Page 74 of Zane

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Zane carefully made his way around people in the foyer as he followed Lee, Rori, and Kelsey to their seats in the sanctuary. Sarah and Ross had come earlier to meet with the pastor, and Zane spotted them standing next to the front row, speaking with Will’s parents, along with a couple of other leaders from the church.

He still wasn’t sure how he felt about everything that had transpired over the past twenty-four hours. Even though he’d known that Sarah was married, he’d wanted to see her, hoping for closure. But the reality was, he didn’t immediately stop having feelings for her.

She was clearly in love with her husband and happy with the direction of her life, and though it hurt to see her that way with someone else, Zane was glad she was thriving. Now if he could only figure out how to thrive in his current life.

When Lee scooted into a row with enough space for them, Zane followed Kelsey into it and sat down beside her, leaning his crutches next to him at the end of the row.

“Hi, Zane.” Looking up, Zane saw a friend of his parents standing in the aisle next to him. He moved to get to his feet, but the man rested his hand on Zane’s shoulder, keeping him in place. “It’s good to see you this morning with your lovely wife.”

The man’s wife gave them both a warm smile. “How are you feeling these days, Zane?”

“I’m hoping to get the cast off soon,” he said, choosing to focus on the injury they could see. “Gareth says my leg is healing very well, so I appreciate your prayers.”

“We’ve definitely been praying fervently for you since we heard about your accident. I know your parents are glad to have you back, though I know the circumstances aren’t ideal.”

“We’ll continue to pray for you both,” the man said. “Keep your head up.”

“Thank you.”

With a last squeeze of his shoulder, the pair moved further down the aisle. Zane appreciated the care and concern of the people who had known him his whole life, but it really didn’t seem like their prayers were being answered when it came to his more serious injury.

Kelsey shifted on the pew beside him, her hands gripping her purse in her lap. Someone had started to play the piano, and announcements were cycling through on the large screens on either side of the stage at the front.

The familiarity of the church and its services was a balm for the turmoil in his spirit. He hadn’t wanted to come that morning, but he’d known that church was precisely the place he needed to be.

It was a bit of a surprise that Kelsey continued to attend church with them, especially considering that she’d said that they’d never gone during their time together. He hadn’t had a conversation about her attending with them now, to see if she had questions, but maybe he needed to.

His head throbbed dully, and he hoped the pills he’d taken before leaving the house would kick in soon. If the pain got any worse, he’d have a hard time focusing.

Gareth joined the worship team as they took their places on the platform, while the assistant pastor stepped up to the podium to welcome them. The service quickly got underway, andafter all the usual parts, Pastor Kennedy got up and greeted the congregation.

“We have a special presentation this morning,” he said, smiling warmly. “Will contacted me yesterday to see if we’d have room in the service for some friends of the Halverson family to share about their ministry. We are always happy to highlight mission ministries here, and after I spoke to them this morning, I knew this was a timely presentation, with school starting soon. Sarah and Ross, why don’t you join me up here?”

Sarah and Ross stood up, and Zane felt his stomach clench when he saw Ross lay his hand on Sarah’s back as they climbed the stairs to the stage. Pastor Kennedy shook hands with them, then stepped aside so they could take his place behind the podium.

“Thank you for allowing Sarah and I to share with you this morning where the Lord is leading us,” Ross said, an engaging smile lighting up his face. “But first of all, we’d like to give you a little background on us. I was raised as a missionary kid in Malaysia, where my parents were serving as church planters. I returned to Chicago upon graduating from the missionary boarding school to attend college, and it was in Chicago where I met Sarah. I’ll let her tell you a bit about herself.”

“As Ross said, thank you for allowing us to share this morning,” Sarah said with a familiar smile. “Unlike Ross, I was raised here in the States. I grew up in a Christian home just outside of Chicago and ended up moving there for college. Once I graduated, I found a job in a Christian school. During that time, I felt drawn to overseas ministry, but I wasn’t sure what exactly that would look like for me. While teaching at the school, I met Ross, and he was able to assist me in thinking through this calling, and in the process, we fell in love.”

Zane frowned, wondering if she’d already known Ross before she’d broken up with him. From what she’d said, he’d gotten upset because she’d started dating within six months of their breakup. Her knowing Ross already could help explain how she’d moved on so quickly.

“I’m a high school science teacher, while Sarah teaches elementary,” Ross said. “During our time getting to know each other, we realized that we were both seeking to follow the Lord’s leading into overseas ministry. After much prayer as a couple and individually, we felt God was leading us to teach at a missionary boarding school.”

Ross gave some information about the school they hoped to serve at and also the mission they were going with. “We’re now in the process of raising support. It had been our hope to be there in time to start this school year, but the timing hasn’t worked out. In the meantime, we will be teaching at a school in Seattle, where we just recently moved. It is our hope to be in a position to go to our assignment next summer, and we’d sure appreciate your prayers as we plan toward that.”

“We’d love to have you as partners as we minister to missionary children,” Sarah said. “Supporting them as their parents work in their own ministries.”

Pastor Kennedy stepped up to the podium and rested his hand on Ross’s shoulder. “There’s a table set up in the foyer with more information about Sarah and Ross’s ministry. Right now, I’d like to ask our elders to come forward to pray for Sarah and Ross.”

The piano played softly as several people—including Zane’s dad—joined the pastor at the front of the sanctuary. The group gathered around the couple, laying hands on them as Pastor Kennedy prayed for them and their ministry.

As Zane listened to the pastor pray, he mulled over what Sarah had shared and the passion she had for the direction of her life with Ross. It wasn’t a passion they’d ever had for the future they’d talked about.

He hadn’t wanted to accept that anyone but him could have made Sarah happy. However, proof to the contrary was right in front of him. And more than just happy, she looked to be at peace.

Once the prayer was over, Sarah and Ross shook hands with the people who had prayed with them, then took their seats in the front row. Pastor Kennedy returned to his spot at the podium.

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