:49,880 Speaker 1: allergin on the East coast into her nose. The headaches 446 00:22:49,880 --> 00:22:53,440 Speaker 1: from her improvised surgery and her throbbing sinuses warred for dominance. 447 00:22:53,720 --> 00:22:56,680 Speaker 1: She couldn't sleep, food had no taste, and her hands 448 00:22:56,680 --> 00:22:59,439 Speaker 1: were too grubby and generally snotty to allow her to 449 00:22:59,480 --> 00:23:03,320 Speaker 1: read the able. Jonah was not as talkative as brother Andrew. 450 00:23:03,520 --> 00:23:06,000 Speaker 1: He'd given her a brief rundown of things to avoid 451 00:23:06,000 --> 00:23:08,239 Speaker 1: out in the Blue Ridge Mountains. He'd told her how 452 00:23:08,240 --> 00:23:12,040 Speaker 1: to recognize timber rattlers, diamondbacks, and copper heads, although for 453 00:23:12,080 --> 00:23:15,000 Speaker 1: some reason she had much more trouble retaining that information 454 00:23:15,240 --> 00:23:18,240 Speaker 1: than she'd had memorizing the Pythagorean theorem or the date 455 00:23:18,280 --> 00:23:21,120 Speaker 1: and importance of the Battle of Hastings. She was supposed 456 00:23:21,160 --> 00:23:23,640 Speaker 1: to watch for pointy heads, she knew that, but every 457 00:23:23,680 --> 00:23:26,040 Speaker 1: time a snake slithered past her, it moved way too 458 00:23:26,040 --> 00:23:27,760 Speaker 1: fast for her to tell the shape of its head. 459 00:23:28,400 --> 00:23:30,919 Speaker 1: Other than that quick lecture and a few admonishments for 460 00:23:30,920 --> 00:23:34,440 Speaker 1: her to step lightly, Jonah hadn't said much. He'd given 461 00:23:34,440 --> 00:23:37,200 Speaker 1: her food each night, protein bars and nuts. Mostly, he'd 462 00:23:37,200 --> 00:23:39,080 Speaker 1: been kind enough to let her snuggle with the heated 463 00:23:39,119 --> 00:23:42,000 Speaker 1: blanket he'd brought along. She knew she'd gotten snot on it, 464 00:23:42,200 --> 00:23:45,040 Speaker 1: but he never complained. When they settled into camp on 465 00:23:45,080 --> 00:23:47,840 Speaker 1: the second night, Sasha was surprised to see her coyote 466 00:23:47,840 --> 00:23:50,600 Speaker 1: start to gather wood and build a fire. He laughed 467 00:23:50,600 --> 00:23:53,240 Speaker 1: when he saw the dumbfounded look on Sasha's face. He 468 00:23:53,359 --> 00:23:56,160 Speaker 1: pulled out a small yellow bottle of lighter fluid, squirted 469 00:23:56,160 --> 00:23:57,919 Speaker 1: it onto the wood, and then lit the edge of 470 00:23:57,920 --> 00:24:00,639 Speaker 1: it with his lighter. The fire leapt to life, burning 471 00:24:00,680 --> 00:24:02,880 Speaker 1: away at the pine needles until they caught the smaller 472 00:24:02,880 --> 00:24:06,119 Speaker 1: sticks and limbs stacked round in a small box. Next, 473 00:24:06,160 --> 00:24:08,600 Speaker 1: he pulled two silver pouches out of his backpack and 474 00:24:08,640 --> 00:24:11,200 Speaker 1: handed them to her. The labels informed her that one 475 00:24:11,320 --> 00:24:14,920 Speaker 1: contained chicken and dumplings and the other Macaronian cheese. Her 476 00:24:14,960 --> 00:24:18,840 Speaker 1: mouth was watering before the first and tonight, Miss Marian, 477 00:24:18,920 --> 00:24:21,120 Speaker 1: you get a fire and a hot mail. We're over 478 00:24:21,160 --> 00:24:24,040 Speaker 1: the line. And that was how Sasha learned she'd crossed 479 00:24:24,040 --> 00:24:27,800 Speaker 1: the border into the United Christian States. She had successfully 480 00:24:27,840 --> 00:24:30,840 Speaker 1: fled her country and the secular rule of law entirely. 