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"It was a long time ago, said Natasha. Almost ten years."
"
"
Still, to Erin, the pain in her new friend's eyes looked fresh. "First your
parents, and then your husband?"
"All the luck, huh?" said Natasha, her bottom lip beginning to quiver.
Just a little farther, Bennett decided.
It was foolish, he knew. He was now at least three miles into the mountain. He
must be nearing its core, he thought. But he couldn't go back without knowing
for sure. He took a gulp of water and squeezed around a tight corner and
through a narrow crevice, dripping with water. A minute went by, then two,
then five. All of a sudden the tunnel opened up into a large cavern. He could
finally stand again, and when he did, he found himself at a dead end.
And then he noticed something odd.
Scattered about the floor of the cavern were six large piles of rocks. Where
had they come from? They were obviously not natural formations, but who had
put them there?
And why?
Bennett's heart rate began to rise. He set down his backpack, pulled out a
digital camera, and snapped a few pictures. Then he stuffed the cam-era back
in its bag and got started.
It was excruciating, backbreaking work. But after fifteen minutes, Bennett had
cleared most of the rocks off the first pile. He pulled a spade from his pack
and was preparing to dig when he realized he had already hit solid granite.
There was nothing buried under the stones. Absolutely nothing.
Bennett repeated the process with the second pile, and the third, but each
time he found nothing, and what little hope he had left quickly began to fade.
It was now three-
thirty in the morning. By the time he got back to the cave entrance, it would
be at least five, and then he'd have to climb his way out. There would be no
time left to explore another cave. At that point, they'd barely have enough
time to get home before sunrise.
But the thought of turning back with nothing to show for it made him
physically ill, and he pled with God to show him favor.
"Why are you here, Erin?" Natasha asked.
The question came without warning, and Erin wasn't sure what she meant.
"Why are you doing this you and Jon?" Natasha pressed. "Why risk your life for
something that means nothing to you? I mean, this is my life. And it was my
grandfathers. But youve got no stake in this thing. Sure, it was important to
Uncle Eli, '
'
and maybe you'll track down his killers. But maybe not. Maybe they'll get you
first.
"
Erin looked in Natasha's eyes. She was serious, and she was waiting for an
answer
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Erin didn't feel comfortable giving. But it was the truth, and she was too
tired to come up with anything different.
"Have you ever heard the expression `The safest place to be is in the center
of God's
197
will'?"
"No," said Natasha.
"It just means if God wants you to do something, you'd better do it, even if
it sounds a little crazy. Jesus said, `If you love Me, you will keep My
commandments.' And I love
Him more than I can possibly explain. So I try to be faithful to whatever He
asks of me."
"And if He told you to jump off a bridge ..."
"No, no, it's not like that," said Erin. "But it is a little hard to explain
if you've never " She paused abruptly, then shifted gears. "How many languages
do you speak, Natasha?"
"Speak or read?"
"Whatever."
"Seven," said Natasha.
"Wow, that's amazing."
"How about you?" Natasha demurred.
"Three, said Erin. "English, Arabic, and Russian. A little Farsi, I guess, but
not
"
much. But my point is that regardless of how many languages I could speak, if
you were talking to me in Hebrew right now, I'd have absolutely no idea what
you were saying.
You could be telling me exactly where the treasure is, and I wouldn't know it.
You could be telling me how you met your husband and fell in love, but I'd
have no idea. Why?
Because I don't know Hebrew. I haven't studied it, much less become fluent. It
would mean nothing to me, and I'd miss everything you were trying to say to
me.
"And you know, the same is true with God. He says He loves us `with an
everlasting love.' He has plans to give us `a hope and a future.' He says He
wants to adopt us into His family and have a personal relationship with us, to
walk with us and talk to us and tell us great and mighty things we do not
know. But unless we become true followers of His and learn to speak His
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