Authors note: This chapter, as well as the rest of the story, will have Christian themes in them. If this bothers you, or if you think the content will offend you, please don't read it. All scriptures were taken from the Holy Bible (New King James Version). The last line of this chapter is a quote I borrowed from a radio program called "Adventures In Odessey". It was quoted by a character named Eugene Meltzner, the local genius, when he came to a crossroads in his spiritual path.
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The morning sun broke through the cracks on the roof of Mike and Lily's hut. Lily sat on her cot, basking in the warmth, as she listened to the island birds calling out to each other.
"You hear those birds? They will sing to you every morning if you'll just listen to them," Lily spoke to her baby as she rubbed her stomach. Lily couldn't hardly believe that she would soon be a mother. Since they had no way of calculating a due date, she figured the baby would be coming in a couple of months, or even a few weeks at the soonest. So much had changed since the day her and Mike arrived on the island. She recalled the rocky start that her and Mike had, as the images of her turning her nose up at Mike's genuine introduction flooded her mind. She had been terribly rude to him. She suddenly became aware that she once had the tendency to treat others like that also. It made her sad that she could have ever been so unkind. Her thoughts were interrupted by a strangely familiar sound. She listened closely as the sound became louder. Surely it couldn't have been what she thought it was. However, she decided to wake her husband anyway to let him know what she heard.
"Mike, wake up," Lily said as she shook him gently.
"What's going on? Is the baby coming?" Mike asked as he reached for his shirt.
"No, I thought I heard a jet engine going across the island. Do you think I could be right?" Lily said with excitement.
"I don't know. I guess anything is possible. However, we have been on this island about two years. I wouldn't count on a search party if I were you. It might have just been an airline jet just flying over the Pacific," Mike told her, hoping she hadn't gotten her hopes up.
"Yeah, you're probably right," Lily said as she stepped outside to face the day.
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It was a lovely afternoon as Lily picked some mangos. The sun shone down and heated her skin. Lily, who had been unable to wear her only outfit since becoming pregnant, was adorned in a grass skirt, which she created herself, and a top she designed by cris-crossing her old dress around her chest area. She thought it looked similar to a halter top. Suddenly, Lily began to hear the sound of footsteps coming through the jungle. Lily would have been frightened, but she figured it was just one of the villagers coming by to visit.
"Hello, Kiki, is that you?" Lily asked, knowing she wouldn't get an answer anyway.
"Hello," a male American voice answered back, "who's there?"
"Who are you? Don't come any closer, I have my husband's knife," Lily warned as she held Mike's present from Shatzu close to her. One more twig snapped and the stranger came into sight. Lily screamed.
"Please don't be frightened miss. I won't harm you," the man said, coming a little closer. "My name is Reverend Randolph Mitchell. I am a missionary for this island. I am here to teach Christianity to the Nagali tribe. Who are you, and how did you get here?"
"I'm Lillian Vanguard, er, Nesmith. My husband and I were carried to this island on a piece of driftwood after we were tossed overboard our ship. I believe we have been here about two years, but neither one of us are sure about that anymore," Lily answered.
"Let's see, Vanguard...oh yes, that accident did happen almost two years ago. The Coast Guard determined that you and the other young man were lost at sea. Everyone thinks your dead, dear," Randolph said.
"Well, I figured that. Would you like to come up to my hut and meet my husband? I think he would be thrilled to see a fellow American," Lily offered.
"Yes, I believe I will. Thank you," Randolph said as he followed Lily.
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"Not bad if I say so myself," Mike said to himself as he admired his handy work. He had been building a cradle out of bamboo and boar's hide. He stopped looking when his wife entered the hut with a strange visitor.
"Mike, I want you to meet somebody. This is Reverend Mitchell. He is a missionary," Lily explained.
"Please, call me Randolph," he said as he accepted Mike's handshake.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Mike said. "So, when did you arrive here sir?"
"Just this morning. I'm living in a tent in the middle of the Nagali tribe village," Randolph explained.
"Well reverend, if you have nothing pressing to do, you are welcomed to have dinner with us. Lily makes wonderful trout," Mike said as he winked to his wife.
"Yes please, Michael and Shatzu caught more than enough this morning. There's even enough for seconds, maybe even thirds," Lily pleaded.
"I'd be happy to dine with you folks," Randolph told them.
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After dinner was over, Randolph began a conversation with Mike and Lily that would very well change their lives.