481 00:24:31,359 --> 00:24:33,879 Speaker 1: The u c S wasn't a true godly state, not 482 00:24:34,040 --> 00:24:38,119 Speaker 1: by her standards. It's multidenominational acceptance was a denial of 483 00:24:38,119 --> 00:24:41,359 Speaker 1: the harsh truth of God's love. Not everyone who called 484 00:24:41,359 --> 00:24:43,880 Speaker 1: themselves a Christian truly lived in such a way as 485 00:24:43,920 --> 00:24:46,960 Speaker 1: to earn God's gift of salvation. But just being in 486 00:24:46,960 --> 00:24:49,760 Speaker 1: a country that acknowledged the primacy of God Almighty in 487 00:24:49,800 --> 00:24:53,680 Speaker 1: their law and public policy was enough. For now. There's 488 00:24:53,720 --> 00:24:56,439 Speaker 1: no abortion here, she thought, with awe. No atheists on 489 00:24:56,480 --> 00:24:59,960 Speaker 1: television mocking the Lord no callow acceptance of premarital set. 490 00:25:00,520 --> 00:25:02,280 Speaker 1: She felt a thrill at being in a place that 491 00:25:02,359 --> 00:25:05,040 Speaker 1: was so much closer to her conception of right. It 492 00:25:05,040 --> 00:25:08,800 Speaker 1: didn't even matter that she was still stuck in the woods. Jonah, 493 00:25:08,880 --> 00:25:12,200 Speaker 1: she asked, do you live here most of the time? Yes. 494 00:25:12,960 --> 00:25:15,320 Speaker 1: He had a quiet, soulful voice that made him seem 495 00:25:15,320 --> 00:25:18,080 Speaker 1: even older than he looked. What made you decide to 496 00:25:18,119 --> 00:25:20,960 Speaker 1: start smuggling people out of the am Fed? She stared 497 00:25:20,960 --> 00:25:23,520 Speaker 1: into the tree line as his hands stuffed thin sticks 498 00:25:23,520 --> 00:25:26,200 Speaker 1: into the base of the growing fire. Sasha watched his 499 00:25:26,280 --> 00:25:29,000 Speaker 1: jaw clinch and unclinched, as if he was mentally rehearsing 500 00:25:29,000 --> 00:25:32,359 Speaker 1: his response before he said it out loud as a 501 00:25:32,440 --> 00:25:35,880 Speaker 1: United States armor arranger. Once been a Christian my whole life, 502 00:25:35,880 --> 00:25:38,720 Speaker 1: though Southern Baptist, grew up in a country just as 503 00:25:38,760 --> 00:25:41,080 Speaker 1: lost to sin and vi us as yours is. And 504 00:25:41,119 --> 00:25:43,680 Speaker 1: when the fighting started, I saw an opportunity to bring 505 00:25:43,720 --> 00:25:47,399 Speaker 1: my nation back to its godly roots. Hands emptied, Jonah 506 00:25:47,480 --> 00:25:49,879 Speaker 1: rooted around his bag and pulled out a kettle. He 507 00:25:49,960 --> 00:25:52,119 Speaker 1: filled it with water from a heavy fabric bag and 508 00:25:52,119 --> 00:25:53,879 Speaker 1: placed it on a flat rock near the edge of 509 00:25:53,920 --> 00:25:56,679 Speaker 1: the fire. Then he stood up, gestured for her to follow, 510 00:25:56,720 --> 00:25:59,760 Speaker 1: and walked over to a nearby copse of trees. A 511 00:26:00,040 --> 00:26:03,680 Speaker 1: in a local militian Marietta near Atlanta, he said, most 512 00:26:03,720 --> 00:26:06,720 Speaker 1: of us are vetts like me, neither Baptist or Pentecostal. 