Wrong Time, Wrong Place

By Trinity S. (ages 14-18 category)

 

Thunder rumbled in the distance, mirroring the mood of 11-year-old Andi Carter. She sat huddled in the buggy next to big sister Melinda and big brother Justin. During church that morning, an unexpected thunderstorm had slunk over the Sierra Nevada mountain range and was now pouring down rain, a brisk wind increasing the misery of the hour-long drive back to the ranch.  

  Pal and Thunder, the bay geldings, trotted unhappily down the muddy road. Big brother Chad peered into the downpour and guided them around the worst of the potholes. The usually-dusty road was now a muddy mess, and dirty water splashed at every hoofbeat.

  Mother squinted into the rain and huddled closer to Chad, while her third son Mitch wrapped an arm around her. Content to snuggle next to Justin, Andi pulled her coat tighter around her and let her mind wander.

  The pastor that morning had spoken of not worrying about what tomorrow would bring, and how this applied to the long-term future. He suspected life would be very different in a century or so, with incredible technological advancements and every sort of convenience imaginable. Yet among these exciting improvements, he suspected a departure from the authority of God’s Word would soon follow.

  Andi often daydreamed the long services away, but today she had listened intently. What would life be like in a century or two? Would people still drive horse-drawn buggies?

  Andi’s mind wandered to her own palomino mare, Taffy. She had hoped to get a ride in this afternoon, but—

Suddenly, a massive bolt of lightning fell from the sky, striking a nearby mesquite tree. Andi screamed as Thunder and Pal shied away, nearly jerking the reins out of Chad’s hands, and plunged into a ditch, where the buggy wheels sank into deep mud. Further spooked, the horses lunged to the left.

Andi felt the buggy tilting as Chad tried to keep the horses under control. Then another flash of lightning, closer this time, frightened the horses out of the ditch and set them galloping across the grassy plain. In the midst of the confusion, Andi saw that Chad had lost the reins and the horses were thundering, blindly and uncontrolled, away from the road.

  Suddenly looming in their path was a gnarled old oak tree. Panicked out of their wits, Pal dodged right and Thunder swerved left. The harnesses snapped as the horses broke free from each other—and the buggy, which hurtled unchecked towards the tree.

  Before anyone could blink, there was a horrible crash, and Andi found herself flying out of the buggy.

Her world went dark.

  *

When Andi’s eyes opened, it wasn’t raining. And she wasn’t anyplace she recognized.

  She was standing in front of a massive building so shiny and bright she had to squint against the glare. Neatly-trimmed bushes and trees did nothing to hide the glory and magnificence of this building. The brickwork was perfect, and giant silver letters declared “Whirlwind Love Fellowship Church.” Smooth steps and gleaming glass doors beckoned as Andi tried unsuccessfully to make sense of what she saw before her.

  Andi glanced around, suddenly conscious of the fact that she was alone. “Mother?” she called timidly. Then, louder, “Mother? Justin?” There was no response.

  Andi’s heart began to pound. Where was she? The world she saw around her made no sense and did not explain why she was not unconscious out in the wilderness between their ranch and Fresno. She called again, but no one replied. Panic began to swell in her, but she fought it down. “Stay calm,” she told herself. “This is a dream, nothing more.” But something felt very real about her surroundings.

  Andi turned back to the massive church. “Maybe someone inside can help me,” she said. Reassured, she started for the shiny glass doors which reflected her small figure approaching. She heard faint music coming from inside.

Wherever I am, maybe it’s still Sunday, Andi mused. There must be a service going on. She started for the door, remembering her aunt’s saying “Missing church is one step away from slipping into the devil’s clutches.”

Andi paused in front of the door, her reflection mocking her as she reached for the handle and gave it a tug.

The door didn’t budge.

Frowning, Andi pulled again. Surely the doors of a church wouldn’t be locked during a service, she thought. She tried again, but to no avail.

Doubtful, Andi firmly wiggled the door, which promptly opened inwardly. Trying to hide her embarrassment, Andi slipped inside. The faint music grew louder.

“Welcome to Whirlwind Love Fellowship Church!” exclaimed an overly-enthusiastic voice. “We’re so glad you’re here!”

