““For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.””
–Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)

“Speech! Speech!”
Everyone was shouting in the large fellowship hall. As Will surveyed the immense crowd that had gathered, he was lost for words. He couldn’t believe all these people had come to see him off. Of course, there were some folks he had grown especially close to from the church, and his friends from the street had also made it to the small ceremony. Many of them had found new life in Christ and begun the long journey of recovery during Will’s meetings.
But no one besides Ellie knew what had happened that morning. Will had promised to stay until she was safe.
Shaken out of his reverie, Will was handed a microphone by one of the ladies. Another woman came from the kitchen, bringing out a cake.
“I … I don’t know what to say!” stammered Will.
“Well, that’s never stopped you before!” called someone in the crowd. “You can get pretty long-winded at our services in the field.”
“I second that!” said another person. “Get up there and get it over with. We want some cake!”
After a nudge from behind, Ellie stepped out of the shadows and walked up to him. “Yes, Will,” she teased, “give us some words of wisdom.”
Startled, Will asked, “Where did you come from?”
“Don’t worry about that now. Just go out there and break a leg!”
“I–I thought this would be just another meeting,” Will stuttered, looking stiff and uncomfortable.
“Well, you thought wrong!” said the pastor. “You have done such a great job with this outreach, and we’d like to hear from you.”
Then Will relaxed, and cleared his throat.
“Since there’s not going to be any meeting, I won’t get to take my morning nap.”
Everyone laughed, and Will began in earnest.
“But seriously, this means more than any of you know. I have never been what you would call popular, and as a potential intern, there were a lot of people who were more equipped for this assignment than I was.
“Although it had been posted on the school’s website for weeks, I was shocked when I was called into the field ministry office. But when I got the assignment, I had to face my inadequacies, knowing that my real strength was in Christ. Trusting Him paid off, and after one year I can truly say that it’s hard to go back to school.
“You’ve all have enriched my life in ways you don’t know, and you’ve all become close friends of mine. Like Jesus promised, by giving I have received much more.
“Since not many of you have heard my testimony, I want to share it with you now.”
“What did I tell you?” a deep voice shouted from the audience. “You may as well settle in for the winter!”
Laughing, Will shot back, “Just hold on for a few minutes, Marvin, and you’ll get your cake!
“As I was saying, I was 26 when I came to faith in Christ, and I went through a lot of grief and pain. Because I was angry and defensive, I was told to go to the chaplain’s office, or my job would be history. So I made an appointment under protest, and when the day came I told him that I really didn’t want to be there. But I also made it clear that I didn’t have a choice, and I intended to stay only as long as I needed to.
“Motioning for me to sit down, the chaplain let me talk his ears off for a while. When I was ready, though, he shared God’s love with me, and I have been privileged to share that love with you. I want to thank God for that, which brings me back to where I started.
“On that day in the chaplain’s office, I found out that I didn’t need to win any popularity contests. I found a love there that gave me the new strength and confidence to go on. Many of you have found that same love, and you have truly been instrumental in serving others.
“Shortly after that, the chaplain invited me to shadow him in the hospital, and when we went on a men’s retreat, I received my call to go out and help the hurting. But whether I was in the hospital or on the street, I couldn’t have been effective in this ministry without those of you who have remained behind the scenes. You have all been amazing in more ways than I can say, so I would like to turn the mike over to you guys.”

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There was pushing and shoving from everybody on the church staff, as well as the people that Will had spoken to in the field. Immediately assessing the situation, the pastor took charge, attempting to restore order.
“Attention, please!” he shouted. “I would like to give all of you a chance to speak, but that is going to be impossible with this many people. I’m afraid we’ll have to limit this to the ministry team, or we’ll be here all day. I will try and be your mouthpiece and hope that I speak for all of you, but I have another appointment soon. Therefore, I will make my remarks brief, and let others say what time doesn’t permit me to say.”
The crowd had finally grown quiet again, and the pastor’s voice boomed even louder. “It has truly been my privilege to work with Will, because he has taken this ministry to new heights. But I think it’s important that all of you know that this has required many long hours. Will has given up a lot to be an intern here. I need to stress this, because I would like to commend him publicly.
“On a related note, those of you who have been touched by Will’s ministry and left your former lives behind are facing a huge battle. It has taken real courage to leave the streets with your addictions and other problems and stand up for Christ, so this is your celebration as well.
“But you and I are only here because Will’s sacrifice points to the greater sacrifice which Jesus made for all of us on the cross. Therefore, I would challenge all of you to remember that. Every day, especially when times are difficult, let God’s love comfort you.”
Before stepping down, the pastor called on Bob, a key member of the ministry team.
Sneezing as he took the mike, Bob grinned. “My pesky nose only punctuates what I have to say about my main man! But seriously, Will has been a great friend and team builder. I, for one, hate to see him go, but unless you worked with us, you can’t really understand that. The way he has pinch-hit when people couldn’t make it out at the last minute was amazing, and I have learned a lot about teamwork from Will.
“If he hadn’t worn so many different hats, there were times when we couldn’t have held services at all. Just a few of the hats I can name are cooking, singing, serving and cleaning up.
“Speaking of pinch-hitting, our sister in Christ, Ellie Ellison, has agreed to play some background music while we enjoy this delicious cake! Before you all form a line, however, I need to ask Will to come back up here.”
As Will climbed the makeshift stairs to the platform, Bob addressed him. “We have a small token of our appreciation that I am proud to present to you. Everyone here who could do so has chipped in to buy it.”
Will unwrapped a brand-new Bible with his name engraved on it, and simply said, “I will remember all of you when I read this.”
Then Will guided Ellie to the piano in the center of the room. But when they were halfway there, her cell phone rang, and terror from the night before seized her. Ellie frantically fished it out of her purse.
“What is it?” asked Will, as the girl’s face grew pale.
“My phone!” she stammered hoarsely. “What if it’s another strange call? I tried to tell you about it in the car,” she whispered, And fainted on the spot.
Grabbing the phone, Will shouted, “Who is this?”
“You don’t know me,” came the voice on the other end. “My name is Conner, and I work for the state.”
“Okay, but how did you get this number?”
“I was coming to that,” Conner sighed, “but I need to fill you in on some details first.”
“Sorry. I’ll listen.”
“I was a rehab teacher, and I was recently let go,” Conner started again. “I’m not sure what happened myself. All I know from the caller ID is that this number was called. Apparently, from what I could gather, a girl answered. I’m sorry to bother you, but I can’t help feeling partially responsible for what happened after that. I should have seen the warning signs.”
“What do you mean?” Will cut in.
“The last person I instructed before being dismissed is blind. He tried to commit suicide last night by taking a bottle of pills.”
“Oh, no!” Will said, his voice softening. “Your call Is far from a bother. I knew about the call, but I thought it might have been a prank, so I was on my guard. How is he?”
“The doctors say he might be okay, but that’s tentative. They’ll continually monitor him.”
“Please let us know what happens to him. I’d like to pray with you now, Conner, if that’s okay.”
“That sounds great,” Conner replied, “but I’ve got to go now. It’s about time for the hourly update from Eddie’s nurse. His condition could change, and that really scares me,” Conner muttered.
And with that, the line went dead.

To Be Continued …

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