513 00:26:07,000 --> 00:26:08,760 Speaker 1: He crouched down next to a tree that had been 514 00:26:08,760 --> 00:26:11,840 Speaker 1: cracked in half by lightning. It was dead and very dry. 515 00:26:12,119 --> 00:26:14,320 Speaker 1: The ground around it was littered with tree limbs and 516 00:26:14,400 --> 00:26:17,119 Speaker 1: thick slabs of bark. He started gathering up some of 517 00:26:17,119 --> 00:26:19,840 Speaker 1: the larger pieces. Mom, get down are and elk. Some 518 00:26:19,920 --> 00:26:21,359 Speaker 1: of these are a little damp, but we'll stick them 519 00:26:21,359 --> 00:26:23,800 Speaker 1: around the edges to dry out. Most important thing right 520 00:26:23,880 --> 00:26:25,680 Speaker 1: now is to get some middle in size logs in 521 00:26:25,800 --> 00:26:27,719 Speaker 1: there so we can build up a little bit of coals. 522 00:26:28,400 --> 00:26:30,480 Speaker 1: Sasha wiped a runnel of snot from her face and 523 00:26:30,520 --> 00:26:33,080 Speaker 1: knelt down to help. Jonah continued his story while they 524 00:26:33,080 --> 00:26:37,440 Speaker 1: filled their arms. Anyway, things heated up. The army started 525 00:26:37,440 --> 00:26:40,560 Speaker 1: calling in their deep reserves guysla maidmen out for Dagham 526 00:26:40,560 --> 00:26:43,480 Speaker 1: near a decade. That was after the fidsnot Dallas, so 527 00:26:43,680 --> 00:26:46,080 Speaker 1: go an active duty again didn't sound good to anyone. 528 00:26:46,760 --> 00:26:49,560 Speaker 1: He lifted away a fallen limb and revealed a massive log, 529 00:26:49,720 --> 00:26:53,120 Speaker 1: roughly the size of Sasha's torso. Jonah shifted everything he'd 530 00:26:53,119 --> 00:26:54,960 Speaker 1: gathered over to his right arm and then hafted the 531 00:26:55,040 --> 00:26:58,080 Speaker 1: log with one hand. He nodded at Sasha's much smaller pile. 532 00:26:58,400 --> 00:27:01,640 Speaker 1: We've probably got enough, he said it. They headed back 533 00:27:01,640 --> 00:27:03,760 Speaker 1: to the campsite. She could see Jonah was doing that 534 00:27:03,800 --> 00:27:07,600 Speaker 1: twitchy jaw thing again, thinking carefully about every word. I 535 00:27:07,640 --> 00:27:10,719 Speaker 1: grew up real patriotic, you understand. I love my country, 536 00:27:10,920 --> 00:27:13,439 Speaker 1: fought for it down south. But I also grew up 537 00:27:13,440 --> 00:27:15,720 Speaker 1: with a Confederate flag on the back of my dad's truck. 538 00:27:15,840 --> 00:27:18,080 Speaker 1: I wasn't on board with those Marxist who started the 539 00:27:18,080 --> 00:27:21,520 Speaker 1: Civil War, So when Governor Galen had his referendum on secession, 540 00:27:21,560 --> 00:27:24,320 Speaker 1: well that fell right. I was on board with the 541 00:27:24,400 --> 00:27:27,000 Speaker 1: u c S back before it was even born. They 542 00:27:27,040 --> 00:27:29,480 Speaker 1: sat around the fire again. Jonah started to add in 543 00:27:29,560 --> 00:27:32,240 Speaker 1: larger branches. He slowly built the fire in a U 544 00:27:32,280 --> 00:27:35,119 Speaker 1: shape around the flat stone. Now, it is never a 545 00:27:35,119 --> 00:27:37,959 Speaker 1: fanatic when a church most Sundays, But I had jew neighbors, 546 00:27:38,040 --> 00:27:40,480 Speaker 1: a couple of Muslims in the unit. Good guys, wasn't 547 00:27:40,520 --> 00:27:43,439 Speaker 1: real political, you know. But Pastor Elgin's gave a speech 548 00:27:43,520 --> 00:27:46,200 Speaker 1: only time I saw him in person. He said, diversity 549 00:27:46,320 --> 00:27:49,080 Speaker 1: wasn't making us strong anymore. A melting pots all well 550 00:27:49,119 --> 00:27:51,119 Speaker 1: and good, but the quality of the soup depends on 551 00:27:51,160 --> 00:27:54,560 Speaker 1: the recipe. That made sense to me. He sat back, 552 00:27:54,760 --> 00:27:57,760 Speaker 1: popped the kettle onto the rock, and looked over to Sasha. 