Andi saw a jolly man in a suit smiling and waving at her. She hurried over to him. “Excuse me, mister, I’m looking for my—”

“Service is just beginning,” the man continued, ushering her on into another room. “There’s the bookstore—” He motioned to the room on the left— “and the coffee shop is right there.” He pointed to her right, where above a large, open window, a sign read “Holy Grounds.”

Andi had no time to speak, for he was already ordering a coffee and a donut for her.

“Where are you visiting from?” he asked eagerly.

Visiting from? Andi hesitated, unsure of how to reply. “Uh . . . California?” she managed.

“Wonderful!” he exclaimed. “We are planning on opening our next church there! What part of California?”

Before she could reply, a steaming cup and a round pastry with a hole in the middle appeared out of nowhere. The energetic man snatched them and thrust them into her hands. “There you go,” he said, handing her a napkin. “Go right through those double doors and experience the Holy Spirit like never before!”

To baffled to do anything but comply, Andi hurried to the door, cradling the hot beverage and nibbling at the delicious donut, which was sweet and flaky, the chocolate icing literally topping off the yumminess.

The moment she opened the door, she wanted to clap her hands over her ears. The music—if it could be called that—was no peaceful organ music; it blared loudly and unapologetically, strange sounds mingling to form a tune that might have set her foot tapping if it weren’t for the volume. On the center stage, nearly a dozen figures sang for all they were worth while playing foreign instruments and swaying like palm trees in a storm.

Furthering her astonishment, bright, colorful lights swirled around their feet and mingled with some sort of fog which billowed from an unknown source and rolled out into the crowd of thousands. Andi gaped at the shocking scene. This is a church?

She crept forward, finding that, instead of uncomfortable wooden pews, there were thousands of cushioned seats, most of which were occupied. She spotted an empty next to an exuberant elderly lady waving her arms and shrieking “Amen!” every five seconds.

Andi stood nervously, noticing the lyrics of the song portrayed on a bright, flashing sign above the singers. Unsure of what else to do, she began to sing along. Even though the song was foreign to her, the repetitive words were easy to remember.

“He loooooves you, He loooooooves you!” the crowd sang enthusiastically. Several “amens” rippled through the crowd.

“Even when the flood waters rise,” they exclaimed, “even when the fire roars hiiiiigher, God loves you! He loooooves you!”

And so the song went. Andi was unaccustomed to such “worship.” In church that morning in Fresno, the songs sung were “Amazing Grace” and “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name.”

Finally, after two more similarly-worded songs, the musicians left the stage. Andi plopped into the squishy chair and waited.

Just then, a sound like rumbling thunder shook the stage, and a large machine with two shiny black wheels appeared. A man straddled the foreign contraption, waving vigorously at the whooping crowd.

“Ooh!” squealed the old lady. “The pastor got a new motorcycle—what an entrance! Last time he swung down from the ceiling.”

Andi could hardly believe her eyes and ears. What kind of church is this? What is a motorcycle?

“Good morning!” the pastor yelled.

“Good morning!” everyone except Andi exclaimed.

The man climbed off the motorcycle. “You know folks, the other day I was thinking about my pair of $1,500 shoes, and they reminded me of how valuable we are in the eyes of God. He loved all of us so much that He gave His most precious treasure—His own Son—for us! Know what that means, folks? We’re worth it! God broke the law for love!”

The crowd cheered wildly, and hundreds of people shouted “Yes!” or “Amen!”

Andi sat dumbstruck. Confused thoughts swirled in her mind. God broke what law? He can’t do anything wrong! And how in the world can a pair of shoes cost $1,500?

She began to question her decision of coming into this strange place. As far as she knew, she might be in another universe! The only person she had interacted with so far hadn’t given her a chance to ask where her family was. She glanced around the dim auditorium, but everyone she could make out was unfamiliar. Every face was either eager and intent on the pastor or fast asleep.

Discouraged, she glanced back at the stage, wondering if she would be punished if caught slipping out of the room. No doubt the overly-enthusiastic greeter would spot her promptly send her back in with another donut.

“God loves you so much,” the pastor was saying, “He would never want you to suffer! God wants you to live your best life now!”

A memory verse from Sunday School a few weeks ago popped into Andi’s head. Matthew 5:10: “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Andi wasn’t sure how much of what the man said was false, but she knew his last proclamation was opposite to what the Bible actually taught.

