When The Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Psalm 126:1 [KJV]
“Hello, Mrs. Black?” a pleasant female voice asked after Stacy Black reached for the phone and grabbed it.
“This is she.” She’d just returned from her routine New Year’s Day evangelism and prayer with neighbors of New Creations. She’d done that yearly and had met new neighbors with the Good News and baked goods, which they usually thanked her for. This year, the youth had joined her in baking, and it had been fun. She wasn’t sure if they’d enjoyed it simply because it would be their last one.
“I’m Priscilla from the state governor’s office. The governor would like to meet with you immediately. Are you available for a car to come and pick you up?”
Stacy sank into a chair and clutched her chest. “What is it this time? First, they shut down my center that has served this area for decades. I accepted their decision. Only for you to call me on New Year’s Day and ask me to come and see the governor? Please just tell me what it is, and let’s get it over with.”
A slight pause trailed her words. “I’m afraid I can’t discuss it over the phone because I don’t know what it’s about. But, please, ma’am, get ready. A vehicle will come and pick you up shortly.”
Before she could get another word in, the phone clinked. “Lord Jesus, please, I think I’m getting too old for this. Please take control.” She called the youth together and explained the phone call. She asked them to let Julia know. Then she changed her clothes, wondering what one wore to meet the governor. Wearing what she felt comfortable in—a pair of jeans and a formal shirt—she reentered the main room.
Bishop, who appeared more excited than worried, stationed himself at the window and announced as soon as a vehicle approached. “Wow. Look at this sleek black ride! It’s a limo.” He whistled low, darting his gaze inward. “I don’t think you’re in trouble, Mrs. Black. If you were, that’s a nice car to be in trouble in. Let me go with you.” When she eyed him and didn’t respond, then checked her appearance once more in a mirror, he strode to her side. “Please. If they make trouble, I can still throw a punch.”
“And get into more trouble?” She shook her head. “Not happening.”
“You should let him go so, if something goes wrong, someone can report back to us,” Abel suggested.
It wasn’t his gentleness that got her. It was the fear she sensed in his words. The uncertainty of not knowing what happened to her, should things go awry, could haunt him. “Put on your shoes, Bishop.” She wagged a finger. “But you better be a model citizen. No punches?”
He saluted her with a cheeky grin. “No punches, ma’am.”
When they arrived, Priscilla ushered them into the governor’s posh office. The man, in his mid-fifties with streaks of gray in his hair, extended a hand to Stacy, giving Bishop a curt nod. “Mrs. Black, I apologize for getting you out of the house on a holiday.” He pointed at two chairs facing the large oak desk with the state’s insignia on it. “Please have a seat.” He waved a young man in a black suit in. “Chuck can get you anything you want to drink.”
She managed to hide her nervous hands by clasping them together. “No thank you, sir. I want to get to why we’re here if you don’t mind.” With her nerves stretched to their breaking point, she kept her head up. On the ride over here, she’d wished her husband was still alive. The longer she did this, the more the issues felt too much for her to handle.
“Of course,” the governor said, the young man stepping aside but not leaving the room.
He waited until Priscilla shut the door before he spoke. “I called you because we received a call from some investigators out of state. We were informed about a missing person, Julia, who is currently in your care.”
Stacy gasped. “Oh no. How did they find her? Is she still safe with us? I shouldn’t have made that call.” She sucked in her bottom lip.
“They traced your phone call.” He raised a hand. “You have nothing to regret.” A slight pause punctuated his words. “Matter of fact, what you did was heroic. So heroic, that the governor of her state and the lead investigator, who happens to be Julia’s uncle, having ascertained from our local authorities that Julia is with you and safe, have awarded you the one-million-dollar reward for whoever found her.”
The… Did he say…? Stacy couldn’t speak, could scarcely think. The words rang in her ears. “What?”
“You are now the owner of one million dollars.” The governor smiled. “I also intercepted the proceeding to remove your center from its current facility. You will get a new facility in town, fully paid for and equipped with educational and recreational facilities for youth attached. New Creations will have a new location, and you will receive more grants to support your work with the youth in gratitude for your service to the community. I searched, and the records show you’ve turned around quite a few bad stories to good. We want more of that. You have my apologies for the previous…circumstances.”
A tremble began from her hands and spread to her feet, and soon, her entire body was shaking. Tears filled her eyes. She reached out a shaky hand to Bishop. “Did I hear the man correctly?”
Silent tears slipping past his eyes, Bishop gripped her hand and squeezed. She saw through his tears. He wouldn’t be back on the streets. He’d have warmth, food, and shelter for the foreseeable future. “Mrs. Black, you are now a millionaire. Yes, I heard that part. It couldn’t have happened to a better person.”
Hand secured in his clasp, she fixed her gaze on him.
And he kept nodding. “I heard about the new place too. Yes, he said all that.”
So it was true. It was all true. A New Year’s miracle. She gulped past the lump in her throat. “Thank You, my Lord Jesus! Oh, thank You, God.” She stood, walked around the desk, and hugged the governor, sobbing into his shoulder and worrying about ruining his suit. “My kids will be safe, eh?”
His jaw bobbed above her head. “Yes, they will be. You have done a great job, Mrs. Black. Your reward was inevitable.” He waited until she returned to her seat before he spoke again. “Julia will be transferred immediately, following her uncle’s consent, into a secure facility where she will be cared for until her full recovery from her injury.”
Stacy didn’t bother to ask how they knew.
“She is more like a protected witness, as she witnessed something that could aid a crucial investigation. She can’t go home yet. But she will be safe, and her family will be able to visit her.”
“Oh, that’s great news.” She sighed, her every muscle loosening from the clenched grip she’d had on herself since—when? The notice to vacate? Her husband’s death? Despite her trust in Jesus, how long had it been since she’d felt she could let the pressure go, since she’d felt she didn’t have to be the strong one carrying on for others?
Joy had taken away her usual attitude of gratitude. “On behalf of me and the youth of New Creations, we say thank you for your support and generosity. Thank you very much, sir. We won’t forget this.” Only God could’ve turned things around for her and the troubled youth she cared for, completely for good, as only He could do.
A new song sang in her heart, sufficient to give her peace and let her know her invisible, erstwhile unrecognized labor of love for those who could not pay her back, was seen by the Savior up above. This wasn’t their last New Year’s celebration together. Not at all. They’d have more good celebrations for years to come, thanks to divine intervention. God had come through for her. Thank You, Lord Jesus!