"Mike, I was wondering. In your opinion, what do you think is necessary to get into Heaven?" Randolph asked him.
"Well, nothing special I suppose. Heaven is for good people. I guess as long as you are not evil, you qualify," Mike answered. To be honest, Mike had never thought much about the topic before now.
"What does an evil person do?" Randolph inquired.
"Well, they steal, kill, and cheat," Mike said.
"Ok, that sounds like a good answer. May I tell you what the Bible says about it?" Randolph asked. Mike nodded as Randolph pulled a small pocket sized Bible from his jacket. He slipped on a pair of glasses and cleared his throat as he read.
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. That is from Romans 3:23," Randolph said and then continued. "Does that statement seem to make any sense? Do you agree that everyone has sinned?"
"Yes, no one is perfect," Mike said.
"So, if we have all sinned, doesn't that make all of us evil?" Randolph asked. Mike pondered the question. He didn't much care for where the conversation was going. He was about to answer when he heard Lily's voice answer through tears.
"Yes, it does. I don't want to be evil though," Lily said, as she wiped a tear away.
"Nobody intends to. As humans we just can't help it. We are not doomed though. God has plan to save us from our shortcomings. Would you like to hear about it, Lily?" Randolph asked.
"Yes, I would," Lily told him.
"Romans 6:23 says,"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord." So you see, God is offering you the gift of His Son's life in exchange for yours. All you do is offer up to Him your own spirit, your old will and give it up to Him, then He will fill you with His Holy Spirit. You will be a new person and completely His. Jesus is our only guarantee to an eternal life in Heaven," Randolph told her.
"How are you so sure?" Mike asked.
"I am sure because the Bible says, in Jesus' own words: "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes unto the Father but through Me." That is John 14:6," Randolph told Mike.
"You mean like a middle man?" Lily asked.
"Sort of, but not quite. You see, when you accept Jesus Christ into your heart as your Savior and Lord, you are putting your soul up for sale, kind of. Satan has a price tag on you, and the cost is a life. Well Jesus, God's Son, died on a cross, taking all the guilt and shame of the world upon Himself, basically telling the Devil: "Here's my blood, take this instead." Randolph explained.
"So how can we have Jesus' life if He's dead?" Lily asked.
"He came back to life three days after His death," Randolph told her. At this point, Mike was more skeptical than ever. "People coming back from the dead, what a load of hogwash," Mike thought. He had thought what Randolph was saying was pretty credible, until this point. He slowly got up and made his way for the door.
"Well, I think I'm gonna go for a walk," Mike said, "if you'll excuse me."
"Mike, I can sense you don't believe what I'm saying. However, please think about the fact that it is no accident that we are all on this island together. Do you believe that you and Lily could have gotten this far without divine intervention? It is no mistake that you are here. God has a reason for everything," Randolph said. After a few seconds of hesitation, Mike was out the door and on his way to the beach.
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Mike stretched out on the beach, as he listened to the waves crashing the shore. He closed his eyes and let his mind process what he had just heard and compared it to anything else he had ever heard about God. Mike wasn't really sure what he believed, he just believed that there was a God, somewhere. He thought about what Randolph had said about. It was truly amazing that he and Lily were still alive. All this time he had believed it was just survival instincts that had helped them along. He began to recall how icy cold the water had been on the night of the storm that brought them to the island. What survival skill had kept them from freezing to death? None he could think of. Then there were his good friends Shatzu and Miha. What a blessing it had been that the Nagali villagers found Mike and Lily on the other end of the island. Without their friendship, Mike and Lily would have starved to death. To top everything off, Mike was given a beautiful wife and the chance to become the father that his own father never was. He sometimes still couldn't believe that the rude and stuck up Lillian Vanguard, and the cocky and ill tempered Michael Nesmith had let both of their guards down long enough to fall in love with each other. Tears stung Mike's eyes as he suddenly wanted to shout his praises from the highest mountain. A strange feeling of warmth and peace flooded his inner being as he relived his memories.
Mike headed back for the hut. When he arrived, Lily and Randolph both had bright smiles on their faces.
"What's going on?" Mike asked.
"Mike," Lily said as she took his hands into hers,"I've given my heart to Jesus. My sins are gone." She was almost laughing as she spoke.
"What about you Mike? What is your decision?" Randolph asked as he looked at him.
"I want to believe, but I need help with my unbelief," Mike said, as he looked up toward Heaven.