553 00:27:58,000 --> 00:28:00,760 Speaker 1: The ideal was a Christian recipe would make for a 554 00:28:00,800 --> 00:28:03,480 Speaker 1: stronger nation, but the U c s wound up being 555 00:28:03,520 --> 00:28:07,000 Speaker 1: a Dago and prosperity gospel pile of nonsense better in 556 00:28:07,000 --> 00:28:09,919 Speaker 1: the Amphid. Sure, maybe we've got a less queer politicians, 557 00:28:10,000 --> 00:28:12,960 Speaker 1: less rich Jews running things, but it's still corrupt here. 558 00:28:13,960 --> 00:28:17,800 Speaker 1: Sasha wasn't really sure how to handle this disclosure. She'd 559 00:28:17,840 --> 00:28:21,720 Speaker 1: run into similar attitudes among believers online, uncomfortable references to 560 00:28:21,840 --> 00:28:25,440 Speaker 1: Jewish gay or gay Jewish conspiracies. That sort of nonsense 561 00:28:25,440 --> 00:28:27,640 Speaker 1: had always gotten on her nerves, but she'd written its 562 00:28:27,640 --> 00:28:30,720 Speaker 1: purveyor's office edge lords and trolls. Part of her thought 563 00:28:30,720 --> 00:28:33,199 Speaker 1: they might be CIA plants hell bent on making the 564 00:28:33,280 --> 00:28:35,679 Speaker 1: Kingdom look bad, but she knew they didn't speak for 565 00:28:35,680 --> 00:28:39,400 Speaker 1: the actual heart of the movement. Sasha wanted to speak up, 566 00:28:39,640 --> 00:28:41,960 Speaker 1: but she held her tongue. The fact that Jonah had 567 00:28:42,000 --> 00:28:44,440 Speaker 1: been nothing but kind and respectful to her didn't change 568 00:28:44,480 --> 00:28:46,920 Speaker 1: the fact that he was twice her size. Who knew 569 00:28:46,920 --> 00:28:49,640 Speaker 1: what he might do if he got agitated. Sasha fought 570 00:28:49,640 --> 00:28:52,600 Speaker 1: for calm and recalled a specific passage from Revelator and 571 00:28:52,680 --> 00:28:57,320 Speaker 1: one of their guides for young women immigrating to the Kingdom. No, daughters, 572 00:28:57,440 --> 00:29:00,120 Speaker 1: that our Lord made your brothers and husbands both long 573 00:29:00,200 --> 00:29:02,480 Speaker 1: of body and quick to anger. It is your job 574 00:29:02,560 --> 00:29:05,400 Speaker 1: to soothe, not in sight. And if his wrath falls 575 00:29:05,480 --> 00:29:08,240 Speaker 1: upon you in a sudden burst, remember the forgiveness and 576 00:29:08,280 --> 00:29:12,080 Speaker 1: patience of our Lord. Let his example guide your reactions. 577 00:29:13,040 --> 00:29:16,200 Speaker 1: So she smiled at Jonah and said, tonight, I'm happy 578 00:29:16,280 --> 00:29:19,200 Speaker 1: enough to be in a godly land. He smiled back. 579 00:29:19,480 --> 00:29:21,680 Speaker 1: Sasha hoped God was proud of her for being meek 580 00:29:21,720 --> 00:29:24,200 Speaker 1: as Mary. When she thought about it that way, the 581 00:29:24,240 --> 00:29:27,320 Speaker 1: rest of the night was surprisingly tolerable. The food wasn't 582 00:29:27,400 --> 00:29:30,120 Speaker 1: good by her normal standards, but it was hot and savory, 583 00:29:30,120 --> 00:29:32,600 Speaker 1: and after days of protein bars, it was exactly what 584 00:29:32,680 --> 00:29:35,800 Speaker 1: her suffering stomach needed. Sasha wasn't aware of when she 585 00:29:35,880 --> 00:29:39,560 Speaker 1: drifted off to sleep. Jonah woke her up the next morning, 586 00:29:39,680 --> 00:29:41,960 Speaker 1: not long after the crack of dawn. He handed her 587 00:29:42,000 --> 00:29:44,080 Speaker 1: a box of wet napkins and walked off into the 588 00:29:44,080 --> 00:29:46,240 Speaker 1: woods for a few minutes while she cleaned herself off 589 00:29:46,280 --> 00:29:48,880 Speaker 1: as much as possible. When she was done, he led 590 00:29:48,880 --> 00:29:50,760 Speaker 1: her down the mountain and into a small town on 591 00:29:50,800 --> 00:29:53,400 Speaker 1: the border. It was Sasha's first real look at life 592 00:29:53,400 --> 00:29:56,600 Speaker 1: in the UCS, and it did not disappoint. In the 593 00:29:56,600 --> 00:29:59,760 Speaker 1: twenty or so minutes they were outside, she saw nine churches. 