As In a Mirror

Yay! For two nights I have been able to work on my story! This is just the introduction; it is bound to get far more intense. The title of this work is, Never Be Lost.

Ben sat on his cot in the small boat cabin, contemplative, almost pensive, writing in his journal. That was something he did when there was something pressing on his mind and he needed to get his thoughts straight. He gazed out the small window, and saw the trees, heard the birds– but they were different trees and birds than what he was used to. He was on a mission trip to the Amazon region of Brazil. This particular region, where the mission had started building a clinic just a few years earlier, had recently been flooded. The mission came here to help rebuild, and treat those with diseases and injuries as a result of the disaster. A bulletin about the prospective mission had been posted in Ben’s church only a few weeks earlier. Ben signed up for it with Alex MacAdamson, Elaine Rivers, and Jade Cooper from his church. He sat and reflected his reasons for coming here, to the humidity, the bugs, the mud, the foreign language and culture, the odd schedule, and the hassle of travel.

Of the four youth, Ben Caldwell was the oldest at 19, usually the quietest and least social. He loved physical work, challenges and books. He loved to build something, to watch something grow, and see the results of it. For years he had been contemplating how he could use these passions for something meaningful. He had been thinking of this very topic intensely, especially since he had recently been quizzed by an older man, “So son, what’s your line of work?” It was certainly the worst time for Ben to answer such a question. He somewhat haltingly replied with a grin, “Well, I sorta just do what needs doing.” When he was younger, he had thought of being a builder like his father. But in the great scheme of things, what could he do? Concerning what matters most, that the kingdom of God be built strong, what would he do with his life? Almost right away, he saw the bulletin at church. His buddy Alex was going, but Ben struggled with the idea for about a week. He finally ended up praying, “Jesus, I want to know what you would have me do. My life is not mine to spend, and I believe that it was no accident the poster about the mission trip was put in this place right here and right now, as I am asking You what You want of me. I don’t know where the journey will lead me, but I believe You want me to go, So I’ll go.”

The trip was to be two weeks long; a boatfull of missionaries and volunteers were going as a relief party to the villages along a tributary of the Amazon. So here he was, on the mighty Amazon. Travel had been a little exhausting– the airport, the hustle and bustle of Brazilian cities and especially those buses!

As he sat writing, Ben’s buddy Alex poked his head in the doorway to their tiny barracks. “You gonna sit there all day? Doc’s waiting.” Chuckling, Ben responded, “Just one minute.” He needed a moment to finish his thoughts and awake from the pensive mood. Both boys were fairly tall, though Alex was a bit on the leaner side, with jet black hair and bright grey eyes. He always seemed to have something to say to brighten the mood; witty, good-humored and always smiling, he and Ben had been pals from Day 1. Ben’s hair was dirt brown, parted off the side, matching his thin brown eyes and defined eyebrows. The girls on the team, Elaine and Jade, hadn’t known each other very well before, but they got acquainted plenty well in the weeks before the trip. Lanie was of medium stance, with dark brown hair and bright hazel eyes, along with a ready smile. She was certainly the outdoor lover, always ready for adventure, never known to anyone to back down from a challenge. Jade’s beautiful sleek blond hair was often kept back in braids, and her deep blue eyes shone with compassion and zeal. Others knew her to be a dependable lass, also a lover of art and beauty. As the bunch set out to carry on with the tasks of a Christian relief force, there was no way they could have anticipated what was to come.

Well, there you have it. As I said, it is only the introduction. I hope I didn’t take too long in introductory explanations or character portrayal, but these are the details that get important later. That’s what I think is so cool about a story: every detail is a thread, and in the end, they all tie together to make an amazing tapestry.

I have vivid ideas of the plot of the story, basically that cover the real-life aspect of things, even the sad and heart-rending struggles that a missionary has to live through, or the burdens one has to give to the Lord when he finds out they are hindering him. But I don’t know; I wouldn’t want to overwhelm anybody with a simply fiction story!

So tell me what you think of it so far, eh?