of his grave and reading the same words you'd just e-mailed to me. All of a sudden I got all goose bumpy and actually started to cry, and somehow I knew.” She looked at me with what appeared to be tears in her eyes. “I just knew that God was doing the whole thing.”
“Oh, Chloe, that is so cool.”
She nodded. “And so I did it. I gave my heart to Jesus, right there in the cemetery.”
“So how do you feel now?”
She smiled. “Totally great!”
“Have you told anyone?”
She shook her head. “I almost e-mailed Josh yesterday. But when I got the e-mail that you were coming, I wanted to tell you first.”
I reached over and squeezed her arm. “I'm so happy for you.”
She took a deep breath. “Yeah, I can still hardly believe it myself. I keep thinking maybe I imagined the whole thing. But I really feel different inside. And I'vebeen praying a lot since then and reading the Bible even more. I even wrote a couple songs about the whole thing.”
“This is so cool.”
Her face grew more serious. “But I'm not sure what to do next.”
I nodded, thinking about it. “Well, praying and reading your Bible are probably the most important things, but you also need to start having some fellowship.” Now, it was funny as I said this because I was suddenly aware that I was giving advice that I needed to heed myself.
“You mean like going to church?”
“Yeah, that's part of it. But you also need to get in with a group of Christian kids your own age. Is there a good youth group at your parents' church?”
Her face grew slightly cloudy. “I suppose so …”
“Is there a problem?”
“Oh, I don't know …” She looked down at her coffee. “I guess the youth leader is sort of …well, he's kind of a yuppie type, you know, and I just don't think I'd fit in too well.”
I considered this. “Well, Josh used to go to my youth group. Maybe you'd like to try it–that is, if your parents don't mind.”
She looked up and grinned. “I think they'll be so happy to see me involved in church that they won't care where I go. Well, as long as it's not some form of cult or something weird.” She laughed. “Although I'm pretty sure my dadthought I was turning into a satanist or something equally frightening.”
“Are you going to tell them?”
“Yeah, but I want to tell Josh first. Hey, did you know he's coming home this weekend too?”
“Nope.” Despite myself, I felt my heart do that irritating little flutter thing at the mention of his name. “But then I didn't get any e-mail from him this past week. I guess he's been pretty busy with school lately. Maybe you can go to church with him on Sunday.”
“Yeah, that sounds like a plan.”
Then she asked me how it was going with my roommate, and I filled her in a little, even asking her to pray for Liz. “I think you'd sort of understand her,” I said. “Maybe even better than I do–we're as different as night and day.”
Chloe smiled. “Just don't underestimate how God uses you, Caitlin. I mean, look at what happened to me after you got involved in my life.”
I laughed. “Yeah, I remember the first time I met you and I wondered what in the world we'd possibly have in common.”
She giggled. “Yeah, and I thought what's this preppy-looking older chick doing hanging out with the likes of me?”
“But God was really up to something.”
Chloe slowly nodded her head as if the whole thing was still just sinking in. “Yeah, I guess He was.”
We talked and joked for about an hour before Chloehad to head off to a baby-sitting job.
“Do you like to baby-sit?” I asked her as we went out the door.
“Yeah, I think little kids are great.”
“Then I'll have to introduce you to my aunt. She has a preschooler and a newborn baby, and she just mentioned yesterday how she's looking for a good baby-sitter since all her old reliables took off for college this year.”
“Sounds great.”
Well, I couldn't help but smile as I drove home from
“Oh, Chloe, that is so cool.”
She nodded. “And so I did it. I gave my heart to Jesus, right there in the cemetery.”
“So how do you feel now?”
She smiled. “Totally great!”
“Have you told anyone?”
She shook her head. “I almost e-mailed Josh yesterday. But when I got the e-mail that you were coming, I wanted to tell you first.”
I reached over and squeezed her arm. “I'm so happy for you.”
She took a deep breath. “Yeah, I can still hardly believe it myself. I keep thinking maybe I imagined the whole thing. But I really feel different inside. And I'vebeen praying a lot since then and reading the Bible even more. I even wrote a couple songs about the whole thing.”
“This is so cool.”
Her face grew more serious. “But I'm not sure what to do next.”
I nodded, thinking about it. “Well, praying and reading your Bible are probably the most important things, but you also need to start having some fellowship.” Now, it was funny as I said this because I was suddenly aware that I was giving advice that I needed to heed myself.
“You mean like going to church?”
“Yeah, that's part of it. But you also need to get in with a group of Christian kids your own age. Is there a good youth group at your parents' church?”
Her face grew slightly cloudy. “I suppose so …”
“Is there a problem?”
“Oh, I don't know …” She looked down at her coffee. “I guess the youth leader is sort of …well, he's kind of a yuppie type, you know, and I just don't think I'd fit in too well.”
I considered this. “Well, Josh used to go to my youth group. Maybe you'd like to try it–that is, if your parents don't mind.”
She looked up and grinned. “I think they'll be so happy to see me involved in church that they won't care where I go. Well, as long as it's not some form of cult or something weird.” She laughed. “Although I'm pretty sure my dadthought I was turning into a satanist or something equally frightening.”
“Are you going to tell them?”
“Yeah, but I want to tell Josh first. Hey, did you know he's coming home this weekend too?”
“Nope.” Despite myself, I felt my heart do that irritating little flutter thing at the mention of his name. “But then I didn't get any e-mail from him this past week. I guess he's been pretty busy with school lately. Maybe you can go to church with him on Sunday.”
“Yeah, that sounds like a plan.”
Then she asked me how it was going with my roommate, and I filled her in a little, even asking her to pray for Liz. “I think you'd sort of understand her,” I said. “Maybe even better than I do–we're as different as night and day.”
Chloe smiled. “Just don't underestimate how God uses you, Caitlin. I mean, look at what happened to me after you got involved in my life.”
I laughed. “Yeah, I remember the first time I met you and I wondered what in the world we'd possibly have in common.”
She giggled. “Yeah, and I thought what's this preppy-looking older chick doing hanging out with the likes of me?”
“But God was really up to something.”
Chloe slowly nodded her head as if the whole thing was still just sinking in. “Yeah, I guess He was.”
We talked and joked for about an hour before Chloehad to head off to a baby-sitting job.
“Do you like to baby-sit?” I asked her as we went out the door.
“Yeah, I think little kids are great.”
“Then I'll have to introduce you to my aunt. She has a preschooler and a newborn baby, and she just mentioned yesterday how she's looking for a good baby-sitter since all her old reliables took off for college this year.”
“Sounds great.”
Well, I couldn't help but smile as I drove home from
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