594 00:30:00,080 --> 00:30:02,840 Speaker 1: There were crosses on every house in a dizzying variety. 595 00:30:03,120 --> 00:30:06,040 Speaker 1: She saw Bible quotes printed on windows of shops and cafes, 596 00:30:06,080 --> 00:30:07,840 Speaker 1: and the strangers who passed them in the street all 597 00:30:07,880 --> 00:30:11,719 Speaker 1: flashed warm smiles. A few offered their blessings. Sasha had 598 00:30:11,760 --> 00:30:15,040 Speaker 1: never seen such public display of religion. She floated through 599 00:30:15,080 --> 00:30:17,560 Speaker 1: those first few minutes on a cloud of giddiness, unlike 600 00:30:17,600 --> 00:30:20,800 Speaker 1: anything she'd ever known. The architecture and the environment were 601 00:30:20,840 --> 00:30:23,200 Speaker 1: similar to what she'd grown up with, but everything else 602 00:30:23,240 --> 00:30:26,760 Speaker 1: seemed alien and the most exciting way possible. Sasha felt 603 00:30:26,760 --> 00:30:29,200 Speaker 1: so light she did almost feel the Holy Spirit lift 604 00:30:29,240 --> 00:30:32,440 Speaker 1: her up. Her gleeful reverie only ended when Jonah led 605 00:30:32,480 --> 00:30:35,000 Speaker 1: her up to the door of an unassuming brownstone house. 606 00:30:35,920 --> 00:30:38,840 Speaker 1: They were taken in by another man, whom Jonah had introduced, 607 00:30:38,840 --> 00:30:41,640 Speaker 1: a Saul. Saul looked a little younger and a lot 608 00:30:41,720 --> 00:30:44,040 Speaker 1: less weathered than Jonah. He had the thin arms and 609 00:30:44,080 --> 00:30:47,440 Speaker 1: stooped posture of a lifelong scholar, and his conservative, button 610 00:30:47,520 --> 00:30:49,320 Speaker 1: up white shirt made him look more like a youth 611 00:30:49,360 --> 00:30:52,960 Speaker 1: pastor than a people smuggler. Welcome sister, he smiled, but 612 00:30:53,040 --> 00:30:55,640 Speaker 1: his voice was more haggard than warm. You want to 613 00:30:55,640 --> 00:30:59,520 Speaker 1: get inside, please, There's no sense tempting the law. Saul's 614 00:30:59,520 --> 00:31:01,960 Speaker 1: house was hated to the rafters with toilet paper, jugs 615 00:31:01,960 --> 00:31:04,200 Speaker 1: of water, bends of freeze, dried food, and bags upon 616 00:31:04,240 --> 00:31:07,160 Speaker 1: bags of clothing. The house had almost no furniture and 617 00:31:07,160 --> 00:31:10,160 Speaker 1: no decorations aside from a large wooden cross above the hearth. 618 00:31:10,560 --> 00:31:12,760 Speaker 1: There were a couple of stools arranged around a crate 619 00:31:12,760 --> 00:31:14,720 Speaker 1: on the ground, which seemed to have served as an 620 00:31:14,720 --> 00:31:18,320 Speaker 1: improvised coffee table. Saul sat them down, left for a moment, 621 00:31:18,360 --> 00:31:20,880 Speaker 1: and came back with a hot French press filled with coffee. 622 00:31:22,080 --> 00:31:24,440 Speaker 1: I'd suggest drinking your fill. It's hard to come by 623 00:31:24,480 --> 00:31:27,160 Speaker 1: in the Kingdom right now, most things are. I'm afraid. 