Not wanting to hear any more lies—and also wanting to find her family—Andi rose quietly from her seat and slipped from the room. To her relief, the greeter was soundly asleep in a chair, a half-eaten donut in his lap.

Andi tiptoed past him and out the glass double-doors, closing them quietly behind her. She looked around her and noticed hundreds of large machines lined up in front of the church. They had wheels and appeared to be for transportation, but she had no clue about what they were. Perhaps if her circumstances were different, she would be curious about how they worked.

But, confused and slightly panicked, she plopped down on the top step and sobbed. “God, please help me find my family! I don’t know what’s happening, but please help me!”

Suddenly, she heard footsteps. “Hello?” someone asked. “Are you okay?”

Andi scrubbed away her tears and looked up to see a young woman approaching. “Oh—I’m sorry,” Andi stammered, standing. “Hello, I’m Andi Carter.”

“Melanie Dobson,” she replied, smiling amiably. “Are you a part of this… church?”

“No,” Andi said quickly. “I was just… visiting. I didn’t like it.”

Melanie smiled. “Good. I was just going to leave some gospel tracts here.”

“Huh?”

“Gospel tracts. Here, I’ll show you,” Melanie said, pulling out what appeared to be money. “These are million-dollar bill tracts, made to look like bundles of cash. The book of John from the Bible is in here, and the gospel, too.”

“That’s a jim-dandy idea!” she exclaimed, then hesitated. “You’re handing them out at—” She glanced up at the words Whirlwind Love Fellowship Church. “At a church?”

Melanie nodded sadly. “Yes, I’m afraid many pastors all over the country only tell their listeners what they want to hear, not what they need to hear. My whole family is out passing these around.”

At the word “family,” Andi’s heart jolted. “Speaking of family, do you know where mine is?” she asked. “I haven’t seen them since this morning, and… well, I’m not sure how to explain everything that’s gone on today.”

“Where did you last see your family?” Melanie asked.

Andi hesitated. “It’s a long story, but I last saw them while we were in the buggy coming back from church in Fresno. There was a storm and the horses spooked and we crashed and… I woke up here.”

Melanie raised her eyebrows. “You went to church in a horse-drawn buggy?”

“Yes,” Andi replied, a little confused. “How else would we get there?”

Melanie’s gaze swept over Andi’s nineteenth-century outfit, and her expression changed. “Ah, I see,” she said, smiling and nodding, with the look one might have when speaking to a child whose imagination has run away with them. “I’m sorry, what are your parents’ names?”

“My mother is Elizabeth Carter. My older brother Chad runs the Circle C ranch...”

Melanie frowned. “Doesn’t ring a bell, I’m afraid.”

Andi didn’t bother to ask what that meant. “The Circle C is huge. My father started it in 1851…?”

Melanie froze. “Hold up. What year?”

“1851,” Andi repeated, confused. “Right after the gold rush. My father bought the ranch before he died…”

Melanie stared at her. “Sweetie, that was over a hundred fifty years ago! It’s 2024 now.”

“What?” Andi blurted. “But that’s impossible! How do I get back?”

Melanie eyed Andi, doubtful of her mental stability, but when she saw the earnest, tearful eyes, she knew something was wrong. Her face softened, and she wrapped Andi in a hug. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s going on, but remember: God works everything out for good. He has a plan and purpose in everything. Here, let’s pray. Father in heaven, I pray that you would help Andi here to find her family. Give her your peace because she’s confused and scared. Please help us to know what to do. In Jesus’ Name we pray, amen.”

“Thank you,” Andi said, rubbing the tears from her eyes. But when she looked up again, Melanie was gone.

It took a few seconds for Andi to realize she was no longer in front of Whirlwind Love Fellowship Church, but in her own bed, and Dr. Weaver was hovering over her.

She sat up quickly, joy flooding her. “I’m back!”

Mother appeared beside the doctor. “Andrea!” she exclaimed. “You’re awake!” She embraced Andi and added, “Dr. Weaver says you had quite the knock on the head, but you’ll be fine in a week or two.”

Andi wanted to tell her all about the strange encounter with the church and Melanie, but she paused. Likely, no one would believe her, but she was home, and for that, she was grateful.

Melanie’s words came back to her: “God works everything out for good. He has a plan and purpose in everything.”

And that includes what timeframe I live in, what family I have… so I don’t have to worry or be discontent. Thank You, God for working everything out for good.