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Topic: Reward (09/27/04)
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TITLE: The Water Bottle By Erwin Robledo 10/04/04 |
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“Eric, I can’t hold on!” Molly yelled.
He looked around and shouted for help. No answer. He stretched his arms to reach her, but his arms just wouldn’t elongate like he prayed for. He stood up and shouted, again. Louder. There was an echo, but that was it. If someone heard him, they just didn’t come out. Why wouldn’t they come out?
“Eric!”
Now Eric planned to jump near her, throw her to safety, and climb up, but he felt like there was something wrong with the plan. Maybe he wouldn’t be able to climb back up. Yeah, that was it.
Well, better him than Molly.
He looked around for the last time, and saw a little girl pulling her mule, turning towards them. Slowly. Why was she walking slowly? He rushed towards them.
“Help me…please!” Eric said between gulps of air. “My wife…she’s down there…I need to pull her up.”
The girl took out a rope from the mule’s bundle and gave it to Eric. He wondered for a second what the rope was for, then rushed to the edge of the mountain and threw it down. Seconds later Molly came up and the two embraced, trembling, crying, thanking God.
The couple walked to the child who was looking at a distance. “Thank you.” Eric said, giving the rope back to her. “This saved my wife. You saved her.” Molly smiled, too shaken to speak.
Eric took out his necklace. “Here. It’s not much, but there’s nothing else we can give you to show our appreciation.” He handed the necklace to the girl, but she pointed to the water bottle hanging on his belt.
“You want this?” Eric took out the water bottle and gave it to the girl, who took it with a smile and spoke in a language neither Eric nor Molly could recognize. The girl then left the two standing in the mountainside, going as mysterious as she came.
The event took a lot from Molly, who slept soundly at the missionary compound near the mountain village of Nepnkabi, where they were assigned to spread the gospel. Eric went outside to think. What he was thinking back at the mountainside? He did assume that God would not take Molly, but Molly was His. He would have done what He wanted with her, and he knew he shouldn’t complain if things didn’t turn out the way that it happened. Would he have jumped to get Molly if the girl didn’t show up? And the girl, where did she come from? Could it have been an angel? If she were, why did she take the water bottle? And why would anyone take a water bottle instead of a necklace? The necklace was of gold, a gift handed down by his father as a family jewel. Its importance to him would have fully expressed his thanks to the girl, but she took the water bottle. What was so important about that? There would not be any answers for him that night.
Evening passed and the morning came. While Molly stayed at the compound to recuperate, Eric went to the village to spread the Good News and helping those who needed help. Noon came, and he ate from his lunch box, and drank from his…
The water bottle! Eric knew he was in trouble. The compound could only be reached after a long walk, and the water in the village wasn’t exactly pure. The thought of it made him perspire, and the sun dried the sweat as quickly as it came. He had to remain calm or lose more water.
Eric wasn’t as busy in the afternoon, keeping to the shade at all times. But by the end of the day he was dry, and dizzy, and water in the well still looked like mud, He prayed, asking for a miracle, like yesterday. “If You wanted to, You can make it rain, or turn the mud into water. Or let water come out of the rocks.”
Just then a peddler passed by, with a mule loaded with bananas, root crops, and water jars.