624 00:31:27,840 --> 00:31:30,560 Speaker 1: I'm not scared of hardship, she said, a little too loud. 625 00:31:30,800 --> 00:31:32,880 Speaker 1: You sound like a little kid. Keep your stupid mouth 626 00:31:32,880 --> 00:31:35,600 Speaker 1: shut or they'll think you can't handle it. Saul was 627 00:31:35,640 --> 00:31:39,720 Speaker 1: conspicuously silent, but Jonah spoke up. She handled yourself well 628 00:31:39,760 --> 00:31:41,680 Speaker 1: out in the woods, he said, not bad for a 629 00:31:41,760 --> 00:31:43,800 Speaker 1: city girl. Didn't have a lott a woodcraft, but did 630 00:31:43,840 --> 00:31:46,080 Speaker 1: have an open heart. He took well to it, ma'am. 631 00:31:46,360 --> 00:31:48,440 Speaker 1: Saul chuckled as he began to pour in hand out 632 00:31:48,480 --> 00:31:51,000 Speaker 1: cups of coffee, first to her and then to Jonah. 633 00:31:51,480 --> 00:31:54,560 Speaker 1: Sasha wasn't entirely sure why, but she waited until both 634 00:31:54,640 --> 00:31:57,280 Speaker 1: men had taken their first SIPs to take hers. She 635 00:31:57,360 --> 00:32:00,000 Speaker 1: didn't know much about coffee, but she was pretty sure 636 00:31:59,880 --> 00:32:02,640 Speaker 1: that wasn't the beverage at its best. Would you like 637 00:32:02,760 --> 00:32:06,440 Speaker 1: to pray with us, miss Marian, Saul asked, Of course. 638 00:32:07,240 --> 00:32:10,080 Speaker 1: He extended his hands out on either side, so did Jonah. 639 00:32:10,280 --> 00:32:14,240 Speaker 1: Sasha took Saul's left in Jonah's right. Heavenly Father, Saul began, 640 00:32:14,520 --> 00:32:16,360 Speaker 1: bless this young woman who comes to you with a 641 00:32:16,400 --> 00:32:18,840 Speaker 1: full heart from a land of sin and shirk. She's 642 00:32:18,840 --> 00:32:21,800 Speaker 1: given up all pretense of control and yielded herself fully 643 00:32:21,840 --> 00:32:25,320 Speaker 1: to your grace. Lord, Please guide her in this next journey. 644 00:32:25,680 --> 00:32:27,959 Speaker 1: We pray that she makes it safely to your kingdom 645 00:32:28,120 --> 00:32:30,959 Speaker 1: and into the arms of her husband to be. Sasha 646 00:32:31,040 --> 00:32:34,360 Speaker 1: almost peid. Where did he hear that she and Alexander 647 00:32:34,400 --> 00:32:36,840 Speaker 1: hadn't even met yet, there'd been no proposal. Was he 648 00:32:36,920 --> 00:32:39,240 Speaker 1: just speaking in the general hope that she'd get married, 649 00:32:39,440 --> 00:32:42,760 Speaker 1: or had Alexander told him something? May she obey him 650 00:32:42,840 --> 00:32:45,360 Speaker 1: as she does you, Heavenly Father, and may you quicken 651 00:32:45,400 --> 00:32:47,560 Speaker 1: her womb like Rachel, so that she delivers a new 652 00:32:47,680 --> 00:32:51,680 Speaker 1: Joseph to our cause. That didn't sit well either. Sasha 653 00:32:51,720 --> 00:32:54,360 Speaker 1: wanted children very badly. She knew they were in her future, 654 00:32:54,520 --> 00:32:57,400 Speaker 1: but not now, certainly not soon enough that she'd be 655 00:32:57,400 --> 00:33:00,160 Speaker 1: praying for them already. She was grateful that they had 656 00:33:00,200 --> 00:33:02,040 Speaker 1: their heads bowed in prayer. If any of this had 657 00:33:02,080 --> 00:33:04,760 Speaker 1: come up in conversation, first, she was sure she'd have 658 00:33:04,800 --> 00:33:08,080 Speaker 1: reacted an obvious shock, but Sasha calmed herself, thought of 659 00:33:08,120 --> 00:33:10,480 Speaker 1: her duty to God, and centered her mind just as 660 00:33:10,480 --> 00:33:13,960 Speaker 1: the prayer ended. And may I say, my lady, it 661 00:33:14,080 --> 