Page 31 of Upon an April Night

The pianist began to play, and Jamie turned to face the stage as a man took to the pulpit and led the congregation in a hymn. She thought about her reaction to the ladies praying for her and how much it meant to her. As far as she knew, nobody had ever prayed for her before, and it felt big and important.

She paid close attention to the songs that were sung and the words of the pastor’s sermon. It wasn’t what she expected. His stories were real and relatable, shared from his own experiences or those of people in his life.

“When I was twenty years old, I didn’t know what I was doing with my life. I had dropped out of college, was working a dead-end job, hanging out with the wrong people, getting into trouble. I didn’t come from a church background. I was lost, and I didn’t know it.”

Jamie’s heart stuttered at his words. Lost? Was she lost? Most days lately, that’s exactly how she felt.

“But someone reached out to me. A kind neighbor lady, who had known me since I was a boy, asked me to help her install a new mailbox. What she didn’t know was that only days before, my friends and I had driven by and smashed her mailbox with a bat. It was childish and immature, but that’s where I was at that time in my life.

“I did the work for her, and she thanked me and paid me twenty bucks. I took it and went home, but I was overcome with guilt, so much that I went back to her later that day, and I said, ‘Miss Freida, I can’t accept this money. I’m sorry. I’m the one who did it. I smashed your mailbox.’ She looked at me with such kindness and said, ‘I know you did.’ I was in shock. I couldn’t believe she knew and yet she didn’t seem angry or turn me in to the cops. I asked her why she paid me if she knew I was the one who did it. ‘I would’ve paid anyone who did the job for me,’ she told me, ‘You came back and fixed what you broke. That’s all that matters to me.’ I was in shock that someone could let me off the hook so easily. That I could make such a big mistake and be forgiven for it, no questions asked.

“I stopped by to visit Miss Freida more often after that. She was a great source of encouragement and eventually invited me to her church. And it was there that I came to realize why she was able to forgive me without a second thought. Because God had forgiven her the same way. No questions asked.”

Jamie barely listened to the rest of the sermon, because that story was stuck in her mind. She thought about it long after they had gone home and eaten lunch. She mulled it over while she packed her bags for the trip back to Grand Rapids the next day. And finally, she went to her parents, who were in the kitchen preparing dinner.

“Hey, can I talk to you guys about something?” She sat on a barstool.

“Sure, honey,” Mom said over her shoulder.

“I liked the pastor’s story today, and I’ve been thinking a lot about it.”

They both looked at her.

“I don’t really understand it all, and I thought maybe you guys could tell me your story.”

“How we started going to church is different than Pastor,” Mom said. “We weren’t invited there by anyone. We both just felt like something was missing in our life, and we were in a place where we wanted to improve ourselves. It was kind of on a whim that we went to church that day. We thought we’d give it a try. And we immediately loved the people and felt welcomed, like we were a part of something special.”

Dad spoke next. “Not long after, Pastor spoke about how to know beyond a doubt that you’re going to Heaven, and we didn’t know if we were, but we wanted to. So, we both made decisions that day to accept Jesus into our hearts, and it was the best choice we ever made.”

Jamie leaned forward and rested her forearms on the countertop. “I can tell it’s been life-changing for you both.”

“It really has,” Mom replied.

Jamie felt an ache deep in her heart, a longing to know the kind of joy her parents had found. “I think I want what you have. I want to know Jesus too.”

“You do?” Mom instantly teared up.

“Gloria told me God loves me and my baby and that with Him, I will never be alone, and I haven’t been able to get that out of my mind since.”

“He does love you and the baby. He knew you before you were formed, and the same with that sweet baby you’re carrying. He cares more than you could ever fathom. He sent his own Son to this Earth to die on the cross for our sins. That’s how much He loves us.”

Jamie felt a warmth come over her. “What do I need to do?”

“Just ask him to forgive you for the sins of your past, to make you new, and to come into your heart and life and be your Savior.”

Nerves skittered through her body. “I don’t know what to say.”

Mom and Dad rounded the bar and each took one of her hands.

“We’ll help you,” Mom said.

And as her parents helped her pray, Jamie knew her life was changed forever.

Chapter 14

Aunt Pauline’s back yard was filled with family and friends for the Fourth of July picnic at her home on Reeds Lake. With its expansive lawn, angling subtly down to the lake, there was plenty of room to accommodate their large family for these annual reunion gatherings. Nana and Paulie were the last of the five Bachman sisters, so every year the family was able to gather was special to them. Especially tonight, since they had gone all out for Duncan’s engagement.

“Your family sure knows how to throw a party,” Dréa commented.

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