It was almost five o’clock. Allan was getting ready to go home, then he realized Michele wouldn’t be there. She was at the hospital with Christina. He picked up his phone to call her.
“Hello? Allan?”
“It’s me. Just calling to check on things, see how you’re doing. How’s the labor coming along?”
“I’m with Christina now. The contractions are a lot more painful than they were, and they’re about five minutes apart.”
“That means it’s getting close, doesn’t it?”
“Closer, but they told us it still could be several more hours.”
Guess that meant he’d be eating dinner on his own. “Are you hungry? Can I bring you something to eat?”
“Thanks, but we already have that covered. Mom gets off at five, and she’s going to pick up something on the way.”
“You need anything from the house?”
“I don’t think so.”
“How’s Christina doing, you know, emotionally?”
“Amazing so far. Hold on a minute. Let me just step outside into the hallway.” Allan heard the phone rustle then a pause. “It must just be God’s grace. I think I’d be a wreck if I were in her shoes. But she seems to be doing fine. Are you on your way home?”
“Almost. I’ll be leaving in a few minutes.”
“Sorry I won’t be there.”
“Me too, but it’s for a good cause. I’ll pick up something on the way home. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be praying for you guys.”
“Especially for Christina.”
“Right. Love you much.”
“Love you too,” she said. “I’ll call you when I have news.”
After he said good-bye and hung up, the phone icon on his cell indicated a missed call. He clicked it and saw it was Ray. He clicked again, and the phone began ringing. “Hey, Ray, it’s Allan. Just calling you back.”
“Thanks, Allan. About quitting time for you, isn’t it?”
“I’ll be heading out the door as soon as we’re done talking. What’s up?”
“Just wanted to thank you for that proposal you sent this morning. It was perfect. I mean that literally.”
Wow, perfect. Literally perfect. Allan wasn’t sure he’d go that far, though. “Glad you liked it.”
“I spent all morning on it, then used it during several phone conversations this afternoon. But I’m not kidding about the perfect remark. When I got to your bottom line, I could hardly believe my eyes.”
Allan wondered if Ray thought he’d come in too high. Ray was looking for a specific figure showing how much they’d need to operate the orphanage the first two years. That was the amount the government of Ethiopia wanted to see before they’d give their full permission. “Did the amount make you happy or disappointed?”
“Extremely happy. You’re not going to believe this. You know our church is getting behind this in a big way. Just last night I got the final tally from the other churches. Guess how much it came to?”
“Are we close to my bottom line?”
“Not close. We surpassed it. By four thousand dollars.”
“We raised thirty-nine-thousand dollars?”
“Can you believe it?” Ray said. “I just got off the phone with Henok in Ethiopia. I’ve never heard him so excited.”
“So it’s official,” Allan said. “We’re really going to do it?”
“I believe we are. Isn’t God great?”
“He certainly is.” Instantly, Allan pictured little Ayana’s face. They had only budgeted for six orphans initially. Eventually they hoped the project would grow to include hundreds. But Ray had already said he would do everything he could to make sure Ayana was one of those first six children. “What’s the next step?”
“Well, now that we have your budget proposal, which proves we’ve already raised enough money to get started, job one for me tomorrow is to plan another trip over there. When Henok got over the shock of hearing all the money we raised, I asked him what he thought the next step should be. He’s been interacting with his contact person in the government constantly. He told me he’s using the persistent widow approach to keep this thing in front of them. He said they would definitely need to see somebody from America over there soon, someone who could confirm everything he’s been saying. To prove the money’s real. I told him to go ahead and set up that meeting next week, and as soon as he had the dates confirmed, I’d book a flight.”
“That’s wonderful, Ray. I imagine they’re going to want to see some of that money, not just hear you talk about it. Have you thought about that?”
“No, that’s a good point. I’ll shoot off an email to Henok, see if he can get them to nail down some specific amounts for some of the up-front fees and expenses. I see you have a category for that in your proposal. How confident do you feel about that number?”
“It’s a pretty solid guess. I contacted several other mission groups working in Ethiopia. Those numbers are based on an average from what they told me. The one thing that’s not included is a bribe fund. No way to come up with a number for that.”
“Is that something we’re likely to run into?”
“Hopefully not. Only one of the groups I talked to did. It’s hit or miss over there, depends on the people you wind up working with.”
There was a pause. “Well, we’re just going to have to pray God gives us officials with integrity.”
“Where are the monthly pledges at so far?” Allan asked. According to his figures, they needed to reach two thousand dollars a month for the first year. A shockingly low amount if the same project were undertaken in the States. They might need to raise that much each week.
“We’re there,” Ray said. “And one of the churches still has another presentation to make this Sunday. I know we need to start small, get all the bugs worked out, all our legal ducks lined up in a row. But I don’t think we’ll be stuck at six children for long.”
“That’s great news, Ray. You’ve really made my day.”
“Well, you made mine when you sent me that proposal this morning. Know how you can make my day even better?”
“How’s that?”
“Say you’ll go to Africa with me next week.”
Why hadn’t Allan seen that one coming? He took a deep breath, steeled his resolve. It was so hard to say no to Ray. Part of him really wanted to go. “I can’t this time, Ray. There’s just no way.”
“Can’t get the time off so soon from the last trip?”
“No, it’s more than that. I should’ve talked to you about this sooner. We probably need to grab a lunch together for me to explain it properly. It has to do with me and Michele. You know we talked about how hard it’s been for us to get pregnant.”
“You been trying for over year, right?”
“Yeah. It’s hard to explain. But Michele’s been feeling kind of . . . well, unsupported might be the right word. I’ve been giving all my energy and interest to these Africa trips, really, since we got married. I’ve been spending a lot of money on them too. It turns out, a lot of the infertility things we may need to do aren’t insured, so we’re going to need to start tucking money away for that.”
“I get it, Allan. No need to apologize. You’re doing the right thing. I just love your company, and you’ve been such a part of this thing from the beginning.”
“I’d love to come, Ray. Take some pics for me.”
“I will.”
“No, I’m serious. Me or one of the guys usually takes pics on these trips. If you go by yourself, you’ll forget. It’s not just for me. This is a historic moment for the orphanage. We’ve got to get some pictures.”
“Okay, I’ll do it.”
Allan thought a moment. “Maybe you should teach Henok how to use the camera.”