00:33:16,440 Speaker 1: is a brave thing you're doing, Sasha said, as he 662 00:33:16,480 --> 00:33:19,080 Speaker 1: reached for his cup and took another sip. Even here 663 00:33:19,240 --> 00:33:22,120 Speaker 1: in God's country, not many are willing to answer the call. 664 00:33:22,320 --> 00:33:24,920 Speaker 1: Oh sure, they'll all tell you it's the drone strikes 665 00:33:24,960 --> 00:33:26,840 Speaker 1: that scared them. I can do more good by working 666 00:33:26,840 --> 00:33:29,280 Speaker 1: my job and sending money, as if the Lord asked 667 00:33:29,280 --> 00:33:31,920 Speaker 1: Abraham to sacrifice a bag of gold in his name. 668 00:33:32,760 --> 00:33:36,160 Speaker 1: Saul kept talking, but Sasha's attention drifted the spot on 669 00:33:36,200 --> 00:33:38,080 Speaker 1: her head where the deck had been itched. All of 670 00:33:38,120 --> 00:33:40,680 Speaker 1: a sudden, she scratched it, and for the second time, 671 00:33:40,760 --> 00:33:43,760 Speaker 1: she found herself truly missing the gadget. If she had 672 00:33:43,800 --> 00:33:46,160 Speaker 1: her deck, she could call Alexander and find out what 673 00:33:46,200 --> 00:33:48,840 Speaker 1: was going on, But instead she just squirmed a little 674 00:33:48,880 --> 00:33:50,880 Speaker 1: in her chair and hoped the men didn't notice how 675 00:33:50,960 --> 00:33:55,479 Speaker 1: uncomfortable she'd become. Miss Marian You all right, Jonah had noticed, 676 00:33:55,600 --> 00:33:58,080 Speaker 1: of course he had. Sasha cursed herself and then cursed 677 00:33:58,080 --> 00:34:01,880 Speaker 1: herself again for cursing. Sorry, I'm kind of tired, even 678 00:34:01,920 --> 00:34:04,880 Speaker 1: with the coffee, and I'm um worried about my friend 679 00:34:04,920 --> 00:34:08,040 Speaker 1: in the Kingdom. She definitely stretched the word friend too much. 680 00:34:08,680 --> 00:34:10,080 Speaker 1: Do you think i'll be able to find a deck 681 00:34:10,120 --> 00:34:12,799 Speaker 1: once I'm there? I've heard a lot of different ma'am. 682 00:34:12,840 --> 00:34:15,120 Speaker 1: That was Saul, and his voice had no more feigned mirth. 683 00:34:15,480 --> 00:34:18,840 Speaker 1: You're about to be smuggled illegally across a heavily fortified border. 684 00:34:19,080 --> 00:34:21,480 Speaker 1: There are all sorts of worldly goods in the heavenly Kingdom. 685 00:34:21,600 --> 00:34:24,479 Speaker 1: Were not poppers or savages. But as to whether you'll 686 00:34:24,480 --> 00:34:26,680 Speaker 1: get a deck, well, that rather depends on what our 687 00:34:26,719 --> 00:34:29,319 Speaker 1: Lord wants for you. Sasha lowered her head a little 688 00:34:29,320 --> 00:34:32,520 Speaker 1: in submission. There wasn't the time to press further. Maybe 689 00:34:32,520 --> 00:34:35,640 Speaker 1: that time would never come. You knew there'd be sacrifices, 690 00:34:35,800 --> 00:34:39,000 Speaker 1: she reminded herself. How are you going to smuggle me 691 00:34:39,040 --> 00:34:42,360 Speaker 1: across the border? She asked. Saul finished his coffee and 692 00:34:42,400 --> 00:34:45,160 Speaker 1: set his mug down on the makeshift table. I'll show you, 693 00:34:45,480 --> 00:34:47,920 Speaker 1: he said. He let her pass the living room and 694 00:34:47,920 --> 00:34:51,160 Speaker 1: into a spacious and very chilly garage. They're a trio 695 00:34:51,200 --> 00:34:53,840 Speaker 1: of workers with face masks were busy sealing up large 696 00:34:53,840 --> 00:34:56,480 Speaker 1: crates of unfinished wood. She couldn't quite make out the 697 00:34:56,520 --> 00:34:59,680 Speaker 1: words stamped on the sides, but the blocky font looked military. 698 00:35:00,960 --> 00:35:02,680 Speaker 1: There was a time when it was easy enough to 699 00:35:02,680 --> 00:35:06,319 Speaker 1: sneak the faithful across on foot, Saul explained, but international 700 00:35:06,320 --> 00:35:09,200 Speaker 1: concerns have forced the government to take a rather hard line. 701 00:35:09,480 --> 00:35:11,440 Speaker 1: I'm afraid this is the best way to get across 702 00:35:11,440 --> 00:35:14,719 Speaker 1: the border. Wait. Sasha's gut went sour. She felt the 703 00:35:14,719 --> 00:35:17,560 Speaker 1: acid in her stomach churn a greasy boil. Are you 704 00:35:17,600 --> 00:35:19,480 Speaker 1: trying to tell me I'm going to be nailed inside 705 00:35:19,520 --> 00:35:23,200 Speaker 1: a crate? Saul's face turned. There was no pretense any more. 706 00:35:23,360 --> 00:35:26,279 Speaker 1: He was disgusted with her. Sasha didn't really know why. 707 00:35:26,520 --> 00:35:29,360 Speaker 1: All she'd done was asked questions. But then Jonah was 708 00:35:29,400 --> 00:35:31,760 Speaker 1: there with a hand on Saul's shoulder and a calm 709 00:35:31,840 --> 00:35:34,520 Speaker 1: voice in her ear. Think of this as a blessin, 710 00:35:34,680 --> 00:35:37,680 Speaker 1: said Jonah. Most people never test the blind part of 711 00:35:37,719 --> 00:35:40,840 Speaker 1: blind faith. He was right, darna it, and there was 712 00:35:40,920 --> 00:35:43,640 Speaker 1: something freeing in the idea of just giving herself up 713 00:35:43,640 --> 00:35:46,719 Speaker 1: to Providence. She'd done everything God had asked of her. 714 00:35:47,040 --> 00:35:49,319 Speaker 1: Now he would either deliver her desire on or the 715 00:35:49,400 --> 00:35:52,200 Speaker 1: arms of the law. Either way, she'd done everything she 716 00:35:52,280 --> 00:35:54,759 Speaker 1: could to obey the call of her faith. All the 717 00:35:54,800 --> 00:35:57,320 Speaker 1: little sins of her life, the cursing and the anger, 718 00:35:57,400 --> 00:36:00,640 Speaker 1: and those dark, gnawing desires she still struggled tamp down. 719 00:36:00,960 --> 00:36:03,800 Speaker 1: Those would all be forgiven. She was truly giving herself 720 00:36:03,840 --> 00:36:07,759 Speaker 1: to Christ now, so nothing else mattered. You're right, she said, 721 00:36:08,040 --> 00:36:10,520 Speaker 1: I'm sorry, I questioned it. I'll do whatever it takes 722 00:36:10,560 --> 00:36:13,520 Speaker 1: to reach the heavenly kingdom. She took another hard look 723 00:36:13,520 --> 00:36:15,520 Speaker 1: at the cramped wooden box and the piles of aid 724 00:36:15,560 --> 00:36:18,319 Speaker 1: supplies surrounding it. How was she going to fit there? 725 00:36:19,160 --> 00:36:26,680 Speaker 1: Whatever it takes. Hey, everybody, Robert Evans here. I hope 726 00:36:26,719 --> 00:36:28,839 Speaker 1: you just enjoyed the chapter you listen to. I hope 727 00:36:28,840 --> 00:36:31,160 Speaker 1: you enjoyed the chapters to come. If you would like 728 00:36:31,280 --> 00:36:33,920 Speaker 1: to read the text version of this book either on 729 00:36:33,960 --> 00:36:36,040 Speaker 1: the web or on your e reader as an e 730 00:36:36,160 --> 00:36:38,680 Speaker 1: pub you can find those on the website a t 731 00:36:38,960 --> 00:36:43,160 Speaker 1: r book dot com. So again, the free ad free 732 00:36:43,239 --> 00:36:45,840 Speaker 1: e pub and the text of every chapter will be 733 00:36:45,880 --> 00:36:48,280 Speaker 1: on a t R book dot com. Thanks